Zion Church of God in Christ Mennonite Church (Inman, Kansas, USA)
The Zion Church of God in Christ, Mennonite congregation near Inman, Kansas, USA was established in 1886. The congregation started when Gerhard Ensz, a minister in the Bethel Mennonite Church in Inman, became convinced of the need for a new birth experience through contact with the Lone Tree congregation. He left the General Conference Mennonite Church and was baptized into the Church of God in Christ, Mennonite. His family became the core of the new Zion congregation, though he was never a minister in the Holdeman church.
Services were first held in homes, and later in the Golden Rule School and the Clark School. Still later it used a German School located across the road from the present church. The first resident ministers were ordained in 1894. Sunday school began in 1915. A cemetery was established in 1921. The first meetinghouse was built in 1922, located two miles west and two miles north of Inman. At this time the congregation took the name of Zion. In 1940 a basement was dug. In 1963 a new church was built across the road and west of the original building. An addition of a fellowship hall and larger entrance came in 1998.
During World War I there was a test of faith. Henry D. Ensz served six months in prison in Camp Funston at Fort Leavenworth.
In 1977 the Plainview School, located two miles north and 0.5 miles west of the church was purchased and operated as the Plainview Christian School.
In 2020 the congregation was part of the Church of God in Christ, Mennonite. The minister was Maynard Koehn.
Bibliography
Church of God in Christ, Mennonite. Yearbook (1996-2020).
Histories of the congregations. 3rd. ed. Moundridge, Kansas: Gospel Publishers, 1999: 342-345.
Additional Information
Address: 597 6th Ave., Inman, Kansas 67546
Phone: 620-585-6449
Website:
Denominational Affiliations:
Church of God in Christ, Mennonite
Ordained Pastors at Zion Church of God in Christ, Mennonite Church
| Name | Years of Service |
|---|---|
| Peter A. Friesen (1854-1925) | 1894- |
| Abraham G. Ensz (1867-1936) | 1894- |
| Henry A. Ensz (1893-1988) | 1923-1949 |
| John A. Ensz (1905-1970) | 1935-1970 |
| Jacob K. Friesen (1890-1967) | 1935-1949 |
| Abraham R. Toews (1915-2004) | 1949-2000 |
| John N. Penner (1916-1996) | 1955-1965 |
| Abraham E. Nikkel (1918-2012) | 1961-2004 |
| Arvid R. Ensz (1926-2019) | 1961-1977 |
| Charles Johnson (1937-2020) | 1975-2008 |
| Maynard M. Koehn | 1975-present |
| Karl Ensz | 1988-2004 |
| Gregg Johnson | 2002-2018 |
Membership at Zion Church of God in Christ, Mennonite Church
| Year | Membership |
|---|---|
| 1921 | 30 |
| 1954 | 159 |
| 1963 | 146 |
| 1995 | 213 |
| 2000 | 215 |
| 2010 | 158 |
| 2020 | 154 |
Original Mennonite Encyclopedia Article
By H. A. Ensz. Copied by permission of Herald Press, Harrisonburg, Virginia, from Mennonite Encyclopedia, Vol. 4, p. 403. All rights reserved.
Zion Church of God in Christ Mennonite Church, located near Inman, McPherson County, Kansas, was established when Gerhard Ensz, a minister of a local Mennonite group, and six members withdrew and were baptized on the basis of repentance and the new birth. Worship services were conducted in homes and schools until the meetinghouse was built in 1922. Abraham G. Ensz and Peter A. Friesen, the first resident ministers, were ordained during its history, Ensz serving as pastor until his death in 1936. John A. Ensz and Abe R. Toews were also ordained and were in charge in 1954. The membership in 1954 was 159.
| Author(s) | Samuel J Steiner |
|---|---|
| Date Published | January 2021 |
Cite This Article
MLA style
Steiner, Samuel J. "Zion Church of God in Christ Mennonite Church (Inman, Kansas, USA)." Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. January 2021. Web. 18 Apr 2024. https://gameo.org/index.php?title=Zion_Church_of_God_in_Christ_Mennonite_Church_(Inman,_Kansas,_USA)&oldid=170833.
APA style
Steiner, Samuel J. (January 2021). Zion Church of God in Christ Mennonite Church (Inman, Kansas, USA). Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. Retrieved 18 April 2024, from https://gameo.org/index.php?title=Zion_Church_of_God_in_Christ_Mennonite_Church_(Inman,_Kansas,_USA)&oldid=170833.
©1996-2024 by the Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. All rights reserved.