Menomonie Alliance Church - offering hope to all people through a growing relationship with Jesus Christ

The Menomonie Alliance Church is a member of the Christian and Missionary Alliance (C&MA). The C&MA began in 1887 by Dr. Albert Benjamin Simpson. The Alliance family includes over two million people in 75 countries. Worldwide we are linked to other believers who share a passion to reach those without Christ through The Alliance World Fellowship.

Menomonie Alliance Church was organized in fall 1967 under the leadership of Dr. and Mrs. Roger Natwick. It grew from a home Bible study that had been meeting about a year. The study was led by Rev. Stanton Richardson, former vice president and professor of Bible and theology at the St. Paul Bible College (now Crown College). Rev. Rueben M. Strecker and his family arrived in Menomonie in August 1967 to serve as the church's first resident pastor. Sunday services were held in a rented Baptist Church building on South Broadway and 15th Avenue. The church was formally inaugurated on January 11, 1968 with 22 charter members.

Construction of a church building at 200 N. 21st Street began in May 1968, and services were first held there in October the same year. The congregation soon outgrew these facilities, and services were first held at a new building at 502 N. 21st Street on January 13, 1980. Major expansions of this facility came in 1992 and again in 2001. The Menomonie Alliance Christian School, organized in 1981 as a ministry of the church, initially included grades K-3 with two teachers and grew to xix teachers with about 60 students in grades K-8. In 2008 the school was forced to closed due to higher costs and fewer students.

Official membership has grown to nearly 200 with about 450 regularly attending Sunday services. Several members have engaged in long-term missions work in Botswana, Ecuador, Guinea, India, Ivory Coast, Malaysia, Mali, Mexico, Mongolia, the Philippines, Russia, South Korea and Zambia. Many others have served worldwide on short-term missions projects. The congregation sponsors a variety of ministries including Sunday School for all ages, youth ministries, Bible studies, prayer ministries, a growing AWANA children's program, an active ALPHA faith exploration program. Each year career C&MA missionaries present informative messages concerning the work of the denomination in other lands, while many members are active in short-term missions project throughout the year. Current Pastor Rev. Jack Stimmel came to the church in 1992 after serving as a missionary to South Korea and then as vice president of student affairs at Crown College in Minnesota.

The C&MA Doctrinal Statement

There is one God, who is infinitely perfect, existing eternally in three persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Deuteronomy 6:4, Matthew 5:48, Matthew 28:19
Jesus Christ is the true God and the true man. He was conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of the Virgin Mary. He died upon the cross, the Just for the unjust, as a substitutionary sacrifice, and all who believe in Him are justified on the ground of His shed blood. He arose from the dead according to the Scriptures. He is now at the right hand of Majesty on high as our great High Priest. He will come again to establish His kingdom, righteousness and peace. Philippians 2:6-11, Luke 1:36-38, I Peter 3:18, Hebrews 2:9, Romans 5:9, Acts 2:23-24, Hebrews 8:1, Matthew 26:64
The Holy Spirit is a divine person, sent to dwell, guide, teach, empower the believer, convict the world of sin, and convince the world of His righteousness and of judgment. John 14:15-18, John 16:13, Acts 1:9, John 16:7-11
The Old and New Testaments, without error as originally given, were verbally inspired by God and are a complete revelation of His will for the salvation of men. They constitute the divine and only rule of Christian faith and practice. 2 Peter 1:20-21, 2 Timothy 3:15-16
Man was originally created in the image and likeness of God: he fell through disobedience, incurring thereby both physical and spiritual death. All men are born with a sinful nature, are separated from the life of God, and can be saved only through the atoning work of the Lord Jesus Christ. The portion of the unrepentant and unbelieving is existence forever in conscious torment; and that of the believer, in everlasting joy and bliss. Genesis 1:27, Romans 3:23, 1 Corinthians15:20-23, Revelation 21:8, Revelation 21:1-4
Salvation has been provided through Jesus Christ for all men; and those who repent and believe in Him are born again of the Holy Spirit, receive the gift of eternal life, and become the children of God. Titus 3:4-7
It is the will of God that each believer should be filled with the Holy Spirit and be sanctified wholly, being separated from sin and the world and fully dedicated to the will of God, thereby receiving power for holy living and effective service. This is both a crisis and a progressive experience wrought in the life of the believer subsequent to conversion. 1 Thessalonians 5:23, Acts 1:8, Romans 6:1-14
Provision is made in the redemptive work of the Lord Jesus Christ for the healing of the mortal body. Prayer for the sick and anointing with oil are taught in the Scriptures and are privileges for the Church in this present age. Matthew 8:16-17, James 5:13-16
The Church consists of all those who believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, are redeemed through His blood, and are born again of the Holy Spirit. Christ is the Head of the Body, the Church, which has been commissioned by Him to go into all the world as a witness, preaching the gospel to all nations. The local church is a body of believers in Christ who are joined together for the worship of God, for edification through the Word of God, for prayer, fellowship, the proclamation of the gospel, and observance of the ordinances of Baptism and the Lord's Supper. Ephesians 1:22-23, Matthew 28:19-20, Acts 2:41-47
There shall be a bodily resurrection of the just and of the unjust; for the former, a resurrection unto life; for the latter, a resurrection unto judgment. 1 Corinthians 15:20-23, John 5:28-29
The Second Coming of the Lord Jesus Christ is and will be personal, visible, and premillennial. This is the believer's blessed hope and is a vital truth, which is an incentive to holy living and faithful service. Hebrews 10:37, Luke 21:27, Titus 2:11-14

Our Purpose

God purposed to create us in His own image to love us and allow us to enjoy a relationship with Him for eternity.
Our purpose is to glorify God by experiencing His transforming love and by communicating the love of Jesus to our community.

"Blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked, nor stand in the path of sinners, nor sit in the seat of scoffers! But his delight is in the Lord, and in His law he meditates day and night. And he will be like a tree firmly planted by streams of water which yields its fruit in its season, and its leaf does not wither and in whatever he does he prospers." Psalm 1:1-3

Our Mission

Menomonie Alliance Church exists to glorify God by offering hope to all people through a growing relationship with Jesus Christ.

"More than the sounds of many waters, than the mighty breakers of the sea, the Lord on high is Mighty. Thy testimonies are fully confirmed; Holiness befits Thy House, O Lord, forevermore." Psalm 93:3b-5

We will do this by

-Encouraging people to become believers in Jesus Christ.
-Challenging believers to become disciples of Jesus Christ.
-Training disciples to become ambassadors for Jesus Christ.
-Sending ambassadors to offer hope to all people through a personal relationship with Jesus Christ.

Our Vision

We will actively demonstrate the love of Jesus Christ by becoming messengers of Hope to our church, our community, our region and our world.

"Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path. I have sworn, and I will confirm it, that I will keep Thy righteous ordinances." Psalm 119:105-106

To Our Church
We will open the Door of Hope:

-To the throne of God by becoming a "house of prayer" where every ministry is birthed by and bathed in prayer.
-To a community of faith where the bruised and broken will be loved, accepted, valued and nurtured into a vital relationship with Jesus Christ.
-To vital "growth' groups which offer meaningful relationships and provide solid Biblical instruction, support, accountability and spiritual growth in a small group setting.
-Into the "Journey of Discovery" which brings people from conversion to Christ to maturity in Christ.
-To people within the congregation to whom God is calling into ministry by equipping them for and providing opportunity for ministry.

To Our Community
We will open the Door of Hope:

-To a personal relationship with Jesus Christ who is our Hope.
-To practical ways to strengthen the basic building block of society, the family by providing biblically-based workshops on marriage, parenting, financial management, etc.
-To regular events designed for intentional outreach and the enhancement of community life.
-To training opportunities designed to introduce and equip Christians from other churches to impact their local congregations for Jesus Christ.
To UW-Stout, partnering with on campus Christian groups which are seeking to introduce students and faculty to Jesus Christ and bring them to maturity in Christ.

To Our Region
We will open the Door of Hope:

-Through "extension ministries" from this church to communities where it is clear God is working to extend His kingdom.
-To training opportunities designed to celebrate and equip the true church of Jesus Christ to reach their own communities for Jesus Christ.

To Our World
We will open the Door of Hope:

-From our congregation to our world by cultivating a Great Commission lifestyle through an increasingly informed commitment to local and world missions that is demonstrated both by our giving and going.
-To our youth by mentoring those to whom the call of God has been given for professional Christian ministry and encouraging all youth to be Great Commission Christians in whatever their calling.
-To the adults and youth of our church to short-term vision ministry trips overseas and to cross-cultural settings within our own country, so that their vision becomes as big as God's vision.

Our Values

1. We value the ministry of prayer.
Every ministry of the church should be birthed by and bathed in prayer.
"...For My house will be called a house of prayer for all nations." (Isaiah 56:7)

"Give ear, oh Heavens, and let me speak; and let the earth hear the words of my mouth. Let my teaching drop as the rain, my speech distill as the dew, as the droplets on the fresh grass and as the showers on the herb. For I proclaim the name of the Lord; give greatness to our God!" Deuteronomy 32:1-3

2. We value the completion of the Great Commission.
Every ministry of this church should be Great Commission sensitive.
"All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to Me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you." (Matthew 28:18-20)

3. We value people over programs and ministries.
We should endeavor at all times to be sensitive to where God is working and join Him in His work, trusting Him for the resources to carry out that work. "For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works."

4. We value the Word of God.
We should strive toward the centrality of the Word of God in all that we do.
"All scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work." (2 Timothy 3:16,17)

5. We value corporate worship.
We should not forsake our assembling together each week.
"Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshippers will worship the Father in spirit and in truth, for they are the kind of worshippers the Father seeks." (John 4:23)

6. We value servanthood and servant-leadership.
We should seek to follow the example of Jesus in everything.
"...Whoever wants to be great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be slave of all. For even the Son of Man did not come to be served but to serve and to give His life as a ransom for many." (Mark 10:43-45)

7. We value the "Deeper Life" found in Jesus Christ.
We should take for ourselves by faith the fullness of the Holy Spirit, not looking for an "experience" but for Christ alone."May God Himself, the God of peace, sanctify you through and through. May your whole spirit, soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. The One who calls you is faithful and He will do it." (I Thessalonians 5:23, 24)

8. We value young people.
We should do what we can to encourage, equip and empower them to be godly leaders for the next generation. "Don't let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in life, in love, in faith and in purity." (I Timothy 4:12)

9. We value Christ-centered relationships.
We should work diligently in applying the "one anothers" of scripture. "Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace." (Ephesians 4:2,3)

10. We value Christian Education.
We should place a high priority on the training given from childhood to adulthood.
"Train a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not turn from it." (Proverbs 22:6)