History of Eden Baptist Church

Eden Baptist Church was incorporated in 1985 as Burnsville Baptist Church. The church was started by Dr. Wendell Mullen, a professor at Pillsbury Baptist Bible College in Owatonna, MN. Pastor Mullen gathered a few students from the Bible College and eventually invited his son, Paul, and his young family, to join the church-planting work in Burnsville. The Mullens nurtured the small flock in those early days and established a solid base on which to build.

After the Mullens returned to the East Coast to continue pastoral ministry there, the assembly of 20 members extended a call to Dan Miller to pastor the flock. Pastor Miller, with his wife Beth, accepted that call in September 1989.

Renting several facilities over the next few years, the fledgling church continued to grow numerically and spiritually under Pastor Miller's leadership. In 1996, the assembly was privileged to purchase its first building in northeast Savage (hence the change of name from "Burnsville" to "Eden" Baptist).

Since moving to Savage, the church has continued to grow and the ministry has expanded. In October of 1998, Mr. Daniel Bixby joined the staff as part-time minister of music in order to enhance the church's emphasis upon worship. In June of 2000, Dr. Jonathan Pratt, a professor of biblical theology, was called as full-time associate pastor to further strengthen the doctrinal moorings of the assembly.

Over the years, Eden Baptist has grown as a Bible-hungry, praying, giving, missions-minded church. Diligently prepared expository sermons, doctrinally rich biblical teaching, and purposeful, reverently joyful worship distinguishes her gatherings.

A shepherding philosophy (rather than market-driven motivations) drives the pastoral ministry. A discipleship orientation (rather than entertainment-evangelism strategies) has been used of God to generate new converts to Christ who are now actively serving the Lord among us and infusing our assembly with fresh vigor.

Eden Baptist was started with no outside financial assistance and has continued to prosper in dependence upon God's blessing alone. Strengthened by its struggle to survive as an infant church, EBC has been granted a hard-won sense of stability and appreciation for God's grace. Witnessing the intervening hand of God upon her at crucial points in the past, EBC continues to look to the future with confident hope.