Who We Are at MEFC

We are a local church family who invest in people to experience Christ's transforming power, together in Stevens County, Minnesota.

Our Mission

Investing in people to experience Christ's transforming power, together.

5 Core Values

Expectant Prayer

We believe that God hears and answers our prayers and we are confident that God is always working on our behalf, for His glory.

Mark 11:24, Phil 4:6-7, James 5:16

Generous Living

We will joyfully give of ourselves, even when it's inconvenient. We understand our resources are from God and for His glory.

Acts 20:35, Rom. 12:6-8, Luke 21:3-4, Heb. 13:16

Authentic Connection

We will purposefully build and maintain relationships with those around us, encouraging and challenging each other in our faith journey through consistent fellowship.

Heb. 10:24-25, Eph. 4:15-16, Rom. 15:7, Mat. 18:20, Acts 17:26

Empowering & Equipping

We will discover and strengthen the unique

God-given gifts of each member in our body, creating opportunities to serve, and grace to fail.

Eph. 4:12-16, Gal. 6:4-5, 2 Tim. 3: 14-17,Mat. 28:19-20

Embracing All People

We follow Christ's example by meeting people where they are in life. We will daily strive to see people as God sees them.

Rom. 14:1-12, Rom. 12:16, Gal. 3:28, Mat. 28:19-20

Our History

Organized in 1974, Morris Evangelical Free Church (MEFC) has spent over fifty years rooted in west-central Minnesota with a clear purpose: to invest in people to experience Christ’s transforming power, together.

From our early days bringing together local families and university students to expanding our regional reach—such as helping plant The Bridge Church in Hancock in 2025—our history is built on a foundation of learning God's heart in Scripture, hearing God's heart in expectant prayer, and sharing God's heart in authentic community.

As Stevens County has grown and evolved, so has our church family. In 2010, we expanded our outreach by launching a Spanish-speaking ministry, living out our commitment to embracing all people and cultivating a vibrant, multicultural congregation. Today, grounded in expectant prayer, generous living, and empowering and equipping believers for ministry, MEFC remains a welcoming home where lives are continually transformed by Jesus.

Part of the EFCA

The EFCA (Evangelical Free Church of America) is a family of self-governing churches united around the same core beliefs. Together, our mission is to glorify God by multiplying transformational churches among all people.

Learn More about the EFCA

We believe in one God, Creator of all things, holy, infinitely perfect, and eternally existing in a loving unity of three equally divine Persons: the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. Having limitless knowledge and sovereign power, God has graciously purposed from eternity to redeem a people for Himself and to make all things new for His own glory.

We believe that God has spoken in the Scriptures, both Old and New Testaments, through the words of human authors. As the verbally inspired Word of God, the Bible is without error in the original writings, the complete revelation of His will for salvation, and the ultimate authority by which every realm of human knowledge and endeavor should be judged. Therefore, it is to be believed in all that it teaches, obeyed in all that it requires, and trusted in all that it promises.

We believe that God created Adam and Eve in His image, but they sinned when tempted by Satan. In union with Adam, human beings are sinners by nature and by choice, alienated from God, and under His wrath. Only through God’s saving work in Jesus Christ can we be rescued, reconciled and renewed.

We believe that Jesus Christ is God incarnate, fully God and fully man, one Person in two natures. Jesus—Israel's promised Messiah—was conceived through the Holy Spirit and born of the virgin Mary. He lived a sinless life, was crucified under Pontius Pilate, arose bodily from the dead, ascended into heaven and sits at the right hand of God the Father as our High Priest and Advocate.

We believe that Jesus Christ, as our representative and substitute, shed His blood on the cross as the perfect, all-sufficient sacrifice for our sins. His atoning death and victorious resurrection constitute the only ground for salvation.

We believe that the Holy Spirit, in all that He does, glorifies the Lord Jesus Christ. He convicts the world of its guilt. He regenerates sinners, and in Him they are baptized into union with Christ and adopted as heirs in the family of God. He also indwells, illuminates, guides, equips and empowers believers for Christ-like living and service.

We believe that the true church comprises all who have been justified by God's grace through faith alone in Christ alone. They are united by the Holy Spirit in the body of Christ, of which He is the Head. The true church is manifest in local churches, whose membership should be composed only of believers. The Lord Jesus mandated two ordinances, baptism and the Lord’s Supper, which visibly and tangibly express the gospel. Though they are not the means of salvation, when celebrated by the church in genuine faith, these ordinances confirm and nourish the believer.

We believe that God's justifying grace must not be separated from His sanctifying power and purpose. God commands us to love Him supremely and others sacrificially, and to live out our faith with care for one another, compassion toward the poor and justice for the oppressed. With God’s Word, the Spirit’s power, and fervent prayer in Christ’s name, we are to combat the spiritual forces of evil. In obedience to Christ’s commission, we are to make disciples among all people, always bearing witness to the gospel in word and deed.

We believe in the personal, bodily and glorious return of our Lord Jesus Christ. The coming of Christ, at a time known only to God, demands constant expectancy and, as our blessed hope, motivates the believer to godly living, sacrificial service and energetic mission.

We believe that God commands everyone everywhere to believe the gospel by turning to Him in repentance and receiving the Lord Jesus Christ. We believe that God will raise the dead bodily and judge the world, assigning the unbeliever to condemnation and eternal conscious punishment and the believer to eternal blessedness and joy with the Lord in the new heaven and the new earth, to the praise of His glorious grace. Amen.

Download a PDF of our Statement of Faith.

Spanish Ministry

A CHURCH FAMILY FOR ALL PEOPLE

Since 2010, our Spanish-speaking ministry has been a central part of MEFC. Our community includes families from many backgrounds, and we are grateful to worship together across languages.

Servicio en Español

(Sundays at 9:30 AM)

Worship, prayer, and preaching led entirely in Spanish.

Bilingual Worship

Seasonal bilingual worship services to celebrate baptisms, annual celebrations, and major holidays.

Discipleship &

Community Groups

Spanish-language Bible studies and prayer groups meeting throughout the week.

Conoce Más

Our Staff & Leadership

Elder Board

Made up of our Senior Pastor and elected elders, this group leads and cares for our church family. They spend their time praying for our congregation, visiting with members, teaching Scripture, and offering counsel.

From left: Russ Gesch, Dennis Smith, Andy Aanerud, Chris Goulet, Rodger Veenendal, Allen Wold, John Helsper, Jay Dietz

General Board

Made up of elders and elected members, the General Board looks after the practical needs of our church. They oversee our finances, maintain our building and grounds, and carry out congregational decisions. Their work keeps our daily operations running smoothly and responsibly.

From left: Rollie Sperr, Krista Voges, Tracy Nohl, Eric Smith, Nancy Helsper, Brian Emmert, Joel Flaten, Spencer Wayne, Rodger Veenendal

Pastoral & Ministry Staff