Our History

In 1871 a "Methodist missionary" by the name of Rev. James Gurley, a.k.a. "Father Gurley" was sent out by the Upper Iowa Conference to the Northern Pacific Mission. Father Gurley preached the first "Methodist" sermon in North Dakota in 1871 at Fargo, Pinkham Hall, located at Main Avenue and Fifth Street.

Rev. John Webb followed Father Gurley and he organized the first Methodist Sunday School in what is now North Dakota at Fargo in 1872. With a gift of land and money from the Northern Pacific Railroad, construction began in 1873 on the first church building. On July 1, 1874 First Methodist Episcopal Church of Fargo, Dakota Territory, was officially organized.

Throughout the last 150 years, Fargo First United Methodist Church has been an instrumental part of downtown Fargo. We celebrate our diversity of people and cultures, our emphasis on "making disciples for Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world," and we've focused our ministries on building a foundation of faith within children, encouraging thought provoking conversation among adults and fostering a culture of being mission-minded, as we serve our community, nation and world.

It is our mission to "Love God & Love Others." When Jesus was questioned by a lawyer as to what is the greatest commandment, Jesus answered, "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the greatest and first commandment. And the second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself." (Matthew 22:37-39).

We Love God by committing ourselves to being in worship together, to a heart of prayer that seeks to speak with God and listens for the voice of the Holy Spirit in our lives, and we commit ourselves to the study of scripture so that we would know God's words for us.

We Love Others by recognizing the amazing God-given gifts in our lives to welcome all who enter into the life of the church, to offer care for all ages as we respond to the call of Christ in our lives along this journey of faith and we commit ourselves to serve, so that our homes, our neighborhoods, our communities, our nation and our world would see and experience the living presence of Jesus Christ through our actions and gifts.