College Mennonite Church (Goshen, Indiana, USA)

Goshen College Mennonite Church (Mennonite Church), Goshen, Indiana, was organized 8 December 1903, to meet the need of a congregation for the staff and students of Goshen College, which opened its doors 29 September 1903, following a transfer of the school from Elkhart, Indiana. Since the members of the congregation came from congregations affiliated with both the Indiana-Michigan Mennonite Conference and the Indiana-Michigan Amish Mennonite Conference, the congregation belonged to both conferences and was served by bishops from both conferences until the merger in 1917. The first pastor was J. S. Hartzler, who was succeeded by I. W. Royer 1905-1910. Other pastors were P. E. Whitmer, George J. Lapp, I. R. Detweiler, and A. E. Kreider, all serving on the college staff. The charter membership in 1903 was 57; by 1904 it was 129.

Because of the closing of the college in June 1923 and also because of internal friction within the conference, a large part of the congregation withdrew and joined the Eighth Street Mennonite Church (founded 1913, new meetinghouse built 1920) of the Central Conference. I. R. Detweiler joined this church in 1923 and became its pastor. When the college reopened in September 1924, the bishop in charge reorganized the congregation with a new charter membership of 15, which reached 115 by 1925, 201 by 1935, 297 by 1945. Noah Oyer served as pastor 1924-d. 1931, followed by C. L. Graber 1931-1942, S. C. Yoder 1942-1950, and John H. Mosemann 1950-    . Bishops have been D. D. Miller 1903-1942, S. C. Yoder 1942-1956, and John H. Mosemann 1956-    . The congregation has had only two deacons - Amos Landis 1906-1922 and Levi C. Hartzler 1943-    . The membership has grown continuously.

The congregation worshiped in the college chapel from the beginning until 1950, then in the College Union Auditorium until the erection of a joint church-chapel (seats 1,100), dedicated in August 1959, the cost of erection and maintenance being borne equally by the college and the congregation. The church has a circular sanctuary surrounded by rooms for Sunday school and other purposes.

Additional Information

Address: 1900 S Main St, Goshen, IN 46526

Phone: 574-535-7262

Author(s)	Harold S Bender
Date Published	1959

Cite This Article

MLA style

Bender, Harold S. "College Mennonite Church (Goshen, Indiana, USA)." Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. 1959. Web. 16 Apr 2024. https://gameo.org/index.php?title=College_Mennonite_Church_(Goshen,_Indiana,_USA)&oldid=122633.

APA style

Bender, Harold S. (1959). College Mennonite Church (Goshen, Indiana, USA). Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. Retrieved 16 April 2024, from https://gameo.org/index.php?title=College_Mennonite_Church_(Goshen,_Indiana,_USA)&oldid=122633.

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Adapted by permission of Herald Press, Harrisonburg, Virginia, from Mennonite Encyclopedia, Vol. 4, pp. 1087-1088. All rights reserved.

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