I have been planning to write something about the Fargo-Moorhead ICOC planting for some time now. I am under the impression that there is sufficient material to write a book about the Fargo Christian Church, which existed from June 1995 to December 1998. For now, though, I have a timeline to post here of the events.... -- Jason Reichert
March 1995: The Denver Church of Christ announces that plantings will be sent to Fargo, North Dakota and Sioux Falls, South Dakota that summer. This is something that has been in the works for a couple of years previously on the heels of Kip McKean's charge to have a church in each of the 50 states of the USA.
May 1995: The teams for the Dakota plantings are selected. Denver had previously planted five other churches in the two previous years, so by this time the numbers to choose from were getting slim. Nonetheless, Kip McKean would not refuse to see his charge not met, and so planning for the church plantings continues.
June 1995: Dave and Heidi C. had already been selected for Sioux Falls, however, the month began with the Fargo leaders not chosen yet. The new team continues to meet and plan without a set pair of leaders selected yet. Two weeks before the planting, Russ and Gina N. were either selected or convinced (both?) to go and lead the Fargo planting.
NOTE: The Fargo-Moorhead metro area at this time had 155,000 residents. Today the area has about 185,000 people in it, substantial growth from when the Fargo church was planted.
July 1995: The church actually arrived in the last week of June. Twenty-four people arrived on the initial planting. The first thing everyone is urged to do is to find a job. However, during this time we were charged with inviting 50 people per day to church (that's not a misprint). It is estimated that during the first three weeks we were there we invited about 20 percent of the F-M area population to church. The inaugural service is held in the last week of July, with an attendance of 114. This would be the highest attendance in the history of the FCC, ironically. Of note: This attendance included out of town speakers. The entire Sioux Falls church was invited, and they were included in the attendance numbers, as well. This is typical for an ICC inaugural service.
August 1995: Fargo sees its first baptism, the mother of one of the Sioux Falls mission team members. The baptism actually occurs in South Dakota.
September 1995: The first mission team members to leave the church do so. One goes back to Denver to live with their parents (and consequently left the ICC entirely), while a second one leaves the ICC but stays in Fargo. Ironically, the person who left and stayed in town had the best job of any team member at a local software developer.
Winter of 1995 to 1996: The harsh North Dakota winter sets in from November to March. The rules for holding church services basically change. Most ICC churches are used to holding Sunday services pretty much regardless of weather conditions. However, Fargo is a different situation. Driving in adverse conditions there can be fatal. Numerous services throughout the winter are canceled. In addition, financial hardship begins to hit the young church planting. Several members arrived in Fargo carrying Denver-sized debts. These could not be served with the meager Fargo-sized incomes. Three members have their cars repossessed during this winter. Furthermore, every member of the planting was commanded to give a minimum weekly contribution of $40 regardless of the situation. In some cases, this amounted to far more than a 10% tithe.
Summer of 1996: The snow melted (finally) and the church began "cranking" again. The baptisms start rolling, and during the summer, the church reaches a membership of 35 (or 36, I can't recall the exact number). This would eventually wind up as a high water mark for the FCC. A campus ministry develops at Moorhead State University (across the river from Fargo in Moorhead, MN). More difficulty is encountered with North Dakota State University in Fargo.
Fall of 1996: No significant events.
Winter of 1996 to 1997: Fargo receives 140 inches of snow that winter. Once again, the weather plays a significant role in limiting the activities of the church. The membership starts seeing a decline despite the best efforts of many in the church. It is becoming apparent to some that the normal "ICC mode" of evangelism will not be successful in Fargo-Moorhead.
THE FLOOD OF 1997: That 140 inches of snow needed to eventually go somewhere when springtime came. And that snow amounted to ALOT of water! It headed for the Red River in April. Three factors contributed to this natural disaster of Titanic proportions: One, The Red River Valley is very flat. There is very little in the way of natural drainage. Two, the Red flows north, meaning it thaws in reverse direction. The outlet point way up in Canada is the last to thaw. And finally, the Red is normally a shallow river. It is just not designed to carry very large amounts of water. The end result was a flood that catapulted eastern North Dakota and western Minnesota into the national spotlight. However, as this was April, it was also special contribution time. The pillar church above us did NOT give us an exception. Rather, we were challenged to "have faith" and still hold fundraisers. The N's were forced to set up fundraisers. Naturally, that meant doing something for "flood relief". However, the F-M community was not enamored by any of this by any means. We bounced from one organization to another to no avail. This resulted in the church being featured in the Fargo Forum (newspaper) and the local newscasts for all three major network channels in Fargo.
NOTE: ICC fundraisers have a tendency to promise community service in exchange for money for "missions". (This was the nature of fundraisers nationwide until 2000, when the ICC folks in LA decided that this type of fundraising for missions contribution was too risky.) To offer help in an emergency situation on the condition of being given money for a church's purposes hit a very raw nerve in the Fargo-Moorhead community. There were literally tens of thousands of people (myself included) who filled sandbags and watched dikes completely for free during this time. And for good reason: When the dikes burst downriver in Grand Forks (70 miles away), the entire city was nearly destroyed. To offer aid to raise money for any organization, let alone the ICC, was a very crass thing to do in this natural disaster.
In my opinion, this was the definitive moment in the church that sealed its fate. With a community reputation ruined for the sake of world missions, this mission found itself with enough opposition to basically thwart long-term growth.
Summer of 1997: After the flood, the church spent some of its time simply recovering from the events of April and May. Membership continues to decline as people either are converts who have left the church, or some mission team members have decided to simply move back to a larger city. Also, the final two true conversions in Fargo occur in August, two single men who are baptized a week apart from each other.
Fall/Winter of 1997 and 1998: The N's are asked (or commanded) to move to Minneapolis for further "training". A similar fate meets the C's in Sioux Falls, only they opt to move to Iowa. Both churches are left without "full-time" staff, and leaders are appointed who would lead the churches while working full-time secular jobs. By this time, the Fargo church only has 15 members, a precipitous but gradual drop-off from the summer of 1996. Also, during this time many of the remaining Fargo members discover life outside of the church. Several start doing things inside of the community apart from the FCC. A "double life" starts developing in some members (including yours truly). Finally, the weather relents during this winter, with many 40 degree days in the winter, and only a third of the snow as the previous winter. The F-M community breathed a huge sigh of relief.
Summer of 1998: By this time, while some people are happy with their lives, it is becoming apparent that the Fargo church is nearing the end of its lifespan. Some individuals start seeing financial victories that were very much hard won. Nonetheless, there is a continual dark cloud hanging over the church, as nobody could really know what our ultimate fate would be.
October 1998: The hammer finally comes down. The Fargo church is officially disbanded, and its members were asked to move to Minneapolis. Of the 14 remaining members, 10 decided to move, four decided not to. However, the church is given two months to wrap things up and figure out leases, jobs, and such. The church begins to meet on Wednesdays and Sunday in the homes of members, there is no longer a need for an "official" meeting place.
November 1998: The last baptism to occur in Fargo happens in an indoor swimming pool at a hotel. However, the lady leaves the church a mere two days later.
December 1998: The moving trucks start leaving Fargo, with a handful of members leaving each weekend.
January 1999:The last disciple to leave Fargo does so on January 4, 1999. There hasn't been any membership of the ICC in North Dakota since. (Fargo is the only city in North Dakota that ever had an ICC church based in it.)
Similarly, Sioux Falls, South Dakota was pulled in May, 2001.
Winter of 1999: The members who arrive in Minneapolis are not placed on the church roll right away. Instead, they are forced to go through a miniature study series to make sure they are "on board" with the program in Minneapolis. The end result of this is that one person leaves the church and moves back to North Dakota.
June 1999: A young woman who was left in North Dakota during the study series as the church left town decides to move to Minneapolis. She is baptized in mid-June in the Twin Cities. This closes the book on the Fargo ICC planting.
I hope this is informative. But please keep in mind that this is coming from someone with a definite opinion about the events of the Fargo Christian Church. If there are any inaccuracies or misrepresentations, please let me know ASAP.
Like I said at the top, I am interested in compiling a book of the events of Fargo. It is a city I still have some of my heart in as I gave alot to people in that city, especially in the final 18 months. It was a time of heartbreak, but it was also the time I came of age as a grown man. And the final 18 months, while stressful, were also the "romance of my life".
Thank you, and God bless,
Jason Reichert
reicherts@ptffl.com
Fargo Christian Church member from start to finish
(former member, International Churches of Christ)
Edited 2008 to remove last names to protect anonymity (some people are trying to move on). -- REVEAL Webmaster
©2003 by Jason Reichert. All rights reserved.