Clinton Brick Church (Goshen, Indiana, USA)
The first Mennonites (as opposed to Amish Mennonites) to settle east of Goshen, Indiana in Clinton Township came in about 1845. According to tradition, these early Mennonites built a log meetinghouse in 1854, though land was not conveyed until 1856. Initially, ministers from Yellow Creek Mennonite came to preach.
The first resident minister was John Nusbaum, a native of Switzerland, who settled in Clinton Township in 1860.
In 1880, the congregation replaced the log meetinghouse with a new brick building. It held its first service on 30 October 1880. In 1919, it enlarged the building and added a basement. In 1945, it added a balcony. On 7 December 1945, the meetinghouse burned. The congregation completed a new brick building in 1947, which was dedicated on 7 December 1947.
At a congregational meeting on 13 July 2014, a majority of church members voted to leave the Indiana-Michigan Mennonite Conference and Mennonite Church USA due to the increase it saw in LGBT inclusion in the conference and denomination. The removal from membership became effective on 1 October of that year. At that time the church changed its name to Clinton Brick Church. Its weekly attendance was about 50 at that time.
In 2019 the Clinton Brick Church closed. It transferred ownership of its building to the Foundation Community Church, which had been founded in 2018.
Bibliography
Groff, Anna. "Clinton Brick Leaves Indiana-Michigan." The Mennonite: Daily News/Updates. 16 October 2014. Web. 21 October 2014. https://anabaptistworld.org/clinton-brick-leaves-indiana-michigan/.
Kauffman, Gary, ed. Brick by Brick: The Story of Clinton Brick Mennonite Church. Goshen, Ind.: The Church, 2004: 46.
Kauffman, Maxine. "History of the Clinton Brick Mennonite Church." Mennonite Historical Bulletin (March-June 1945).
Kennel, Ron. "Clinton Brick Mennonite." Gospel Evangel 87, no. 8 (December 2006): 3-4.
Preheim, Rich. In Pursuit of Faithfulness: Conviction, Conflict, and Compromise in Indiana-Michigan Mennonite Conference. Harrisonburg, Va.: Herald Press, 2016: 30-33, 149, 308, 367.
Springer, Joe. "Clinton Brick Church." Personal e-mail (29 April 2024).
Wenger, John Christian. The Mennonites in Indiana and Michigan. Scottdale, Pa.: Herald Press, 1961: 87-90.
Archival Holdings
Clinton Brick Church at Mennonite Church USA Archives.
Additional Information
Address: 62499 State Road 13, Goshen, Indiana
Phone:
Website:
Denominational Affiliations: Indiana-Michigan Mennonite Conference (Until 2014)
Mennonite Church USA (Until 2014)
Pastoral Leaders at Clinton Brick Church
| Name | Years of Service |
|---|---|
| Yellow Creek Ministers | 1854-1860 |
| John Nusbaum, Sr. (1800-1876) | 1860-1876 |
| William Pletcher (1816-1877) | 1865-1877 |
| Abraham Hoover (1822-1896) | 1868-1886 |
| John Jacob "J. J." Weaver (1830-1920) | 1875-1896 |
| Henry Martin (1801-1883) | 1874-1883 |
| Peter Y. Lehman (1836-1925) (Bishop) |
1884-1892 1892-1901 |
| John C. Gnagy (1817-1889) | 1881-1889 |
| David Garber (1862-1934) | 1889-1894 |
| John Garber (1860-1944) (Bishop) |
1892-1903 1903-1933 |
| Samuel Honderich (1878-1971) | 1902-1907 |
| John C. Springer (1871-1910) | 1908-1909 |
| Amos Nusbaum (1868-1954) | 1907-1954 |
| Samuel S. Miller (1908-1995) | 1936-1946 1948-1953 |
| Amsa H. Kauffman (1894-1977) (Bishop) |
1947-1952 1952-1967 |
| John J. Yoder (1919-2001) (Bishop) |
1955-1967 1967-1976 |
| Brian P. Laverty | 1975-1977 |
| Stan Miller (Interim) | 1978 |
| Carl L. Smeltzer | 1979-1989 |
| Clifford Miller (Interim) | 1990 |
| Ronald L. Kennel | 1990-2007 |
| Greg Yantzi (Interim) | 1998 |
| Daniel Z. Miller (Transitional) | 2007-2008 |
| Lay Leadership | 2009-2012 |
| David Hathaway | 2012-2018? |
Clinton Brick Church Membership
| Year | Members |
|---|---|
| 1880s | 75 |
| 1905 | 75 |
| 1920 | 96 |
| 1930 | 107 |
| 1940 | 101 |
| 1950 | 146 |
| 1960 | 205 |
| 1970 | 176 |
| 1980 | 217 |
| 1990 | 123 |
| 2000 | 127 |
| 2009 | 127 |
Original Mennonite Encyclopedia Article
By Amsa H. Kauffman. Copied by permission of Herald Press, Harrisonburg, Virginia, from Mennonite Encyclopedia, Vol. 1, p. 627. All rights reserved.
Clinton Brick Mennonite Church (Mennonite Church USA), located in Clinton Township, Elkhart County, near Goshen, Indiana, is a member of the Indiana-Michigan Mennonite Conference. The church was organized in 1854 with approximately 40 members, under the leadership of John Nusbaum, who served as the first pastor. In 1954 the membership stood at 154, most of whom were rural people. The first meetinghouse was a log structure, built in 1854, with a seating capacity of 100. In 1880 a new solid brick building was erected, which served the congregation until 1944, when it was destroyed by fire. In 1946 a new solid brick church was built which had a seating capacity of 300. Ministers who served for a length of time prior to 1950 were John Nusbaum, Henry Miller, Peter Lehman, John Garber, David Garber, Samuel Honderich, Amos Nusbaum, Samuel S. Miller, and Amsa H. Kauffman (1950).
| Author(s) | Samuel J Steiner |
|---|---|
| Date Published | April 2024 |
Cite This Article
MLA style
Steiner, Samuel J. "Clinton Brick Church (Goshen, Indiana, USA)." Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. April 2024. Web. 21 Nov 2024. https://gameo.org/index.php?title=Clinton_Brick_Church_(Goshen,_Indiana,_USA)&oldid=178768.
APA style
Steiner, Samuel J. (April 2024). Clinton Brick Church (Goshen, Indiana, USA). Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. Retrieved 21 November 2024, from https://gameo.org/index.php?title=Clinton_Brick_Church_(Goshen,_Indiana,_USA)&oldid=178768.
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