The first Baptist convert among the Danes was Julius Kobner, a Jew baptized in Hamburg, Germany, in 1836. When he returned to Copenhagen in 1839, he began fellowshipping with a group of believers who, through independent study, had come to accept the Baptist position of faith. Baptists were persecuted, ordered to leave Denmark, and...
The first Swedish Baptist Church organized in Minnesota was probably the church in Houston County started by F.O. Nilssen in 1853. From there, Nilssen moved on to Scandia, in Carver County, to help establish a church. Swedes arrived in that area from Burlington, Iowa, in 1855. After Nilssen helped them purchase their property, he...
Baptists today experience great freedom to practice their faith in America, but they need to be reminded of what our Swedish forefathers suffered because of their faith. Algot E. Strand’s account deserves our attention. The first chapters of that history have been written in prisons and by those who have suffered the...
English was not the only language spoken in Minnesota Baptist worship services in the 19th century. Immigrants often settled in ethnic groups to be near family and friends who spoke the same language. Sometimes families with similar religious preferences also settled close to each other. One such group was the Scandinavians: Dane, Norwegians, and...
Minutes of the first Minnesota Baptist Convention(MBC) annual meeting, August 29, 1859, record 35 delegates in attendance. George H. Keith, Minneapolis, presided over the business meeting. One resolution provided guidelines for those who could participate. Another allowed visiting brethren to participate in the deliberations. George H. Keith read a report presenting the articles of...
According to David Becklund in his book on Minnesota Baptist history, Baptist missionaries in the United States were eager to form local and state organizations as soon as they had organized a few churches. Timothy Cressey, who has been mentioned in previous postings, was the leader in establishing Baptist churches in Minnesota Territory. In...
The website for Faribault First Baptist affirms the church’s purpose “to exalt Christ’s name together by worshiping Christ, serving Christ, reaching others for Christ, learning about Christ, and fellowship because of Christ.” Pastor Daniel Mead has led this congregation since 1988. The church has worshiped at its 1108 Westwood Drive location since 1970, but...
First Baptist Church of Minneapolis earned its name by being the first church organized in Minnesota Territory west of the Mississippi River. Ten people from St. Paul and St. Anthony organized the church March 5, 1853. Worship services were held in homes, and Missionary E.W. Cressey, brother of Timothy Cressey, led the fellowship of...
First Baptist Church in St. Paul began as Harriet Bishop’s Sunday School. Its name couldn’t be more appropriate because the church has the distinction of being the first Baptist church north of Iowa, from the Mississippi River to the Pacific Ocean. The Baptist Home Mission Society appointed Rev. John Parsons to St. Paul February...
According to Mark H. Dunnell, friends of education in Minnesota Territory expressed “hopeful rejoicing” when the foundation and cornerstone of Minnesota Central University (MCU) was laid. Citizens of Hastings as well as Baptists anticipated great things from the university. That joy was brief, however, because the Panic of 1857 hit in August. Dunnell described...
