Risser's Mennonite Church (Elizabethtown, Pennsylvania, USA)
Risser's (Rissers, Risser) Mennonite Church near Elizabethtown, Pennsylvania, began about 1737, with the ordination of Peter Risser, a new immigrant from Switzerland. He preached in homes until the first sandstone school and meetinghouse was built on his land in 1760. The meetinghouse was enlarged in 1865. In 1887, this meetinghouse was dismantled, and a larger frame meetinghouse was erected.
Sunday school began at Risser's in 1890. Services were held every four weeks until the 1920s, when they became every two weeks. It reverted to every four weeks during and following World War II, before becoming weekly.
Bibliography
Ruth, John L. The Earth is the Lord's: a narrative history of the Lancaster Mennonite Conference. Scottdale, Pa.: Herald Press, 2001: 230, 1138-1169.
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: 208-215, 218-219, 283. Available in full electronic text at https://archive.org/details/mennonitesoflanc00weav_0/page/n3/mode/2up.
Additional Information
Address: 8360 Elizabethtown Road, Elizabethtown, Pennsylvania 17022
Telephone: 717-367-1975
Website: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61552061069898
Denominational Affiliations:
LMC: a Fellowship of Anabaptist Churches
Pastoral Leaders at Risser's Mennonite Church
| Name | Years of Service |
|---|---|
| Peter Risser (1713-1804) | 1737-1804 |
| John Mumma (1776-1859) (Bishop) |
1815-1825 1825-1859 |
| John Risser (1787-1870) | By 1820-1870 |
| Peter R. Ebersole (1790-1870) (Bishop) |
1830-1850 1850-1870 |
| Benjamin Lehman (1823-1907) | 1866-1907 |
| Peter R. Ebersole, Jr. (1822-1899) | 1867-1899 |
| Martin N. Rutt (1841-1905)(Bishop) | 1870-1905 |
| Harry M. Enterline (1858-1934) | 1898-1900s? |
| Samuel L. Oberholtzer (1859-1931) | 1903-1931 |
| John G. Ebersole (1849-1934) (Bishop) |
1887-1907 1907-1934 |
| Noah W. Risser (1877-1964) (Bishop) |
1919-1920 1920-1964 |
| Walter W. Oberholtzer (1892-1964) | 1931-1964 |
| Clarence E. Lutz (1903-1973)(Bishop) | 1950-1973 |
| John "J. Harold" Forwood (1919-2016) | 1954-1968 |
| Paul G. Ruhl (1925-1984) | 1968-1983? |
| Eugene H. Zimmerman | 1976-1982? |
| William M. Weaver (1929-2016) | 1980-1983 |
| Donald R. Pickell | 1984-2003? |
| Gerald M. Heistand | 1984-2010 |
| Ralph G. Ginder (1923-2012) | 1989?-2003? |
| Larry E. Ginder (Associate) | 2004?-2010 |
| James S. Zimmerman (Associate) | 2004?-2010 |
| Daryl L. Heistand | 2011- |
Risser's Mennonite Church Membership
| Year | Members |
|---|---|
| 1920 | 175 |
| 1930 | 108 |
| 1940 | 130 |
| 1950 | 140 |
| 1960 | 148 |
| 1970 | 139 |
| 1980 | 112 |
| 1990 | 94 |
| 2000 | 95 |
| 2009 | 58 |
Original Mennonite Encyclopedia Article
By Ira D. Landis. Copied by permission of Herald Press, Harrisonburg, Virginia, from Mennonite Encyclopedia, Vol. 4, p. 341. All rights reserved.
Risser (Rissers) Mennonite Church, located four miles east of Elizabethtown, Pennsylvania, a member of the Lancaster Conference, originated in 1737. The first meetinghouse was built in 1760 in a grove on Peter Risser's land. This was enlarged in 1865, and in 1887 replaced by the present frame church 50 x 70 ft. It is beautifully located, with a schoolhouse adjoining and a well-kept cemetery. In 1957 the membership was 138; Noah W. Risser and Clarence E. Lutz were the bishops, Walter W. Oberholtzer and J. Harold Forwood the ministers. It formerly shared its ministers with the Stauffer congregation at Bachmanville.
| Author(s) | Samuel J Steiner |
|---|---|
| Date Published | February 2026 |
Cite This Article
MLA style
Steiner, Samuel J. "Risser's Mennonite Church (Elizabethtown, Pennsylvania, USA)." Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. February 2026. Web. 12 Feb 2026. https://gameo.org/index.php?title=Risser%27s_Mennonite_Church_(Elizabethtown,_Pennsylvania,_USA)&oldid=181512.
APA style
Steiner, Samuel J. (February 2026). Risser's Mennonite Church (Elizabethtown, Pennsylvania, USA). Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. Retrieved 12 February 2026, from https://gameo.org/index.php?title=Risser%27s_Mennonite_Church_(Elizabethtown,_Pennsylvania,_USA)&oldid=181512.
©1996-2026 by the Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. All rights reserved.