Wooddale Church
Encyclopedia
Originally known as "The Wayside Chapel", Wooddale Church is a large evangelical
Christian
church in Eden Prairie
, Minnesota
. The large success of the Wooddale Church led to the formation of many other similar churches in Minnesota. Today the Wooddale church is affiliated with the Baptist General Conference
as well as the Conservative Congregational Christian Conference
.
and Bethel College and Seminary
actively led the small church.
On January 1, 1949, John D. Lundberg became the pastor of the church. During the early part of 1949 the church made plans to reorganize as a Baptist
church because of a desire to affiliate with other churches and because of the need for financial assistance. The congregation affiliated itself with the Baptist General Conference
.
On June 12, 1949, the church officially became Wooddale Baptist Church of Richfield
. There were 32 charter members. That same month, the church broke ground for a permanent church building, albeit just a basement, which would be occupied November 13, 1949.
The church continued to grow and by 1954 the Sunday School had grown to an average attendance of 238. This led to further construction of a Christian Education space.
In the fall of 1955 Lundberg left to take a new position in Florida
. In April 1955 Paul Thompson became the new pastor. He began his ministry on July 1, 1956. On February 1, 1957, Pastor Paul Thompson died from injuries received in an automobile accident. In May 1957, Peter Unruh became the senior pastor.
Continued growth led to duplicate Sunday morning worship services and plans for construction of new facilities which were ready for use September 13, 1959. In 1962 the church began having duplicate Sunday morning services again and began planning for additional expansion, completed on September 27, 1964.
On January 1, 1977 Leith Anderson
began his ministry at Wooddale.
On October 30, 1988 construction started on a new 63000 sq ft (5,852.9 m²), 2000-seat worship center, complete with pipe organ and a 199 foot steeple (to avoid the need for a beacon light on the top), and was finished in November 1990.
Wooddale expanded to a 2nd campus on November 16, 2008, located at 5532 Wooddale Avenue South, Edina, Minnesota.
as well as the Conservative Congregational Christian Conference. It is listed as a member congregation on both denomination's websites.
The continued growth of the Church meant that more space was needed. In 1995, construction began to provide new classrooms for the church’s youth programs and office space for the expanding staff. In March 2000 a 34600 sq ft (3,214.4 m²) addition was dedicated.
In the fall of 2000 the worship schedule was expanded to six services each weekend with a contemporary service on Saturday evening, and three contemporary services and two traditional services on Sunday morning. Attendance was soon averaging well over 4,000 each weekend, with about 2,000 children, youth and adults in Sunday School.
By 2006, attendance was averaging 5,000 per week. Pastor Anderson currently serves as president of the National Association of Evangelicals
(NAE) which represents 30 million Christians.
As a performance venue for symphony orchestras the hall has been praised for its "bright, warm acoustics.
Evangelicalism
Evangelicalism is a Protestant Christian movement which began in Great Britain in the 1730s and gained popularity in the United States during the series of Great Awakenings of the 18th and 19th century.Its key commitments are:...
Christian
Christian
A Christian is a person who adheres to Christianity, an Abrahamic, monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth as recorded in the Canonical gospels and the letters of the New Testament...
church in Eden Prairie
Eden Prairie, Minnesota
As of the census of 2000, there were 54,901 people, 20,457 households, and 14,579 families residing in the city. The population density was . There were 21,026 housing units at an average density of 649.2 per square mile...
, Minnesota
Minnesota
Minnesota is a U.S. state located in the Midwestern United States. The twelfth largest state of the U.S., it is the twenty-first most populous, with 5.3 million residents. Minnesota was carved out of the eastern half of the Minnesota Territory and admitted to the Union as the thirty-second state...
. The large success of the Wooddale Church led to the formation of many other similar churches in Minnesota. Today the Wooddale church is affiliated with the Baptist General Conference
Baptist General Conference
The Baptist General Conference is a national evangelical Baptist body with roots in Pietism in Sweden and inroads among evangelical Scandinavian-Americans, particularly in the American Upper Midwest. From its beginning among Scandinavian immigrants, the BGC has grown to a nationwide association...
as well as the Conservative Congregational Christian Conference
Conservative Congregational Christian Conference
The Conservative Congregational Christian Conference, colloquially known as the CCCC or 4C's, is a Protestant Christian denomination operating in the United States. The denomination maintains headquarters in Lake Elmo, Minnesota, a suburb of St. Paul...
.
History
Wooddale Church was founded in 1943 at an organizational meeting in a Minneapolis tavern. That meeting led to a Sunday School and morning and evening church services on April 12, 1943. The original congregation adopted the name “The Wayside Chapel.” Until January 1, 1949 students from the Northwestern Bible SchoolNorthwestern College (Minnesota)
Northwestern College is a private Christian college located in Roseville, Minnesota, and is accredited by the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools. Established in 1902 as Northwestern Bible and Missionary Training School by Dr...
and Bethel College and Seminary
Bethel University (Minnesota)
Bethel University is a Christian higher education institution with approximately 6,000 students from 36 countries enrolled in undergraduate, graduate, seminary, and adult education programs...
actively led the small church.
On January 1, 1949, John D. Lundberg became the pastor of the church. During the early part of 1949 the church made plans to reorganize as a Baptist
Baptist
Baptists comprise a group of Christian denominations and churches that subscribe to a doctrine that baptism should be performed only for professing believers , and that it must be done by immersion...
church because of a desire to affiliate with other churches and because of the need for financial assistance. The congregation affiliated itself with the Baptist General Conference
Baptist General Conference
The Baptist General Conference is a national evangelical Baptist body with roots in Pietism in Sweden and inroads among evangelical Scandinavian-Americans, particularly in the American Upper Midwest. From its beginning among Scandinavian immigrants, the BGC has grown to a nationwide association...
.
On June 12, 1949, the church officially became Wooddale Baptist Church of Richfield
Richfield, Minnesota
As of the census of 2000, there were 34,439 people, 15,073 households, and 8,727 families residing in the city. The population density was 4,993.9 people per square mile . There were 15,357 housing units at an average density of 2,226.9 per square mile...
. There were 32 charter members. That same month, the church broke ground for a permanent church building, albeit just a basement, which would be occupied November 13, 1949.
The church continued to grow and by 1954 the Sunday School had grown to an average attendance of 238. This led to further construction of a Christian Education space.
In the fall of 1955 Lundberg left to take a new position in Florida
Florida
Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
. In April 1955 Paul Thompson became the new pastor. He began his ministry on July 1, 1956. On February 1, 1957, Pastor Paul Thompson died from injuries received in an automobile accident. In May 1957, Peter Unruh became the senior pastor.
Continued growth led to duplicate Sunday morning worship services and plans for construction of new facilities which were ready for use September 13, 1959. In 1962 the church began having duplicate Sunday morning services again and began planning for additional expansion, completed on September 27, 1964.
On January 1, 1977 Leith Anderson
Leith Anderson
Leith Anderson is the President of the National Association of Evangelicals. He has served as senior pastor of Wooddale Church, in Eden Prairie, Minnesota, since 1977.-Biography:...
began his ministry at Wooddale.
Present location
In 1981 the church purchased 32 acre (12.9 ha) of undeveloped land in Eden Prairie, Minnesota, a nine-mile (14 km) move. It was at this time the church was renamed “Wooddale Church.” Construction on the new site began in the fall of 1983 was partially occupied in July 1984 and finished and fully occupied in November 1985.On October 30, 1988 construction started on a new 63000 sq ft (5,852.9 m²), 2000-seat worship center, complete with pipe organ and a 199 foot steeple (to avoid the need for a beacon light on the top), and was finished in November 1990.
Wooddale expanded to a 2nd campus on November 16, 2008, located at 5532 Wooddale Avenue South, Edina, Minnesota.
Denominational Affiliation
Wooddale Church, 6630 Shady Oak Road, Eden Prairie Road, Eden Prairie, MN 55344-3218 is a member of both the Baptist General ConferenceBaptist General Conference
The Baptist General Conference is a national evangelical Baptist body with roots in Pietism in Sweden and inroads among evangelical Scandinavian-Americans, particularly in the American Upper Midwest. From its beginning among Scandinavian immigrants, the BGC has grown to a nationwide association...
as well as the Conservative Congregational Christian Conference. It is listed as a member congregation on both denomination's websites.
Expansion to other suburbs
Concurrent with the building expansion of the early 90s, and consistent with its focus on outreach, Wooddale Church began an aggressive program to start new churches, with Wooddalers recruited as a part of the founding core of each church start.- Woodridge Church (Medina) was begun in 1991.
- Woodcrest Church (Eagan) began in 1993.
- Westwood Church (Chanhassen) held its first public services on Easter Sunday in 1995.
- Bridgewood Church (Savage) 1997
- Northwood Church (Maple Grove) in 2000
- Oakwood Community Church (Waconia) 2000
- Timberwood Church (Nisswa, MN)
- City Church (Minneapolis, MN) 2004
- Brookwood Church (Shakopee, MN) 2008
The continued growth of the Church meant that more space was needed. In 1995, construction began to provide new classrooms for the church’s youth programs and office space for the expanding staff. In March 2000 a 34600 sq ft (3,214.4 m²) addition was dedicated.
In the fall of 2000 the worship schedule was expanded to six services each weekend with a contemporary service on Saturday evening, and three contemporary services and two traditional services on Sunday morning. Attendance was soon averaging well over 4,000 each weekend, with about 2,000 children, youth and adults in Sunday School.
By 2006, attendance was averaging 5,000 per week. Pastor Anderson currently serves as president of the National Association of Evangelicals
National Association of Evangelicals
The National Association of Evangelicals is a fellowship of member denominations, churches, organizations, and individuals. Its goal is to honor God by connecting and representing evangelicals in the United States. Today it works in four main areas: Church & Faith Partners, Government Relations,...
(NAE) which represents 30 million Christians.
As a performance venue for symphony orchestras the hall has been praised for its "bright, warm acoustics.