This information will lays out the history of our church and denomination as well as describing how we compare to other denominations.
 July 18, 1943 S.E. Carlson had been pastoring at Wells, MN for eight years when he felt a burden and a vision to start a full gopel church in Owatonna. So he came and held revival services nightly in a tent at the corner of Oak and McKinley streets. In August, 1943 he came to pastor the congregation he had pioneered. Services were held in the (now) Farm Bureau building across from Morehouse dam, and became known as the "Owatonna Gospel Tabernacle."
In June, 1947 the church moved to the large hall over the Fire Department to allow the congregation more space to grow.
In the summer of 1949, the church was able to get a loan to buy the large house at 928 South Cedar. Services were held in the large living room redecorated as a chapel. The chapel was dedicated August 21, 1949. This was a time of serious dedication, with sacrifices being made by both the pastor and congregation. Some gave blood to Rochester in exchange for money that was given to the church to help financially.
Plans for a new church were birthed in the summer of 1952. September 6, 1953 was the dedication of the first actual church building at 928 South Cedar (which was later the Henry Clinic, now torn down for clinic parking). They had a record attendance of 76.
January 6, 1961 the congregation bought the Redeemer Lutheran Church at 329 State Avenue. The church had a weekly radio broadcast.
On September 30, 1975 the church at 329 State Avenue was sold to Emmanuel Lutheran Church and the land was purchased on 7th Avenue where our present building now exists. The church was renamed "Mount Zion Assembly of God."
May, 1977 was the dedication of our building. On March 6th 1985, Mount Zion merged with Word of Life, an independent charismatic church, and adopted the name "Word of Life Assembly of God".
That brings us to the present. On April 18th 2004, in one of the most well-attended business meetings ever, the membership overwhelmingly voted to change the name to "Northridge Church". We look forward with purpose to what the Lord has for our church.
The Assemblies of God was birthed in the fires of revival that swept the world at the turn of this century. Participants in the revivial were filled with the Holy Spirit in similar fashion to the disciples and followers of Jesus on the Jewish Feast of Pentecost. So participants in this revival were called "Pentecostals."
Like those in the Upper Room, the followers of the 20th century "Azusa Street" revival spoke in tongues as they received the baptism in the Holy Spirit. Other supernatural manifestations such as prophecy, interpretations, spiritual conversations, and healing also took place (Acts 2).
With the exception of scattered reports around the world in intervening centuries, the resurgence of the Holy Spirit's outpouring is generally traced to Topeka, Kansas, in January 1901. Soon the winds of the Holy Spirit carrried the revival south and into the western regions of North America. Houston and Los Angeles became other sites for the revival in following years which eventually birthed the Assemblies of God in 1914.
The first meeting was held in Hot Springs, Arkansas, in April 1914. It brought together some 300 church leaders, opening with 3 days of prayer and preaching before business was discussed. Apprehensive about creating another denomination, those attending agreed to form a loosely knit fellowship of independent churches. So began the General Council of the Assemblies of God.
Today the Assemblies of God is the largest Protestant denomination in the world.
As a Christian church, Northridge Church stresses the central importance of Jesus Christ and holds to the foundational doctrines of historic Christianity.(THE APOSTLES' CREED)
As a Protestant church, Northridge Church believes that salvation is by grace, that all believers are priests before God, and in the authority of the Holy Scriptures.
As an Evangelical church, Northridge Church affirms the inerrancy of Scripture, the virgin birth, substitutionary atonement, the physical resurrection of Jesus, and the imminent return of Christ.
As a Pentecostal church, Northridge Church believes in personal holiness, the baptism of the Holy Spirit, and the operation of Spiritual gifts for today.
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History of Northridge Church
