Erb Mennonite Church (Lititz, Pennsylvania, USA)
The first meetinghouse for the Erb congregation between Manheim and Lititz, in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania was built before 1794 on land sold that year by Joseph and Barbara Erb to Minister Peter Lehman and Trustee Peter Erb of the "Baptists, called Mennonites." The meetinghouse was also used as a school. It served the congregation until 1854, when the congregation built a new meetinghouse on land a half-mile south donated by John Hershey. The meetinghouse was enlarged in 1870 but destroyed by wind on 2 April 1912. It dedicated a new meetinghouse on 25 January 1913. The church was part of the Landisville-Mount Joy-Manheim district of the Lancaster Mennonite Conference and, in the 1890s, held services every four weeks. This frequency persisted until the 1930s when it became weekly.
Since 1913, numerous additions and remodeling have occurred to accommodate growth.
Bibliography
Ruth, John L. The Earth is the Lord's: a narrative history of the Lancaster Mennonite Conference. Scottdale, Pa.: Herald Press, 2001: 369-370, 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: 191, 204-205, 285. Available in full electronic text at https://archive.org/details/mennonitesoflanc00weav_0/page/n3/mode/2up.
Additional Information
Address: 567 West Lexington Road, Lititz, Pennsylvania 17543
Telephone: 717-665-7018
Website: https://erbmennonite.org/
Denominational Affiliations:
LMC: a Fellowship of Anabaptist Churches
Mennonite Church USA (Until 2017)
Pastoral Leaders at Erb Mennonite Church
Name | Years of Service |
---|---|
District Ministers | 1790s-1895 |
Joseph R. Boll (1843-1935) | 1895-1932 |
Joseph A. Boll (1872-1958) | 1915-1958 |
Homer D. Bomberger (1909-1996) (Bishop) |
1940-1943 1943-1980s |
Joseph W. Boll (1912-1993) | 1947-1989 |
Henry E. Shreiner (1919-1963) | 1958-1963 |
Martin R. Nolt (1918-2007) | 1964-1990 |
Lester L. Zimmerman (1938- ) | 1990-2000 |
Michael S. Zimmerman (Associate) | 1991-2010s? |
Walter E. Hurst | 1992-1998? |
Wesley Weigrist (Associate) | 1999-2001 |
Dean Stoner (Youth) | 1999-2001 |
Wesley D. Siegrist | 2001-2013 |
A. Willard Shertzer (Interim) | 2014-2016 |
Lew Wagner | 2016- |
David Schrock (Administrative) | 2023- |
Mark Stauffer (Youth) | 2023?- |
Erb Mennonite Church Membership
Year | Members |
---|---|
1915 | 150 |
1920 | 150 |
1930 | 170 |
1940 | 186 |
1950 | 231 |
1960 | 251 |
1970 | 186 |
1980 | 186 |
1990 | 182 |
2000 | 158 |
2009 | 153 |
Original Mennonite Encyclopedia Article
By Norman W. Nauman. Copied by permission of Herald Press, Harrisonburg, Virginia, from Mennonite Encyclopedia, Vol. 2, p. 241. All rights reserved.
Erb Mennonite Church (Mennonite Church (MC)) in the Lancaster Mennonite Conference, midway between Manheim and Lititz, Lancaster County, Pennsylvania. Previous to its organization about 1794, it was a part of the Rapho Township congregation. The first meetinghouse was built in 1794. At that time the minister and probably bishop of the congregation was Peter Lehman of Rapho Township. The 1955 membership was 243. The bishops were Henry E. Lutz and Homer D. Bomberger; ministers, Joseph A. Boll and Joseph W. Boll; deacon, Harold G. Holdeman.
Author(s) | Samuel J Steiner |
---|---|
Date Published | February 2025 |
Cite This Article
MLA style
Steiner, Samuel J. "Erb Mennonite Church (Lititz, Pennsylvania, USA)." Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. February 2025. Web. 18 Jun 2025. https://gameo.org/index.php?title=Erb_Mennonite_Church_(Lititz,_Pennsylvania,_USA)&oldid=180217.
APA style
Steiner, Samuel J. (February 2025). Erb Mennonite Church (Lititz, Pennsylvania, USA). Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. Retrieved 18 June 2025, from https://gameo.org/index.php?title=Erb_Mennonite_Church_(Lititz,_Pennsylvania,_USA)&oldid=180217.
©1996-2025 by the Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. All rights reserved.