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Millersville Mennonite (Mennonite Church USA) Church in the town of [[Millersville (Pennsylvania, USA)|Millersville]], two miles (3 km) southwest of Lancaster, Pennsylvania, dates back to 1757, when a log meetinghouse was built to serve the Abraham Herr, John Correl, Michael Shenk, Peter Eshleman, Jacob Frantz, and Andrew Kauffman families. Benjamin Hershey, living one mile (1.5 km) west of Lancaster, was the first bishop. Among the leading ministers who have served here were Andrew Kauffman, John Shenk, Benjamin Hertzler, Christian S. Herr, and in mid-20th century Daniel Lehman and Daniel Gish. Among the sons of the congregation serving elsewhere have been [[Charles, John Denlinger (1878-1923)|John D. Charles]], [[Lehman, Chester Kindig (1895-1980)|Chester]] and Daniel Lehman, and Clyde Shenk. The old church was replaced in 1851 by a new brick building, which in turn was replaced in 1897 by the mid-20th century church, with renovations in 1927. Jacob G. Hess, Landis Shertzer, and J. Herbert Fisher were the ministers in 1955 with a membership of 375. The [[Mennonite Children's Home (Millersville, Pennsylvania, USA)|Mennonite Children's Home]] was near by. The ministers shared a circuit with the ministers of the Rohrerstown congregation.
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Mennonite settlers from [[Europe]] began to settle on the Lower Conestoga and its branches, and west of [[Lancaster (Pennsylvania, USA)|Lancaster]], [[Pennsylvania (USA)|Pennsylvania]], in about 1717. [[Hershey, Benjamin (1697-1789)|Benjamin Hershey]] was one of those settlers, arriving from Switzerland. He was ordained as a minister soon after arrival and as a bishop by 1725. Tradition says he built a meetinghouse in 1730 east of the Little Conestoga on Hans Brubacher's farm.
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The first log meetinghouse at [[Millersville (Pennsylvania, USA)|Millersville]] was built in 1757, near a schoolhouse. This building was replaced in 1851 by a brick building, which was itself replaced in 1898. It was extensively renovated in 1927.  
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Millersville Mennonite Church began its first [[Sunday School|Sunday school]] in 1887.
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Millersville shared its ministry with the [[Rohrerstown Mennonite Church (Rohrerstown, Pennsylvania, USA)|Rohrerstown Mennonite Church]] until the 1950s.
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= Bibliography =
 +
"Millersville, Lancaster Co., Pa...." ''Herald of Truth'' 35, no. 3 (1 February 1898): 41.
 +
 
 +
Ruth, John L. ''The Earth is the Lord's: a narrative history of the Lancaster Mennonite Conference''. Scottdale, Pa.: Herald Press, 2001: 225, 255-256, 267, 1138-1169.
 +
 
 +
Shenk, B. M. "A history of the Mennonite Church at Rohrerstown, East Hempfield Township, Lancaster County, Pennsylvania." ''Gospel Herald'' 2, no. 50 (10 March 1910): 794-795.
 +
 
 +
Weaver, Martin G. ''Mennonites of Lancaster Conference: containing biographical sketches of Mennonite leaders, histories of congregations, missions, and Sunday schools, record of ordinations, and other interesting historical data''. Scottdale, PA: Mennonite Publishing House, 1931. Reprinted Ephrata, PA: Eastern Pennsylvania Mennonite Church Publication Board, 1982: 90-96, 110-111. Available in full electronic text at https://archive.org/details/mennonitesoflanc00weav_0/page/n3/mode/2up.
 
= Additional Information =
 
= Additional Information =
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'''Address''': 437 Manor Avenue, PO Box 283, Millersville, PA 17551
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'''Address''': 437 Manor Avenue, Millersville, Pennsylvania 17551
  
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'''Phone''': 717-872-2441
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'''Telephone''': 717-872-2441
  
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'''Website''': http://www.millersvillemennonite.org/
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'''Website''': https://millersvillemennonite.org/
  
 
'''Denominational Affiliations''':
 
'''Denominational Affiliations''':
  
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[http://www.lancasterconference.org/ Lancaster Mennonite Conference]
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[https://lmcchurches.org/ LMC: a Fellowship of Anabaptist Churches]
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[https://www.mennoniteusa.org/ Mennonite Church USA] (Until 2017)
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== Pastoral Leaders at Millersville Mennonite Church ==
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{| class="wikitable"
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|-
 +
! Name !! Years<br/>of Service
 +
|-
 +
| [[Hershey, Benjamin (1697-1789)|Benjamin Hershey]] (1697-1789)<br />(Bishop) || By 1719-1725?<br />1725?-1789
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|-
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| Benjamin Hershey, Jr. (1732-1812)<br />(Bishop) || ?-?<br />?-1812
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|-
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| Jacob Brubaker (1751-1832<br />(Bishop) || 1780?-1783?<br />1783?-1832?
 +
|-
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| Andreas H. Kauffman (1782-1845) || By 1800-1845
 +
|-
 +
| John Brubaker (1787-1842)<br />(Bishop) || 1829-1831<br />1831-1842
 +
|-
 +
| John Shenk (1789-1857) || 1835-1857
 +
|-
 +
| Christian S. Herr (1812-1880) || 1842-1880
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|-
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| Henry Shenk (1794-1865)(Bishop)|| 1843-1865
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|-
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| Joseph Burkholder (1803-1875)(Bishop) || 1864-1875
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|-
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| Jacob K. Brubaker (1814-1879)<br />(Bishop) || 1859-1875<br />1875-1879
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|-
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| Amos Shenk (1832-1909)<br />(Bishop) || 1876-1879<br />1879-1890s
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|-
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| John K. Brubaker (1844-1898) || 1879-1898
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|-
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| Benjamin Hertzler (1829-1906) || 1881-1906
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|-
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| [[Wenger, Amos Daniel (1867-1935)|Amos D. Wenger]] (1867-1935) || 1897-1908
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|-
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| Abraham B. Herr (1845-1925)(Bishop) || 1899-1925
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|-
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| Daniel N. Gish (1867-1954) || 1907-1954
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|-
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| Daniel M. Lehman (1852-1925)(Bishop) || 1921-1925
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|-
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| Jacob G. Hess (1883-1959) || 1922-1959
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|-
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| [[Mosemann, John Heer (1877-1938)|John H. Mosemann]] (1877-1938)(Bishop) || 1926-1938
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|-
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| Landis M. Shertzer (1883-1978) || 1928-1960s
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|-
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| Christian K. Lehman (1888-1961)(Bishop) || 1938-1961
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|-
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| Jay "J. Herbert" Fisher (1919-2019) || 1943-1997
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|-
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| Abram H. Charles (1932-2013)(Bishop) || 1962-1977<br />1977-2000
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|-
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| Raymond L. Bomberger (1944-2011) || 1975-1985?
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|-
 +
| Delbert L. Kautz || 1987-2010
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|-
 +
| Wesley Penner || 2012-2022
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|-
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| Mildred "Millie" Penner || 2012-2022
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|-
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| Lay Leadership? || 2022-2024
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|-
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| David Martino || 2024-
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|}
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== Millersville Mennonite Church Membership ==
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{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:right"
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|-
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! Year !! Members
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|-
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| 1907 || 225
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|-
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| 1915 || 500<br />c̅ Rohrerstown
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|-
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| 1920 || 595<br />c̅ Rohrerstown
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|-
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| 1930 || 600<br />c̅ Rohrerstown
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|-
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| 1940 || 662<br />c̅ Rohrerstown
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|-
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| 1950 || 385
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|-
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| 1960 || 325
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|-
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| 1970 || 233
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|-
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| 1980 || 224
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|-
 +
| 1990 || 158
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|-
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| 2000 || 95
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|-
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| 2009 || 84
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|}
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= Original Mennonite Encyclopedia Article =
  
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[http://www.mennoniteusa.org/ Mennonite Church USA]
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By Ira D. Landis. Copied by permission of Herald Press, Harrisonburg, Virginia, from ''Mennonite Encyclopedia'', Vol. 4, p. 354. All rights reserved.
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= Map =
 
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[[Map:Millersville Mennonite Church (Millersville, Pennsylvania, USA)]]
 
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{{GAMEO_footer|hp=Vol. 3, pp. 693-694|date=1957|a1_last=Landis|a1_first=Ira D|a2_last= |a2_first= }}
 
  
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Millersville Mennonite ([[Mennonite Church (MC)]]) Church in the town of [[Millersville (Pennsylvania, USA)|Millersville]], two miles southwest of Lancaster, Pennsylvania, dates back to 1757, when a log meetinghouse was built to serve the Abraham Herr, John Correl, Michael Shenk, Peter Eshleman, Jacob Frantz, and Andrew Kauffman families. Benjamin Hershey, living one mile west of Lancaster, was the first bishop. Among the leading ministers who have served here were Andrew Kauffman, John Shenk, Benjamin Hertzler, Christian S. Herr, and more recently Daniel Lehman and Daniel Gish. Among the sons of the congregation serving elsewhere have been [[Charles, John Denlinger (1878-1923)|John D. Charles]], [[Lehman, Chester Kindig (1895-1980)|Chester]] and Daniel Lehman, and Clyde Shenk. The old church was replaced in 1851 by a new brick building, which in turn was replaced in 1897 by the present church, with renovations in 1927. Jacob G. Hess, Landis Shertzer, and J. Herbert Fisher were the ministers in 1955 with a membership of 375. The [[Mennonite Children's Home (Millersville, Pennsylvania, USA)|Mennonite Children's Home]] is near by. The ministers share a circuit with the ministers of the Rohrerstown congregation.
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{{GAMEO_footer|hp=|date=October 2025|a1_last=Steiner|a1_first=Samuel J|a2_last= |a2_first= }}
 
[[Category:Churches]]
 
[[Category:Churches]]
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[[Category:LMC: a Fellowship of Anabaptist Churches Congregations]]
 
[[Category:Mennonite Church (MC) Congregations]]
 
[[Category:Mennonite Church (MC) Congregations]]
 
[[Category:Mennonite Church USA Congregations]]
 
[[Category:Mennonite Church USA Congregations]]
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[[Category:Lancaster Mennonite Conference Congregations]]
 
 
[[Category:Pennsylvania Congregations]]
 
[[Category:Pennsylvania Congregations]]
 
[[Category:United States Congregations]]
 
[[Category:United States Congregations]]

Latest revision as of 14:52, 18 October 2025

Mennonite settlers from Europe began to settle on the Lower Conestoga and its branches, and west of Lancaster, Pennsylvania, in about 1717. Benjamin Hershey was one of those settlers, arriving from Switzerland. He was ordained as a minister soon after arrival and as a bishop by 1725. Tradition says he built a meetinghouse in 1730 east of the Little Conestoga on Hans Brubacher's farm.

The first log meetinghouse at Millersville was built in 1757, near a schoolhouse. This building was replaced in 1851 by a brick building, which was itself replaced in 1898. It was extensively renovated in 1927.

Millersville Mennonite Church began its first Sunday school in 1887.

Millersville shared its ministry with the Rohrerstown Mennonite Church until the 1950s.

Bibliography

"Millersville, Lancaster Co., Pa...." Herald of Truth 35, no. 3 (1 February 1898): 41.

Ruth, John L. The Earth is the Lord's: a narrative history of the Lancaster Mennonite Conference. Scottdale, Pa.: Herald Press, 2001: 225, 255-256, 267, 1138-1169.

Shenk, B. M. "A history of the Mennonite Church at Rohrerstown, East Hempfield Township, Lancaster County, Pennsylvania." Gospel Herald 2, no. 50 (10 March 1910): 794-795.

Weaver, Martin G. Mennonites of Lancaster Conference: containing biographical sketches of Mennonite leaders, histories of congregations, missions, and Sunday schools, record of ordinations, and other interesting historical data. Scottdale, PA: Mennonite Publishing House, 1931. Reprinted Ephrata, PA: Eastern Pennsylvania Mennonite Church Publication Board, 1982: 90-96, 110-111. Available in full electronic text at https://archive.org/details/mennonitesoflanc00weav_0/page/n3/mode/2up.

Additional Information

Address: 437 Manor Avenue, Millersville, Pennsylvania 17551

Telephone: 717-872-2441

Website: https://millersvillemennonite.org/

Denominational Affiliations:

LMC: a Fellowship of Anabaptist Churches

Mennonite Church USA (Until 2017)

Pastoral Leaders at Millersville Mennonite Church

Name Years
of Service
Benjamin Hershey (1697-1789)
(Bishop)		 By 1719-1725?
1725?-1789
Benjamin Hershey, Jr. (1732-1812)
(Bishop)		 ?-?
?-1812
Jacob Brubaker (1751-1832
(Bishop)		 1780?-1783?
1783?-1832?
Andreas H. Kauffman (1782-1845) By 1800-1845
John Brubaker (1787-1842)
(Bishop)		 1829-1831
1831-1842
John Shenk (1789-1857) 1835-1857
Christian S. Herr (1812-1880) 1842-1880
Henry Shenk (1794-1865)(Bishop) 1843-1865
Joseph Burkholder (1803-1875)(Bishop) 1864-1875
Jacob K. Brubaker (1814-1879)
(Bishop)		 1859-1875
1875-1879
Amos Shenk (1832-1909)
(Bishop)		 1876-1879
1879-1890s
John K. Brubaker (1844-1898) 1879-1898
Benjamin Hertzler (1829-1906) 1881-1906
Amos D. Wenger (1867-1935) 1897-1908
Abraham B. Herr (1845-1925)(Bishop) 1899-1925
Daniel N. Gish (1867-1954) 1907-1954
Daniel M. Lehman (1852-1925)(Bishop) 1921-1925
Jacob G. Hess (1883-1959) 1922-1959
John H. Mosemann (1877-1938)(Bishop) 1926-1938
Landis M. Shertzer (1883-1978) 1928-1960s
Christian K. Lehman (1888-1961)(Bishop) 1938-1961
Jay "J. Herbert" Fisher (1919-2019) 1943-1997
Abram H. Charles (1932-2013)(Bishop) 1962-1977
1977-2000
Raymond L. Bomberger (1944-2011) 1975-1985?
Delbert L. Kautz 1987-2010
Wesley Penner 2012-2022
Mildred "Millie" Penner 2012-2022
Lay Leadership? 2022-2024
David Martino 2024-

Millersville Mennonite Church Membership

Year Members
1907 225
1915 500
c̅ Rohrerstown
1920 595
c̅ Rohrerstown
1930 600
c̅ Rohrerstown
1940 662
c̅ Rohrerstown
1950 385
1960 325
1970 233
1980 224
1990 158
2000 95
2009 84

Original Mennonite Encyclopedia Article

By Ira D. Landis. Copied by permission of Herald Press, Harrisonburg, Virginia, from Mennonite Encyclopedia, Vol. 4, p. 354. All rights reserved.

Millersville Mennonite (Mennonite Church (MC)) Church in the town of Millersville, two miles southwest of Lancaster, Pennsylvania, dates back to 1757, when a log meetinghouse was built to serve the Abraham Herr, John Correl, Michael Shenk, Peter Eshleman, Jacob Frantz, and Andrew Kauffman families. Benjamin Hershey, living one mile west of Lancaster, was the first bishop. Among the leading ministers who have served here were Andrew Kauffman, John Shenk, Benjamin Hertzler, Christian S. Herr, and more recently Daniel Lehman and Daniel Gish. Among the sons of the congregation serving elsewhere have been John D. Charles, Chester and Daniel Lehman, and Clyde Shenk. The old church was replaced in 1851 by a new brick building, which in turn was replaced in 1897 by the present church, with renovations in 1927. Jacob G. Hess, Landis Shertzer, and J. Herbert Fisher were the ministers in 1955 with a membership of 375. The Mennonite Children's Home is near by. The ministers share a circuit with the ministers of the Rohrerstown congregation.


Author(s) Samuel J Steiner
Date Published October 2025

Cite This Article

MLA style

Steiner, Samuel J. "Millersville Mennonite Church (Millersville, Pennsylvania, USA)." Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. October 2025. Web. 19 Jan 2026. https://gameo.org/index.php?title=Millersville_Mennonite_Church_(Millersville,_Pennsylvania,_USA)&oldid=181265.

APA style

Steiner, Samuel J. (October 2025). Millersville Mennonite Church (Millersville, Pennsylvania, USA). Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. Retrieved 19 January 2026, from https://gameo.org/index.php?title=Millersville_Mennonite_Church_(Millersville,_Pennsylvania,_USA)&oldid=181265.



©1996-2026 by the Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. All rights reserved.

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