On a blustery March night, Asa Fletcher and his wife welcome 8 friends into their home. Most of them are members of the First Baptist Churches in St. Paul and St. Anthony. They’ve gathered to pray and earnestly deliberate about organizing an independent regular Baptist church for the village of Minneapolis.

St. Anthony Falls

First Baptist’s second official meeting place. Located at the bottom of Helen Street—now 2nd Avenue South—right on the river bank, this is the congregation’s home for many months. Access to Fletcher's Hall is by a flight of stairs “so fragile in appearance that nervous persons venture upon it with trembling.”

‍

The worshipers are untroubled, however. “Prayer, praise, and holy thoughts hallow the place for them.” Members describe it as a place of "sacred attractiveness…where we come to cherish and give growth to the babe-ing church."

A pioneer family and their log home.

Rev. Amory Gale

For four years, Reverend J.R. Manton serves the church during the difficult and trying tragedy of the U.S. Civil War...

Some people in the community believe First is in sympathy with slavery, causing misunderstanding and pro-slavery charges to be hurled in all directions. Although enlistments in the army are equal to those of other churches in the area, members and pastor alike are subjected to taunts and jeers from “outsiders.” The church doors are defaced with the word “Secession,” and the rebellion becomes so strong that our church feels compelled to officially deny this charge. Finally, Rev. Manton presents his resignation on September 4, 1862...

Healing comes in the form of endurance. At the request of the church, Rev. Manton continues to serve as pastor until June 16, 1864. While the church suffers a loss of members and financial support, the core group who remain attend faithfully throughout the war and give in proportion to their abilities.

‍

This was a delicate time in our congregation’s history. For while we struggled with the real possibility of the church’s dissolution, our country fought a bloody conflict over the question of whether our nation—dedicated to the premise that all men are created equal—could long endure.

Rev. L.B. Allen

First Baptist finds a new location on the northeast corner of 5th Street and Hennepin Avenue. The land is a gift from Dr. Hezekiah Fletcher and his wife, two members who “also contribute generously to the financial needs of the church.”

Doctor T.W. Powell, of Davenport, Iowa, is called to the pastorate at First Baptist Church and accepts, assuming his responsibilities the following November.

‍

The next year (1872), we plant First Swedish Baptist Church, which becomes known as Bethlehem Baptist. It proves to be one of many such language churches that we support in forming, and it’s the longest-lasting congregation to come out of our church…

…1873 begins with a revival, celebrating the conversion of many Sunday School members. It’s also a year of financial success, as the church finishes payments on a $2,000 mortgage. Now clear of debt and united in purpose, we enter an expanded ministry, planting two churches the following year. Franklin Avenue Baptist Mission is joined by Fourth Baptist of North Minneapolis, a Jewitt Mission church.

‍

These are, respectively, the fourth and fifth daughter churches planted by First Baptist. In years to come, Rev. W.E. Leucks of Fourth Baptist will give the sermon at the dedication of Jackson Hall while Dr. Riley presides.

A native Telegu of South India, Tupil Rungiah was discipled by Mr. and Mrs. Jewett, a pair of missionaries serving in the field. He found support at First Baptist through the evangelistic work of one Dr. John E. Clough. To E.N. Brown, Esqu., the Superintendent of First Baptist Church’s Sabbath School, he wrote:

I beg your love toward me. In the Providence of God I have been led to Madras with father and mother Jewett to open a mission station. I am thankful to record that the Divine Master has used me as a tool in His hand to do His will. I thank Him for this...

…When I was a boy, Mrs. Jewett looked upon me with pity, smoothed the way for me to come to school and led me to the Savior.

‍

When I was serving in Ongole, I was one who helped Dr. Clough baptize nearly 3,000 in one day. Now my coming to join my spiritual parents is coming home. We have come to this great city to find fruit. Do pray much for us that the Lord our God may shew us the way wherein we may walk and the things that we may do. (Jeremiah 42: 2,3) November 23, 1876

‍

Through the financial support of First Baptist’s Sunday School, Tupil continued to serve in Baptist missionary work in his homeland for 45 years. Not only that, but all seven of his children became Christian workers, including his son John, who went as a missionary to South Africa, where he witnessed to the Telegu emigrants working on the tea and coffee estates there. Today, First Baptist still supports a missionary who serves the Telegu people in Ongole, India.

Rev. H.C. Woods

Dr. Joseph and Eliza Clark. Missionaries to the Belgian Congo. Served in Africa some years before Baptists in the U.S. became interested when they traveled up the Congo River by steamer boat, searching for a site to establish a new mission station. Conditions were a culture shock for 19th-century Christians:

When we first arrive at Ikoko, the men were all reputed to be cannibals, delighting in warfare and every form of evil; they always carried bows and arrows, spears and a knife. The women were like slaves, like beasts of burden and wore almost no clothes.

After much patience and faith in breaking down barriers, Dr. and Mrs. Clark were eventually able to welcome many locals as brothers and sisters in Christ.

A beautiful, well-furnished church building on Tenth and Harmon is dedicated amidst overflow services. According to a special dispatch from a local newspaper, First even welcomes back a beloved minister for the occasion:

‍

Sunday was a beautiful day, apparently especially designed for such an occasion. Large audiences thronged the house during three services. In the morning service and at evening, hundreds were turned away; probably sixteen hundred were present, many standing. The opening prayer at the morning service was by Rev. J.F. Wilcox, Baptist pioneer, now eighty years old. Rev. J.R. Manton, pastor twenty-six years ago, read the Scriptures. Dr. H.C. Woods (First’s senior pastor) offered prayer. The sermon was by Dr. P.S. Henson.‍

‍

He congratulated the church on the completion of the house and the grand work done in the city, foremost in which the First Church has always been. The denomination here has kept pace with the growth of the city as nowhere else.

Building Dedication Article

William T. Chase

Dubbed “the silver-tongued orator,” Doctor Wayland Hoyt becomes our ninth pastor and serves as a forceful, eloquent leader…

Late First Baptist historian Layton Brueske noted, “He took the work of the predecessors and really built it through evangelism and solid preaching. They loved him for a speaker…"

…During his pastorate, Dr. Hoyt will instigate one of the most successful outreach ministries American Baptists have ever seen: the railroad Chapel Car. Born as the collective brainchild of three individuals, this unique project will produce a fleet of railroad cars that serve as “both chapels for religious services and living quarters for evangelists.”

After its dedication on May 23, 1891, in Cincinnati, the Evangel—Chapel Car number One of the American Baptist Publication Society—takes its inaugural trip thousands of miles west into North Dakota and Montana. According to local records, “the ladies of the Baptist Churches of Minneapolis and Saint Paul” have completely furnished it. Wherever it stops or “tarries for orders” while attached to an engine, the Baptist riders sell and distribute gospel tracts, Christian literature, and Bibles...

...This hospitality is made possible by a letter from the general manager of the Northern Pacific Railroad, placed into the hands of Smith. Dictated to the superintendents and conductors, it orders them to “pass Mr. Boston W. Smith and one attendant with the chapel car ‘Evangel’ over our lines.” The brass are also informed that he should be allowed to “take the car on any train he desires; sidetrack it wherever he wishes,” without failing to “make it as pleasant for Mr. Smith as you can...”

...By winter the car was booked for two years and on its way to the Pacific Northwest, for scores of people had heard of it and extended an invitation to visit their hometowns. Eventually seven chapel cars will be put on the railroads to serve the U.S. for the American Baptist Home Missions Society. In one year alone, 40 churches are planted along the lines, and other denominations catch on to the method. As a direct result, 70 churches are planted in the end, along with 55 pastors settled, 135 Sunday schools organized, and 7,500 professed conversions recorded from meetings held within the chapel cars alone.

Mable K. Olsen's call to service.

Mead Christian Center in Japan.

Near the close of World War II, Dr. Riley decides to retire, choosing to stay on at the Northwestern Bible School and Northwestern Theological Seminary until an appropriate successor can be found. Meanwhile, our assistant pastor and Dean of Northwestern Doctor Robert L. Moyer is called to the pastorate. Two brief years are filled with a fruitful and powerful teaching ministry before his unexpected death.

The last of the mortgage debt is paid on January 8, through dedicated contributions from the entire congregation. Dr. Curt Akenson’s leadership—and Dr. Moyer’s original vision—allows the Body to follow God’s prompting and enthusiastically clear the burden while still giving $20,000 to missions: more than we’ve ever done in any single year before.

‍

To celebrate, a Jubilee meeting is held and the mortgage is ceremonially burned on the sanctuary platform.

‍

A member of First Baptist since age twelve, Curtis “Curt” B. Akenson grows up attending services and helping in ministries. Once he graduates high school, he begins studying at the Northwestern Schools and continues to progress at multiple institutions, earning degrees in Philosophy, Literature and Humanities, and Divinity. The congregation has begun referring to him as “a son of the church,” and when Dr. Moyer is called to be senior pastor, Curt is called to be assistant. At Dr. Moyer’s death, Curt fills his position, receiving the title of associate pastor…

…Finally, April 4, 1946, sees Doctor Akenson officially called to the pastorate. Leadership qualities clearly demonstrated, Curt continues to exposit the Scriptures. Through numerous speaking engagements at Bible conferences, he helps First Baptist gain influence in the evangelical community. He goes on to guide the church through the tumultuous years following World War II and during the years of internal conflict between the American Baptist and Conservative Baptist Fellowships. Dr. Akenson’s wise, patient, and kind spiritual leadership compliments his wisdom in counseling and administrative abilities. Both are extremely useful as he simultaneously serves in the role of President at Northwestern College (the schools’ newest name) during this time. As a tribute to his fruitful pastorate, Dr. Akenson is elected Pastor Emeritus of First Baptist Church upon retirement.

Sunday School Classes at First Baptist Church.

‘We had invited Billy Graham to a First Baptist meeting, and a few others were here. Together they knelt to pray over the decisions about moving. At one point somebody asked Billy if he would be the senior pastor, and he said, “Well, I’ve kind of got something else in mind.” That something else turned out to be the Crusades...'

“...As the story goes, Billy Graham served as senior pastor at First Baptist for a year or two, relying on Curt Akenson as assistant pastor to answer many questions about the church. Eventually, Billy moved into his great calling as an evangelist and Curt took the pulpit. Whether that’s factual history or church lore I’m not 100% sure.”

—Mark English

A storm damages the two steeples of First Baptist, one of which has already buckled and been repaired in 1949.

Northwestern Bible and Missionary Training School.

Christmas packages for missionaries.

Alice Bixby

Edith Easterling

The Young Adult Bible Study officially became the Ambassadors Class, growing and maturing under the tutelage of Paul Ebling, Spencer Bower, George Jennings, Ed Potts, Hugh Peacock, Mark Goodman, and Fred Weiler (pictured). Eventually the Ambassadors were asked to disband in the early 2000s.

Evalyn Camp memorial.

Evalyn Camp through the years.

Ada Nelson

During Reverend Darrel L. Anderson's pastorate, 94 new members are received into the fellowship, the Women’s Guild continues to grow again, and Thursday Family Nights host an average attendance of 200 or more folks...

…Thousands more people are welcomed via radio ministry. KNWC 1270 AM broadcasts the 11 o’clock service on Sundays, and First Baptist develops many listening “friends of the church.” Rev. Anderson will later resign to take a leadership role with the National Association of Evangelicals.

125th Anniversary Celebration

KTIS 30th Annual Rally Program

Dr. Peter West

Long-time members Ralph and Mary Jensen are remembered for many things, including hosting a monthly dinner for all the young adults at their home. It became a place where people could get a good meal and meet one another. Serving on her grandmother’s China, Mary would use everything she had for the glory of God, saying, “It’s a thing. If it breaks, it breaks…”

…They never knew how many people were coming, yet they always had plenty, with Mary often pulling container after container from the freezer until even 53 hungry young people were satisfied. It was their joy to adopt other people’s kids and treat them like grandkids. A significant and dedicated couple, Ralph and Mary have served as examples to many young and newly married members at River City Church.

After the difficult exit of Dr. Peter W. West from the role of senior pastor (1977-1985), First Baptist seeks a new teacher to fill the pulpit and role of shepherd. The committee selects and calls David Gregg King, a Baptist minister with training in psychology, theology, and educational administration. His wife, Marie Elaina, brings her caring spirit as a nurse and makes a lasting impact with her wise, positive, and kind words.

Funny and personable, Reverend King is a deeply grounded teacher who leads us through a number of difficult events as a Body. For one, he steps in at the end of a long numerical decline as the city loses significant populations to suburban drift. The residential streets which once displayed beautiful houses and trees have been bought, sold, torn down, and rebuilt, until the entire area sits in the heart of Minneapolis’s downtown. Some of our members depart for other churches and take their financial support elsewhere. Faithfully, however, we stay, and First Baptist remains a light to the lost and a place of gospel witness.

At another time, one of our staff is found to have embezzled money from the Body. It is the first time something of this magnitude has ever happened, and Rev. King seeks to handle it biblically. He has a private conversation with the staffer, verifying their repentance, and proceeds to present the matter to the whole church. A public confession and apology is made, and Pastor uses this opportunity to explain the Scripture passages on restoration and reconciliation as a teaching moment. For an event that has the power to rip a church apart, fuel rumors, and terminally damage the faith of a believer, Rev. King handles it in a remarkably godly way, setting an example for how the Gospel is lived out.

A Bethel Seminary graduate, Doctor Matthew J. Clausen joins the staff at First Baptist as associate pastor in 2001. He brings with him years of experience with Campus Ambassadors at the University of Minnesota. Deeply invested in the growth of others, responsibilities like coordinating personal evangelism and outreach, large and small group teaching, leadership team development, and one-on-one discipleship are already familiar jobs…

On February 18th, 2003, representatives of our own congregation—and the North Central Christian Baptist Association Churches—officially ordain Dr. Clausen in the gospel ministry. An ordination service is held April 6th, just as our Body has celebrated its 150th year of life. Only two short years later, Dr. Clausen will be authorized “Executive Pastor” at the retirement of Rev. King. He continues the oversight of major building repairs, a much needed investment where extensive water and freeze-thaw damage has found its way into the sanctuary and Jackson Hall. On April 27th, 2005, Dr. Clausen is officially called to the position of senior pastor at First Baptist…

When the 10 founding members of First Baptist Church met in Asa Fletcher’s home, they had no dedicated building to grow in. And yet they considered the planting of a church in the village of Minneapolis essential…

This little cluster of board houses and stores along the west bank of the Mississippi would be their field, and the words they taught their neighbors would be from Jesus Christ. There was no greater preparation than that, besides a great deal of thorough prayer. And that commitment is exactly what God set out to bless.

‍

In the decades and decades since, we’ve inhabited many places. Some were tiny—homes, halls, and bunkhouses—to suit our tiny congregation. Others grew huge over time—expanding to accommodate our swelling membership. Each was supplied by God for a season to meet the needs of His little church as it grew and aged…

But all along the way, we’ve understood that the vision of our church is to serve as a gospel witness to Minneapolis. So when difficult choices were made about where to meet, or what to do with our old buildings, we did them together, trusting God to lead us through the next steps. Today that remains at the heart of our fellowship. No matter where in the city we gather—or whom we serve—we remain a Body of believers who follow a faithful Savior into the next stage of life together.