Gnadenfeld Mennonite Church was located in the province of Taurida, South Russia, about 60 miles from the seaport at Berdyansk on the Sea of Asov. In 1835 the congregation as a whole immigrated to Russia from the province of Brandenburg, Prussia, under the leadership of Elder Wilhelm Lange. From the very beginning the congregation was known for its advanced spiritual life. During the middle of the last century the Gnadenfeld con­gregation became the center of a revival movement that culminated in the founding of the Mennon­ite Brethren Church in 1860.

The meetinghouse was built in 1854 and was one of the finest older Mennonite churches in the Mo­lotschna settlement with a seating capacity of 500. In 1895 it installed a pipe organ, the only one in a Mennonite church in Russia. The membership was around 300, mostly from the village of Gna­denfeld and some surrounding villages. Prominent elders were Wilhelm Lange, Friedrich Lange, Au­gust Lenzmann, Heinrich Dirks, Sr., the first mis­sionary of the Russian Mennonites, Gerhard Nickel, and Heinrich Dirks, Jr.

In 1887 the membership numbered 405 baptized members. The Berdyansk congregation was a sub­sidiary of the Gnadenfeld Mennonite Church. The interest in education and Christian work was dem­onstrated by the congregation in many ways. Fifteen of its members went abroad for theological training or a higher education; among them were Heinrich Dirks, father and son, Heinrich Franz, Hermann Lenzmann, W. Neufeld, Abr. Klassen, and Peter Nachtigall.

In 1933, after arresting the last minister, the Bolshevik authorities closed the church and so the existence of the congregation was brought to an end.

Adapted by permission of Herald Press, Scottdale, Pennsylvania, and Waterloo, Ontario, from Mennonite Encyclopedia, Vol. 2, p. 532. All rights reserved. For information on ordering the encyclopedia visit the Herald Press website.

©1996-2009 by the Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. All rights reserved.

To cite this page:

MLA style: Goerz, Heinrich. "Gnadenfeld Mennonite Church (Gnadenfeld, Molotschna Mennonite settlement, Zaporizhia Oblast, Ukraine)." Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. 1956. Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. Retrieved 08 January 2009 <http://www.gameo.org/encyclopedia/contents/gnadenfeld_mennonite_church_gnadenfeld_molotschna>

APA style: Goerz, Heinrich. (1956). "Gnadenfeld Mennonite Church (Gnadenfeld, Molotschna Mennonite settlement, Zaporizhia Oblast, Ukraine)." Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. Retrieved 08 January 2009 <http://www.gameo.org/encyclopedia/contents/gnadenfeld_mennonite_church_gnadenfeld_molotschna>