Peoples Church - An Interdenominational Church

What is an interdenominational church you ask?  The Peoples Church is affiliated with four Protestant denominations which helped create a great experiment over 100 years ago.

The year was 1907.  Four professors from Michigan Agricultural College (now MSU) created the concept of many denominations coming together to form a single unified congregation.  The need was great: Michigan Agricultural College was celebrating its 50th anniversary and at that time there was no church in East Lansing.  Students had to travel miles to attend the nearest church in downtown Lansing.

The city of East Lansing was in its infancy as well, chartering as a city that same year.  City planners were well aware of no formal religious life within its newly defined city limits.  The city also wanted a church presence.

After meeting with many denominational representatives from various Protestant faiths, four denominations were willing to go along with a plan developed by the city and interested faculty and students wanting a “church for all people.”  And so, on December 8, 1907, the Peoples Church of East Lansing constituted as a church reaching out to the community and the college.  And amazingly, The Peoples Church was the only church in East Lansing for the next forty years!

Then, as now, those four denominations are United Methodist Churches, American Baptist Churches USA, Presbyterian Churches USA and United Church of Christ – Congregational.  That is who we remain today celebrating in worship with baptism and communion seen as both sacrament and ordinance, working together meeting needs for area residents and the university community, and reaching out globally through mission endeavors and financial support.