History of Men for Christ

The Reverend Thorin Anderson, at that time the Director of Baptists for Life of Minnesota, had a vision for holding an annual rally for men from fundamental Baptist churches throughout the upper Midwest. After contacting several pastors and finding them receptive to the idea, he called a meeting at Fourth Baptist Church in Minneapolis (now Plymouth, Minnesota) on March 25, 1997, to discuss holding such a rally in the spring of 1998. Additional meetings of an ad hoc committee were held throughout 1997 and early 1998 to plan for the first rally which was held on April 24-25, 1998, at the Convention Center in LaCrosse, Wisconsin. At subsequent meetings of the ad hoc committee, a name was chosen (Men for Christ), and a mission statement and ministry objectives were adopted.

From 1997 through May of 2002, the leadership of Men for Christ rested primarily in the hands of Thorin Anderson and those who came to committee meetings as the result of a general invitation that went out to any parties who were interested. At a meeting in Normal, Illinois on May 24, 2002, the men present decided that the group should be formalized and incorporated. Four members were appointed to serve as permanent members of the Board of Directors:

Rev. Thorin Anderson, Chicago, Illinois: President
Rev. James Maxwell, Hartland, Wisconsin: Vice President
Rev. Dean Taylor, Brookfield, Wisconsin: Treasurer
Rev. Loren Bjokne, Cottage Grove, Minnesota: Secretary