New Providence Mennonite Church (New Providence, Pennsylvania, USA)
Mennonite settlers began the New Providence Mennonite Church in what became Strasburg and northern Providence townships in Lancaster County in the early 18th century. Johannes Bowman was one of the first bishops in the community. The second Johannes Herr built a large home southwest of Strasburg in 1740 that was used for worship services. The congregation became part of the Lancaster Mennonite Conference.
A small wooden school and meetinghouse was erected in Black Horse (later called New Providence) in 1766. The building was later used to shelter Revolutionary War soldiers. This meetinghouse was replaced in 1855 by a brick building.
The congregation met for Sunday worship every two weeks until the 1940s, when it transitioned to a weekly schedule.
In 2020, New Providence worked together with New Danville Mennonite in its ministry to Providence Township. They agreed to merge into a single congregation with two locations, though they continued to function with separate pastoral leadership.
Bibliography
Brody, Robert. "A Tale of Two Churches." Shalom News 39, no. 2 (April-June 2019): 3-5.
"New Mission Model." Shalom News 40, no. 2 (April-June 2020): 10.
Ruth, John L. The Earth is the Lord's: a narrative history of the Lancaster Mennonite Conference. Scottdale, Pa.: Herald Press, 2001: 1138-1169.
"Two Become One." Shalom News 40, no. 3 (July-September 2020): 10.
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: 42-43, 46=47, 59-64, 79. Available in full electronic text at https://archive.org/details/mennonitesoflanc00weav_0/page/n3/mode/2up.
Additional Information
Address: 121 Main Street, New Providence, Pennsylvania 17560
Telephone: 717-786-4233
Website: https://www.facebook.com/newprovidencemennonitechurch/
Denominational Affiliations:
LMC: a Fellowship of Anabaptist Churches
Pastoral Leaders at New Providence Mennonite Church
| Name | Years of Service |
|---|---|
| Johannes Bowman (1685-1738)(Bishop) | 1725-1738 |
| Johannes Herr (1702-1783) | 1739?-1783 |
| Johannes Herr (1720-1797) | 1740s?-1797 |
| Jacob Neff (1724-1814) | 1760s?-1814 |
| Henry Brenneman (1764-1847) | 1792-1847 |
| Henry Metzler (1762-1837) | 1800?-1837 |
| Peter B. Eby (1765-1843) (Bishop) |
1800-1804? 1804?-1843 |
| Christian Shaub (1783-1837) | 1810s?-1837 |
| Christian B. Herr (1780-1853) (Bishop) |
1835-1840 1840-1853 |
| Benjamin Herr (1801-1888) (Bishop) |
1838-1856 1856-1888 |
| Amos Herr (1816-1897) | 1850-1897 |
| Elias Groff (1838-1924) | 1871-1924 |
| Abraham H. Brubaker (1845-1916) | 1874-1916 |
| Isaac W. Eby (1834-1910)(Bishop) | 1878-1910 |
| Tobias Brubaker (1842-1906) | 1888-1906 |
| Frank M. Herr (1855-1941) | 1897-1941 |
| John W. Swarr (1872-1935) | 1903-1912 |
| John B. Myer (1875-1941) | 1907-1941 |
| Christian M. Brackbill (1853-1936)(Bishop) | 1910-1936 |
| Abraham D. Metzler (1880-1964) | 1916-1950s |
| Clayton L. Keener (1902-1982) (Bishop) |
1938-1960 1960-1970s |
| Abram "A. Clyde" Hostetter (1908-2001) | 1951-1980s |
| Jacob "J. Harold" Breneman (1912-1994) | 1953?-1965? 1977?-1990s |
| Robert G. Keener (1926-1992) | 1965?-1972? |
| Raymond L. Deiter | 1979-1991? |
| Paul L. Dagen (1924-2015)(Bishop) | 1991?-1995? |
| Robert A. Harnish | 1992-2005 |
| Jay "J. Kenneth" Hershey (1943-2024) | 1993-2005 |
| Interim Leadership | 2005-2007 |
| David L. Weaver | 2007-2012? |
| S. Brent Musser | 2008-2014 |
| Richard L. Buckwalter (Interim) | 2015-2016 |
| William S. Higgins | 2016-2020 |
| Keith Roberts | 2020- |
New Providence Mennonite Church Membership
| Year | Members |
|---|---|
| 1913 | 150 |
| 1920 | 150 |
| 1930 | 138 |
| 1940 | 125 |
| 1950 | 130 |
| 1960 | 113 |
| 1970 | 136 |
| 1980 | 115 |
| 1990 | 98 |
| 2000 | 84 |
| 2009 | 67 |
Original Mennonite Encyclopedia Article
By Ira D. Landis. Copied by permission of Herald Press, Harrisonburg, Virginia, from Mennonite Encyclopedia, Vol. 3, p. 863. All rights reserved.
The New Providence Mennonite Church (Mennonite Church (MC)), located in a small town of that name in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania. By 1766 it had a log meetinghouse for the Groff, Eshleman, Herr, Funk, Brubaker, and Gochenauer families who had settled there. Johannes Bowman served them early as preacher. The Strasburg ministers helped them at first. In 1882 they built the Mechanic Grove meetinghouse for their southern constituency. Jacob T. Harnish as bishop, Abram D. Metzler and A. Clyde Hostetter as ministers served this congregation of 137 members in 1956.
| Author(s) | Samuel J Steiner |
|---|---|
| Date Published | December 2025 |
Cite This Article
MLA style
Steiner, Samuel J. "New Providence Mennonite Church (New Providence, Pennsylvania, USA)." Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. December 2025. Web. 12 Feb 2026. https://gameo.org/index.php?title=New_Providence_Mennonite_Church_(New_Providence,_Pennsylvania,_USA)&oldid=181381.
APA style
Steiner, Samuel J. (December 2025). New Providence Mennonite Church (New Providence, Pennsylvania, USA). Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. Retrieved 12 February 2026, from https://gameo.org/index.php?title=New_Providence_Mennonite_Church_(New_Providence,_Pennsylvania,_USA)&oldid=181381.
©1996-2026 by the Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. All rights reserved.