Argentine Mennonite Church, (Kansas City, Kansas, USA)
The Argentine Mennonite Church (Mennonite Church (MC)) in Kansas City, Kansas, emerged in 1925 out of the former Mennonite Gospel Mission. It occupied a church building erected in 1925 near the Children's Home operated by the Gospel Mission. The church was located in the Argentine neighborhood of Kansas City. The church was remodeled and enlarged in 1949/1950.
Jacob D. Mininger, the superintendent of the Gospel Mission, served as minister of the Argentine Mennonite Church until his death in 1941. He was followed by William Smith and Edward Yoder. In February 1946, the Argentine Mennonite Church formally organized as a self-supporting congregation with Rufus P. Horst as the pastor. It was a member congregation of the South Central Mennonite Conference of the Mennonite Church (MC).
The congregation suffered internal tensions due to the conservative position of some of its leaders, like R. P. Horst. In November 1957, 31 members, including Pastor Nissley, withdrew and formed the Grace Mennonite Church in Mission, Kansas. That church later became part of the Rainbow Mennonite Church.
In 2023, the South Central Mennonite Conference withdrew from Mennonite Church USA and, in 2024, chose to become a district of LMC: a Fellowship of Anabaptist Churches. Argentine Mennonite Church thus became part of LMC.
The Argentine Mennonite Church closed at the end of 2024. It donated its building to Youthfront Neighborhood, a Christian nonprofit organization.
Bibliography
Erb, Paul. South Central Frontiers: a history of the South Central Mennonite Conference. Scottdale, Pa.: Herald Press, 1974: 298-300, 349-352.
Tammeus, Bill. "Aging KCK congregation bequeaths building to serve youth." Flatland. 26 January 2025. https://flatlandkc.org/civic-affairs/argentine-kansas-city-kansas-church-youthfront/.
Additional Information
Address: 3701 Metropolitan Avenue, Kansas City, Kansas 66106
Telephone:
Website:
Denominational Affiliations:
LMC: a Fellowship of Anabaptist Churches
Pastoral Leaders at Argentine Mennonite Church
| Name | Years of Service |
|---|---|
| Jacob D. Mininger (1879-1941) | 1925-1941 |
| William M. Smith (1882-1942) | 1941-1942 |
| Edward Yoder (1893-1979) | 1942-1946 |
| Rufus P. Horst (1896-1981) | 1946-1952 1957-1960 1976-1978 |
| Norman H. Teague (1924-2013)(Assistant) | 1948-1951 |
| Lester "Glen" Yoder (1920-2015) | 1949-1964 |
| Frank B. Raber (1898-1964) | 1951-1955 |
| David "Lowell" Nissley (1921-2020) | 1955-1957 |
| John Paul Wenger (1940-2021) | 1965-1966 |
| Lay Leadership | 1966-1967 |
| Paul L. Bender | 1968-1970 |
| John M. Landis (1914-2003) | 1971-1973 |
| John E. Heyerly (1940- ) | 1973-1974 |
| Clifford Helmuth | 1974-1975 1978-1979 1982-1983 |
| Melvin T. McClure | 1975-1976 |
| Aaron "A. Vernon" Allison (1921-2003) | 1979-1982 |
| Jay Ulrich | 1983-1985 |
| Joseph Diener (1932-2017) | 1986-1987? -1991-1993 |
| Vernon A. Yoder (1926-2024) | 1987-1991 |
| Mervin Hershberger | 1993-2014 |
| Sandeep K. Thomas | 2014-2024 |
Argentine Mennonite Church Membership
| Year | Members |
|---|---|
| 1950 | 120 |
| 1960 | 74 |
| 1970 | 85 |
| 1980 | 27 |
| 1990 | 21 |
| 2000 | 21 |
| 2009 | 26 |
| 2020 | 14 |
Original Mennonite Encyclopedia Article
By Harold S. Bender. Copied by permission of Herald Press, Harrisonburg, Virginia, from Mennonite Encyclopedia, Vol. 4, p. 1060. All rights reserved.
The Argentine Mennonite Church (Mennonite Church (MC)) in Kansas City, Kansas, was established in 1946 out of the former Mennonite Gospel Mission. In 1958 the membership was 74, with Rufus P. Horst and Glen Yoder as ministers. It is a member of the South Central Mennonite Conference.
| Author(s) | Samuel J Steiner |
|---|---|
| Date Published | January 2025 |
Cite This Article
MLA style
Steiner, Samuel J. "Argentine Mennonite Church, (Kansas City, Kansas, USA)." Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. January 2025. Web. 3 Apr 2025. https://gameo.org/index.php?title=Argentine_Mennonite_Church,_(Kansas_City,_Kansas,_USA)&oldid=180153.
APA style
Steiner, Samuel J. (January 2025). Argentine Mennonite Church, (Kansas City, Kansas, USA). Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. Retrieved 3 April 2025, from https://gameo.org/index.php?title=Argentine_Mennonite_Church,_(Kansas_City,_Kansas,_USA)&oldid=180153.
©1996-2025 by the Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. All rights reserved.