The Church on the Ridge — Warroad Houses of Worship Part VII

There is a church you've driven past many times, though possibly without knowing it or recognizing it. Atop the ridge, just west of Warroad, and just beyond the tree line along Highway 11, sits an unassuming church with an interesting history. You may see the sign along the highway, or the manger scene that is often lit up during the holidays, proclaiming the Family Fundamental Church's service hours. While this congregation has operated at Pine Ridge for nearly three decades, they were not the first to inhabit the building. Before the Family Fundamental, there was Pastor Paul Nash and the Warroad Free Lutheran Church. 

Sign for the Family Fundamental Church on Highway 11

Paul Nash grew up near Wahpeton, ND on a dairy and wheat farm. After high school, he attended "The Association of Free Lutheran Churches Bible School," and it was there that he met his wife, Laurie. After attending the Bible school, Nash went on to the North Dakota School of Science in Wahpeton and Moorhead State University, receiving a Bachelor of Arts degree in History. He then went on to seminary training at the Association of Free Lutheran Congregations (AFLC) Seminary in Minneapolis. 

Pastor Paul Nash, 1985

Our blog has previously discussed the Evangelical Lutheran Church of America through Zion Lutheran and the Wisconsin and Missouri Synod Churches with Bethlehem Lutheran. Those two churches represent the largest Lutheran congregations in North America. The original Lutheran Free Church was initially concentrated in northwestern Minnesota and eastern North Dakota before it began expanding. The AFLC is comparatively smaller and emerged in the 1960s when mergers between Lutheran congregations across the country were creating strife within different church bodies and many congregations, displeased with the growth and future of the Free Lutheran Church, met in Thief River Falls to form the AFLC (aflc.org).  

After graduating from AFLC Seminary, Pastor Nash preached in various locations in Michigan, Minnesota, and Wisconsin before settling in Tioga, ND. He also established a radio broadcast ministry that spanned from western North Dakota into Montana and up into Canada. In 1985, Pastor Nash and Laurie, and their three children—Melissa, Samuel, and Sara—moved to Warroad as part of a "Tent Making Mission." The purpose of this mission is to establish roots in a local community whilst proclaiming the Word of God. The mission also heavily stresses the importance of working in a community, and so Paul became employed at Marvin Windows whilst developing the local AFLC congregation.

Because Pastor Nash worked a full time job, the Warroad Free Lutheran Church operated rather unconventionally. The congregation was expected to fulfill duties within the church such as Sunday School planning, home and hospital visitations when the pastor could not, lead Bible study classes, and even provide specific family counseling when needed. The biggest emphasis within the church was to remain family-oriented. According to Pastor Nash, "the church is never stronger than the family unit," (WP  02/05/1986). Laurie, who had also attended North Dakota State School of Science and received her LNP certification, took over the women's Bible study duties. At the time, church services took place in the old Fox Theater building, but in early 1986, plans were already being made to build a larger church building to fit the growing congregation.

In January 1986, Pastor Nash brought Rev. Eldon Nelson, the AFLC Home Mission director, to answer questions about the AFLC ministry and its beginnings in Warroad. Throughout that year, guest pastors were called in to hold sermons. Among the visiting pastors was Rev. Burton Rygh, Rev. Gustav Nordvall, and Rev. Charles Knapp. Very quickly Sunday services were joined with Tuesday night Enriched Living women's sessions and Wednesday night Bible studies. Then, in June of that year, the church moved from the Fox Theater to the Del-Rich building next to the stoplight at the State-Lake Street intersection. 

Warroad Pioneer  02/12/1986

In summer 1986, the Warroad Free Lutheran Church was assisted by the Barnabas Team from the Association of Free Lutheran Bible School. This group of college students traveled the country to help new AFLC churches establish Vacation Bible School programs like puppet shows and canvassing the neighborhood (WP  08/06/1986). The team would return to the Free Lutheran Vacation Bible School every year from 1987–1992.

For the church's first anniversary, they hosted an "evangelism crusade" wherein Rev. Herb Franz of Cloquet, MN came to do a sermon. Rev. Franz was preacher at St. Paul's Lutheran Church and radio host of the Lutheran Ambassador Hour on KRWB every Sunday morning. Music at the "crusade" was provided by the Lorenson Family of Strathcona, MN, Rev. Mark Watson of the Union Congregation Church, Cindy Seibold, Mitch Johnson, and the Kingsmen Quartet of Thief River Falls, MN. The four-day event allowed for testimonials of Christians in the region and mini concerts for all in attendance. 

Between 1986–1987, the church became heavily involved in regional Women's Missionary Federation through the AFLC. This organization, begun in 1962, supported women at home and abroad in spreading the message of Christianity and providing local activities and programs at their churches. Women within the Warroad Free Lutheran Church frequently attended WMF meetings in Thief River Falls and International Falls in those years. During that same time, the church began hosting Nite-Lite Drive-In Theater nights at Malung township hall on Friday evenings for the community.

Event announcement for church anniversary, 1987

In March 1988, the church hosted the AFL Bible School Choral Club in the Del-Rich building. The choir consisted of thirty-six members and tours nationally through the AFL Bible School two-year program. The choir featured local member Matt Grafstrom of Salol.

In 1988, the Warroad School system purchased the Del-Rich building (WP  04/13/1988). It became imperative that the Free Lutheran Church search for a new location to host their church services. A few months later, the planning committee within the church purchased a vacant lot at the Pine Ridge estates, approximately 3 miles west of Warroad. Over the next few months, church members constructed the new church building on weekends while slowly moving the church's belongings west of town.

Warroad Free Lutheran Church at Pine Ridge, 1990s

Throughout 1988, several youth, teen, men, and women's retreats took place at Lake Bronson with special guest speakers from the region. The number of events and Bible studies increased during that year, showing the growth in the congregation within the first two and a half years of the church's history.

In March 1989, teachers from the Karlstad Heritage Christian School came to WFL to discuss the qualities of Christian education. This planted the seed for the Free Lutheran Church to form its own Christian School for the Warroad community. In Fall 1989, Pine Ridge Christian School opened for students and parents seeking a Christian-centric education (not to be confused with Pinecrest Christian Academy). In November, the WFLC received a $10,000 grant from the Hartz Foundation in Thief River Falls. This grant went towards finishing the building at the Pine Ridge Estates for the purposes of congregational fellowship and the new Christian School. Milo Espe of Milo's Hartz Store presented the check to Don Eklund, who at the time was president of the congregation board (WP  11/15/1989). 

The school also received two Aid Association for Lutherans (AAL) grants of $3,000 for the 1989-90 school year. The money went towards faculty development, a computer for student use, programming, and student recruitment. The Pine Ridge Christian School would receive this grant every school year from 1989–1992.

In the first year of Pine Ridge Christian School, 16 students enrolled to "set their own goals to complete studies in the ACE program that are equivalent to the completion of working with a 400 page textbook in each subject. The small number of students with two teachers allows a lot of one-on-one help from the instructor, who can immediately know where there is a problem," (WP  11/29/1989). Mark and Connie Wells (née Colson) served as teachers for the small school. The two especially emphasized writing and art, as well as music, physical education, and science. It was also noted in 1990 that Pastor Nash, a licensed pilot, assisted in math lessons and even taught students about flying via a flight simulator program. Where public schools once began every day with the Pledge of Allegiance, Pine Ridge Christian School included a pledge to the 'Christian flag' and to the Bible, with a scripture reading each day. 

Throughout the spring and summer of 1990, the church hosted numerous movie nights, seminars, speakers, and celebrations at its finished building at Pine Ridge Estate. In March, they hosted Pastor Sheldon Lorenson, originally from Greenbush, MN, who served as a church-planting missionary in areas of the West Indies and South Africa. WFLC also hosted a Financial Freedom Seminar for families working on their finances and the King's Kids Club childcare program. In Fall 1990, two new teachers came to Pine Ridge Christian School. Vivian Lloyd, wife of Pastor Paul Lloyd of the Bethlehem Lutheran Church of Baudette at the time, and Joan Dahl, a recent graduate of St. Paul Bible College in St. Bonifacius, MN. 

December 1990 saw WFLC hosting a "Scandinavian Dinner" fundraiser—also called Julefest—to purchase new computers for the school. At the time, Pine Ridge only housed two computers for student use, but the ability to have more students using the IBM-compatible computers for math, science, and word-building exercises was desired. The fundraiser included a Swedish meatball dinner for the community served by volunteer parishioners along with other ethnic dishes. Students provided musical entertainment.

Ken Hanson took over as principal at Pine Ridge in 1991. Hanson was a graduate of Bethel College in St. Paul with a degree in sociology and social work. He later attended St. Thomas to receive a graduate degree in secondary education and a Master's in Christian School Administration. Prior to coming to Warroad, Ken, his wife Kris, and his daughters served briefly as missionaries in Panama before serving as principal at Heritage Christian School in Karlstad, MN (WP  05/14/1991). 

In June 1991, the church congregation gathered for the building dedication service of Free Lutheran Church. Although the church had begun construction in 1987 and services had been held in the building since then, final touches to the building finished in late 1990 with the addition of space for the Christian school. 

Between 1991–1992, the church hosted numerous speakers and authors on various topics. They co-hosted a speaker on focusing on the family unit with Woodland Bible Church. Another speaker discussed the book of Genesis and the Creation story. Author Wendell Amstutz and speakers Phil Gaddis and Stephen Lansing hosted a program on the Occult, Satanism, and demonic activity.  

In March 1992, five adults and nine students from the WFLC spent two weeks in Mexico approximately 350 miles south of the Arizona border. They helped build the Good Shepherd Lutheran Church in Agraista whilst learning about the culture and lifestyle of life in that region of Mexico. The group consisted of teacher Ken Hanson, Pat Heppner, Jay Brekke, Mike Harmer, David Ellerbush, Tod Morey, Blain Palmquist, Dave Anderson, Jon Swenson, Deidrick Heppner, Pete Espe, Jay Harmer, Matt Nelson, and Pete Bergman (WP  04/07/1992). 

Pastor Nash was an accomplished pilot, and while in Minnesota (and in other states), he served as a Search and Rescue Pilot and as a Chaplain for the Roseau County Sheriff's Department. Pastor Nash and his family—wife Laurie and children Missy, Sam, and Sara—informed the Warroad Free Lutheran Church that they would be leaving in May 1992. The family moved to Wichita Falls, Texas, where they continued their ministry. Pastor Nash also pastored at churches in Michigan and North Dakota. He served on the AFLC Youth Board and AFLC School Corporation, and later became the Director of the AFLC Home Missions, a position he retained for twenty-three years before retirement. He organized a program calls FLAPS—Free Lutheran Association of Pilot Supporters—and Shamgar Ministries, focused on "mobilizing men for God's mission and His glory." Pastor Nash died in October 2021 at the age of 67 in Wahpeton, ND. 

Pastor Paul and Laurie Nash, 2020

The pastorate was taken up by Rev. Alvin Grothe, born in Badger, MN. Rev. Grothe graduated from Badger High School in 1944 and served in the 7th Infantry Division in Korea. He worked as a carpenter and farmer for many years and married Frances Tauer of Badger. The family later moved to Sao Paulo, Brazil where Alvin studied Portuguese, and then to Campo Mourao, further inland. The family returned home around 1967, and his wife fell ill and passed away in 1968. 

Rev. Grothe felt led to take up ministry around this time. He remarried to Loretta Larson of Roseau in 1969 and served at two separate churches in Minnesota before deciding to attend the Association of Free Lutheran Congregations Seminary in Minneapolis, after which he was ordained in 1972. He was called to Astoria, Oregon and preached at Bethany Free Lutheran Church for fifteen years before retiring closer to home in Roseau County. Although a charter member of Badger Creek Lutheran Church, Rev. Grothe was one of the few willing pastors of the AFLC in the region who could take over the vacant post at Warroad Free Lutheran. 

Rev. Grothe was listed as the full-time pastor of the church, but guest speakers and pastors of other churches in the area frequently hosted Sunday services. Such speakers included Tom Williamson, Gerald Krahn of the Family Fundamental Church, and Mark Watson and Roger Stoll of the Union Congregation. Finally, in April 1993, Pastor Gaylord Gartman and his wife Judy took on the position as fulltime pastor to the Warroad Free Lutheran Church. Pastor Gartman was ordained in the early 1970s. He and his wife originally hailed from Wisconsin, where they had two grown daughters, but spent twelve years in San Francisco before coming to Minnesota. Judy Gartman had experience in Christian education and was looking forward to working at the Pine Ridge School. Rev. Grothe passed away in January 2022 at the age of 96.

Pastor Gaylord and Judy Gartman

Pastor Gartman was officially installed into the Warroad Free Lutheran Church in August. He was interviewed the next month by a reporter for the Warroad Pioneer when questions about charter school status and school choice were being discussed at the state level. Bill Proznik, Pioneer editor, wrote: "Respect. All Pine Ridge Christian School Director Pastor Gaylord E. Gartman wants is a little understanding and appreciation for what his learning institution has to offer students: an alternative to attain a quality Christian education. Nothing more or less..." (WP  09/28/1993). 

At the time, the school had 23 students from kindergarten to 12th grade. The price of schooling was between $110–115 for tuition each month, plus materials for use throughout the semester. According to Gartman, he wished to produce a better working relationship with District 690, though the challenges of running a Christian school in Minnesota at that time seemed difficult. Gartmen stated: "I just want to tell people that we're here and will help them should they want to see what we have. It is their choice." School choice would eventually be upheld in Minnesota, though for a time, institutions like the Pine Ridge school had to fight for recognition.

Unfortunately, Pastor Gartman's time at WFLC was cut short when in spring 1994, he was removed as head of the church upon allegations of a criminal offense committed by Gartman. He was convicted of 4th Degree Criminal Sexual Assault in Roseau County. He was later found guilty of two Class "C" Felonies in Wisconsin in 2003 and currently resides in Sturgeon Bay, WI. 

Tom Williamson temporarily filled in as the Sunday sermon speaker throughout the rest of 1994.  Not until spring 1995 did the church bring in another full time pastor, Alvin Sather. Pastor Sather was born and raised in Greenbush, MN and attended seminary school at the Association of Free Lutheran Congregations in Plymouth, MN. While in school, he was asked to serve as interim pastor at the Greenbush Free Lutheran Church. He went on to serve at Bethany Lutheran Church in Bemidji. His closeness to the Warroad community and the necessity for a new pastor made it a perfect fit, and Sather quickly jumped into the WFLC and Pine Ridge School communities (WP  04/18/1995).

Pastor Alvin Sather article in the Pioneer, 06/18/1996

Between 1994–1995, the Pine Ridge Christian School closed due to a shortage of children entering the program and the loss of an experienced principal. Activities at the Warroad Free Lutheran Church slowed significantly after this point. 

In late 1998, the Warroad Pioneer stopped listing the Warroad Free Lutheran Church on its church directory page. It's possible that the church scandal and the subsequent drop in activity within the church led to a decline in congregational attendance. Whatever the reason, the Warroad Free Lutheran Church closed its doors for the last time in 1998. The building was eventually purchased in 2002 by the Family Fundamental Church. Thus, the legacy of the AFLC on the Ridge came to an end.

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But where did the Family Fundamental Church come from? We briefly mentioned in our blog on Woodland Mennonite Church that in 1992, Gerald Krahn and a few other families from Woodland left the church and formed the Family Fundamental Church. However, this was actually the second group to split from the Mennonite church. 

The first group to split with Woodland was a decade earlier and called themselves Faith Bible Church. This first church was created after Woodland's Rev. Ken Marr resigned as pastor. Marr's new institution held to a more progressive ideology than the Mennonite practices of Woodland at that time. The first announcement of the new Faith Bible Church in the Warroad Pioneer opened with: "We cordially invite interested individuals and families to worship at Faith Bible Church, presently meeting at the Del-Rich building. Our ministry is centered in the Scriptures and on the person of the Lord Jesus Christ. For alive and ever present He is the key to eternal life and dynamic Christian living. Of Him John [of the Bible] records: 'In Him was LIFE (eternal life), and the LIFE was the LIGHT (the vitality and dynamics of real life) of men.' (John 1:4). Does your spiritual life tend to center on self, on action, on ritual, or on Him who is 'the resurrection and the life?' Your answer will determine your spiritual destiny," (WP  02/24/1982). 

In 1983, most nights of the week contained Bible studies and meetings with Faith Bible Church staff and congregants. In the summer, Vacation Bible School took place at Rodney Sorrels' home every weekday. In 1984, services flip-flopped between the Del-Rich building at the Building Blocks classrooms at the back of the old Fox Theater. As we have seen in previous posts and in the future, these two buildings were the primary locations where new and developing churches held services. In early 1985, Ken Marr left the congregation and services were taken up by Rev. Fran Fenlason, of whom we could find no information. Bible studies took place at Ed and Jane Butler's home and Scott and Kathy Mauer. 

In late 1985, Faith Bible Church moved into a more constant location in a "turquois and white trailer" off County Rd 5 (WP  11/13/1985). Early the next year, Woodland Bible Church began construction on its new building on the southside of Warroad. They put their old building, 2 miles south of Warroad, up for sale. Faith Bible Church seized the opportunity for a constant meeting place and purchased the building. 

On Saturdays, Pastor Fran and his wife, Karen hosted a Men's Pancake Breakfast, while Sundays were times for Sunday worship services, coffee and fellowship hour, Sunday School for children, and evening Bible Studies. The church was constantly in need of repairs, and church workdays appeared frequently in the following years. Projects included repainting the basement, re-shingling the roof, fixing the front steps, and many other renovations. 

In 1988, mentions of Faith Bible Church disappear from the Warroad Pioneer. It isn't until Christmas 1993 that the Pioneer first makes mention of the second group to split with Woodland Bible Church. That winter, the Family Fundamental Church performs its first nativity scene out of Arthur Krahn's barn (Arthur Krahn was then a teacher at Pine Ridge Christian School). At that time, the church was merely a group of individuals from Woodland Bible Church who desired a separate environment for Biblical study from the changing Woodland congregation. The initial group was made up of the families of Gerald and Arthur Krahn, Russell Walker, and Frank Norling. The church did not and does not claim any official denomination, though they most closely align with fundamentalist Baptist organizations. At the heart of the church was an emphasis on the family unit, for without the basis of a family, there can be no unity within the church.

Pastor Gerald and Cynthia Krahn

In the spring of 1994, Faith Bible Church, which still owned the old Woodland Mennonite Church east of town, offered use of the building to the Family Fundamental Church rent-free for five years if the young congregation agreed to perform the necessary repairs and to maintain the building and grounds. The church, under the leadership of Gerald Krahn, eagerly accepted and went to work on restoring the old building. It was in rough shape after decades of use. The floors were rotting away in places and the basement was flooded. But the church soldiered on and renovated the space into a meeting area for their congregation.

Photo courtesy of the Family Fundamental Church

During the summer of that year, the church began holding Vacation Bible School for kids from all over. A finances class was also taught for the benefit of church families and teens throughout the summer. They hosted their first baptismal service that summer in the Warroad River, where nine people were immersed in the water as a symbol of their commitment to Jesus Christ and the remission of sin. A celebration for the baptized took place at the home of Danny Knight, one of the baptized. 

The first few years of the Family Fundamental Church were filled with Bible studies, guest speakers, lecture series, potlucks, weddings, and anniversary celebrations. The close-knit community that called the church their home was made up of large family units who frequently appear in Mrs. Alfred Heppner's "Moranville" news column in the Warroad Pioneer. 

After five years, the old Woodland Mennonite Church was officially taken over by the Fundamental Church and a dedication service was held in spring 1998. Guest speaker Ross Crowe attended and gave a small lecture for the event. This was followed by a potluck dinner for all in attendance. By the summer of 1999, the church boasted 81 children who attended their Vacation Bible School, showing the growing outreach of the congregation in the Warroad community.

Vacation Bible School became a staple in the Family Fundamental Church. In 2000, the VBS theme was Animals, Dinosaurs, and Nature. The weeklong activities and programs featured a Christian perspective of science while enjoying nature and learning about the wilderness. They counted 99 children that year in attendance (WP  06/14/2000). That number only grew over the next few years to over 100 children.

In the summer of 2001, the church hosted Keith Hocks and his wife, missionaries to Uruguay. A church "picnic" was held in the church basement due to inclement weather while Mr. and Mrs. Hocks gave an overview of their work in South America and shared details of their lives there. Missions work was heavily emphasized at the Family Fundamental Church. Although the congregation largely included a few families with large numbers, their support of missions work across the world made their connections vast. That same summer, Cynthia Krahn, Pastor Gerald Krahn's wife, began a scrapbooking business through Creative Memories, a company which focuses on acid-free preservation techniques for photographs. As a Creative Memories consultant, she sold scrapbooking materials out of her home and hosted monthly free scrapbooking sessions to teach individuals how to properly create their own family heritage books (WP  08/29/2001). She made a point to document each year of the Family Fundamental Church's history. She was kind enough to let the Heritage Center view her collection of 25+ years of church history. The sight was astounding!

In 2002, the old Mennonite church building was becoming both too old and too small for the congregation. Luckily, a deal could be struck with the AFLC to assume control of the church on the Ridge. According to Pastor Krahn, the building was made available to the Family Fundamental Church on the condition that should the AFLC ever reorganize in Warroad, the building would return to the Free Lutheran Association's care.

Family Fundamental Church Congregation, Easter 2002

In 2003, the church celebrated its 10th anniversary. Pastor Gerald Krahn, at the time recently returned from a trip to New Zealand, spoke at the celebratory service. The service was followed by a potluck lunch with past and present church members and guests. This included Ross Crowe, fisherman and speaker who was noted to have helped support the church in its early years whilst building his ministry, Fishing For Men (WP  08/01/2003). Later that year, the church celebrated its 10th Christmas with a traditional Christmas Story acted out with carols and dancing. The program included free bags of peanuts for those in attendance and was followed by coffee and treats.

In early 2005, the Family Fundamental Church partnered with the Union Congregational Church to form the Good News Club, a children's ministry that met every Tuesday after the public school got out to teach about the Bible, "learn Biblical principles, moral values, respect for authority and character qualities." The club was free for any kids who wished to join and was overseen Naomi, Amos, and Isaac Krahn, children of Art and Camille Krahn (WP  02/16/2005).

The church hosted numerous events throughout the years. Baby showers and weddings frequently appear in the Pioneer, as well as guest speakers and sermon series every few months. In March 2008, the church hosted a Creation seminar featuring Russ Hanson and his family with In The Beginning Inc. In January 2009, the church hosted Dr. S. M. Davis and his sermons on Calvinism, purity, and marriage. 

The family unit remains essential to the church's continued activities. There is no separation of children from the adults in Sunday School lessons. Services often begin with the children's church, followed by the regular sermon for the adults. It is Pastor Krahn's belief that even when the Bible is taught to children, their lessons are just as important for the adults. He further emphasized that the goal of the church was to minister not just to today's congregation, but future generations. "A few might call us "old fashioned," but some things, like the beloved gospel story, Biblical morals and values, and timeless principles for a successful family just cannot be improved upon."

Storage shed beside the church

Family Fundamental Church, 2021

We would like to thank Pastor Gerald and Cynthia Krahn for providing us with photographs and details about the history of their church for this post. If anyone has pictures of the Pine Ridge Christian School or any of the subjects listed in this post, please email them to us at warroadheritagecenter@gmail.com.

~ Erin Thompson, Museum Manager