The Neu Hutterthaler Mennonite Church near Bridgewater, South Dakota, had several meeting places during its earlier existence. One of these was three miles northeast of Bridgewater, where 10 families worshipped in homes and schools until 1913, when the group erected a small church.

In 1920 some members purchased a former 1883 Methodist church building in Bridgewater. More people began attending, and in 1928 Michael J. Hofer became the group's minister. In 1940 he filed a charter officially organizing Zion as a self-sustaining congregation. It became a member of the Northern District Conference of the General Conference Mennonite Church, but did not join the General Conference itself.

The congregation purchased a parsonage in 1950 and built a second parsonage in 1981. It erected a new church building on the north edge of town in 1972-73, with dedication services held on 22 July 1973.

As part of the realignment of the Mennonite Church (MC) and General Conference Mennonite Church into Mennonite Church USA, Zion Mennonite was among the congregations that joined the new Central Plains Mennonite Conference in 2000.

Zion Mennonite was last listed in the 2003 Mennonite Church USA Directory. The congregation voted to leave the denomination and continue as a Bible-based independent Mennonite church.

On 6 March 2022, the congregation changed its name to Zion Bible Church and identified itself as a non-denominational Bible church.

Bibliography

Author(s)	Samuel J Steiner
Date Published	September 2023

"More about our church." Zion Bible Church. Web. 25 September 2023. https://thezionchurch.com/who-we-are/.

Schmidt, Diena, ed. The Northern District Conference of the General Conference Mennonite Church 1891-1991. Freeman, S.D.: The Conference, 1991: 154-155.

Additional Information

Address: 950 North Main Avenue, Bridgewater, South Dakota 57319

Phone: 605-729-2301

Website: https://thezionchurch.com/

Denominational Affiliations: Northern District Conference

General Conference Mennonite Church

Central Plains Mennonite Conference (until 2003?)

Mennonite Church USA (until 2003?)

Pastoral Leaders at Zion Bible Church

Name	Years of Service
Michael J. Hofer (1885-1980)	1913-1949
Peter P. Tschetter (1886-1976)	1920-?
Paul Quenzer	1950-1954
Paul Dahlenberg (1915-2009)	1954-1960
Abraham Friesen	1960-1964
Melvin Koehn	1964-1974
Arlie Rauch	1975-1977
John J. Hofer	1979-1990
George K. Kaufman (1941-2011)	1990-2001?
Matt Leopold	2001?-?

Zion Bible Church Membership

Year	Members
1940	22
1950	33
1960	44
1970	57
1980	73
1990	86
2000	85

Original Mennonite Encyclopedia Article

Zion Mennonite Church (General Conference Mennonite), Bridgewater, South Dakota, is a member of the Northern District Conference, but not of the General Conference. With its background in the Hutterian immigration of the 1870s, it was organized in 1940. It is located in Bridgewater. In 1958 Paul Dahlenburg was pastor of its 45 members.

Cite This Article

MLA style

Steiner, Samuel J. "Zion Bible Church (Bridgewater, South Dakota, USA)." Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. September 2023. Web. 24 Apr 2024. https://gameo.org/index.php?title=Zion_Bible_Church_(Bridgewater,_South_Dakota,_USA)&oldid=177619.

APA style

Steiner, Samuel J. (September 2023). Zion Bible Church (Bridgewater, South Dakota, USA). Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. Retrieved 24 April 2024, from https://gameo.org/index.php?title=Zion_Bible_Church_(Bridgewater,_South_Dakota,_USA)&oldid=177619.

Zion Bible Church (Bridgewater, South Dakota, USA)

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