Prior to 2021, two pastors looked into starting a new mission in Dickinson, North Dakota. Those two pastors were Pastor Ryan Wolfe and Pastor Jonathan Werre.
They discovered a dedicated group of WELS Lutherans living in Dickinson who were ready to start a church. Some of the residents had been meeting together in various places around town for worship since 2008. After a community survey and many meetings, they decided to call themselves Amazing Grace Lutheran Church.
The members of Amazing Grace, along with the two pastors, put together a plan for starting a new mission in Dickinson. The plan for a new mission was approved by the WELS Board for Home Missions in 2021. They waited a full year for a pastor to accept a call to come and serve as their mission pastor.
In May of 2022, Pastor Joel Prange, a Wisconsin Lutheran Seminary graduate, was assigned to serve as the pastor at Amazing Grace Lutheran Church and get the mission in Dickinson up and running. Pastor Prange was installed at Amazing Grace on August 14, 2022.
They first gathered for worship and ministry meetings in Pastor Prange’s living room. They quickly outgrew that space and went in search of a larger area to gather. They moved from hotel conference room to hotel conference room until they finally settled into a rented 24/7 ministry center. (1720 Market Drive Suite J, Dickinson ND 58601)
They launched full-time public worship and dedicated their space in October of 2023. With their new facility, they can proclaim God’s word in a regular space on Sunday mornings at 9 AM, as well as host events and meet with people during the week.
Praise be to the Lord for all the work he is doing in Dickinson!