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

Author(s)	Samuel J Steiner
Date Published	February 2025

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

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.

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.

Erb Mennonite Church (Lititz, Pennsylvania, USA)

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