Mennonites from the Palatinate began to settle in the Lower Conestoga area of what became Lancaster County, Pennsylvania in 1717. The first Mennonite minister in the community was the immigrant Bishop Hans Burkholder, who had been ordained in Switzerland.

The date most often referred to for the founding of the Byerland Mennonite Church is 1724. The congregation initially met in homes. In 1755, it built a meetinghouse on the land formerly owned by Hans Boyer, from which the name Byerland (Boyer land) received its name. In 1848, the congregation bought a tract of land for a meetinghouse and graveyard on the opposite side of the road, on higher ground, from John Huber. It built a stone church to replace the log church. In 1879, it built a brick meetinghouse using stones from the former building for the foundation. It was extensively remodeled in 1953. The congregation added a fellowship hall in 2020.

The best-known of the early Byerland and New Danville ministers was Martin Boehm, ordained as a minister in 1756 and bishop in 1761. Initially, Boehm struggled to speak until he had a Pietist "new birth" conversion experience several years into his ministry, influenced by the "Great Awakening" revival movement of the day. Boehm began to preach the need for a conversion experience. He became more ecumenical in his relationships with religious leaders who were not nonresistant in their religious views. The other Lancaster bishops silenced Martin Boehm in 1777, and he became one of the founders of the more Methodist-like United Brethren denomination.

Byerland began a Sunday school in 1891, though it did not become weekly until 1940. Into the 20th century, Byerland was part of the New Danville-Byerland-River Corner district, which meant the ministers were shared among the district congregations. Worship services were held at the Byerland meetinghouse every four weeks until the 1940s, when they changed to every two weeks. In the 1950s, they changed to weekly.

In the early 2000s, Byerland Mennonite came close to closing when attendance dropped to the 30s. However, it revived and celebrated 300 years of history in 2024.

Bibliography

Author(s)	Samuel J Steiner
Date Published	November 2024

"Byerland Church history." Byerland Church. 2015? Web. 1 November 2024. https://byerlandchurch.org/church-history/.

"Byerland Mennonite Church." Shalom News 32, no. 4 (June-July 2012): 14.

Ruth, John L. The Earth is the Lord's: a narrative history of the Lancaster Mennonite Conference. Scottdale, Pa.: Herald Press, 2001: 249-250, 267, 287-293.

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: 37, 102-107, 212. Available in full electronic text at https://archive.org/details/mennonitesoflanc00weav_0/page/n3/mode/2up.

Willison, Nathan. "Byerland Mennonite Church in Willow Street celebrates 300 years of worship." LancasterOnline. 7 October 2024. Web. 7 November 2024. https://lancasteronline.com/news/local/byerland-mennonite-church-in-willow-street-celebrates-300-years-of-worship/article_7c24e3fa-842e-11ef-9fc1-5f6db6caf570.html.

Additional Information

Address: 931 Byerland Church Road, Willow Street, Pennsylvania 17584

Telephone: 717-464-5101

Website: https://byerlandchurch.org/

Denominational Affiliations:

LMC: a Fellowship of Anabaptist Churches

Mennonite Church USA (Until 2017)

Pastoral Leaders at Byerland Church

Name	Years of Service
Hans Burkholder (1670-1744)(Bishop)	By 1717-1744
Melchior Brenneman (1665-1737)	1717-1730?
Jacob Hostetter (1695?-1761)(Bishop)	1755-1761
Martin Boehm (1725-1812) (Bishop)	1756-1761 1761-1777
Daniel Sterneman(1767-1851)	By 1813-1851
Samuel Myers (1780-1851)	1814?-1851?
John Huber (1791-1861)	?-1861?
Henry Shenk (1794-1865) (Bishop)	1839-1843 1843-1865?
Joseph Burkholder (1803-1875) (Bishop)	1846-1864 1864-1875
Martin Miller (1798-1880)	1858-1880
John B. Harnish (1829-1908)	1865-1908
Abraham B. Herr (1845-1925) (Bishop)	1875-1899 1899-1925
Jacob H. Thomas (1849-1939)	1899-1939
Aaron B. Harnish (1856-1938)	1904-1938
Maris W. Hess (1892-1965)	1923-1965
James H. Hess (1911-1998)	1934-
Wilbur A. Lentz (1928-2009)	1960-1976
Ernest M. Hess (1942-2024) (Bishop)	1977-1986 1986-2006?
Leon K. Martin	1988-1992
Isaac L. Frederick (1927-1995)	1993-1995
Joseph C. Garber	1996-
Jay Hess	2010s?-
Matt Bye	2023-

Byerland Church Membership

Year	Members
1907 (District)	425
1915	70
1920	70
1930 (District)	450
1940 (District)	477
1950	209
1960	183
1970	192
1980	132
1990	106
2000	92
2009	102
2015	109

Original Mennonite Encyclopedia Article

Byerland Mennonite Meetinghouse located in Willow Street, Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, is a congregation of the Lancaster Mennonite Conference (Mennonite Church USA). Samuel and Mary Boyer sold one acre of their farm 10 December 1755 along a road, now abandoned north of the James H. Hess farm home, Pequea Township, Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, to Charles Christopher and Jacob Boehm, deacons, whereon was built a small log meetinghouse, still standing in 1950, although moved from its first location a few miles. The next church, one-half mile away on an elevated site along the Pequea Valley Road, was built in 1848 when Jacob Brenneman and Henry Charles were deacons. A large cemetery adjoined the church grounds. The well-preserved brick church built in 1879 was extensively remodeled in 1953. It became part of the New Danville-River Corner circuit. Rawlinsville was a mission outgrowth of the congregation. The 1953 membership was 199. Ministers serving in 1953 were Maris Hess and James H. Hess; Howard Eshleman was deacon.

Cite This Article

MLA style

Steiner, Samuel J. "Byerland Mennonite Church (Willow Street, Pennsylvania, USA)." Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. November 2024. Web. 21 Nov 2024. https://gameo.org/index.php?title=Byerland_Mennonite_Church_(Willow_Street,_Pennsylvania,_USA)&oldid=179964.

APA style

Steiner, Samuel J. (November 2024). Byerland Mennonite Church (Willow Street, Pennsylvania, USA). Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. Retrieved 21 November 2024, from https://gameo.org/index.php?title=Byerland_Mennonite_Church_(Willow_Street,_Pennsylvania,_USA)&oldid=179964.

Byerland Mennonite Church (Willow Street, Pennsylvania, USA)

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