Our congregation was founded in 1883 when other local churches proved too exclusionary for their German pietistic outlook.  Ever since, we have served an open table--meaning everyone is welcome at the Lord's Table at St. Stephens.   Every generation has discovered new segments of God's children who were excluded from the grace and love of the church and we have endeavored to make God's love real for people who have been rejected by others.

After a fire burned the previous church building to the ground in 1919, the church rebuilt the present church by 1921, added a Christian Education building in the midst of the Great Depression and with evangelical and ecumenical fervor began a radio ministry in  1969, housed the first Merrill Food Pantry in the early 1970s and began other local outreach ministries such as Dinner at 5, Food for Kids and a free medical equipment loan ministry among other missions through the last 40 years.  We are currently going through the study process to become a more welcoming church for those living with mental health issues and their families and learning to adapt all of our programs for the neuro-diverse population.  We are committed to growing in faith and leading our community in broadening our welcome.