Our History

The history of Faith Manhattan Church goes back to 1986 when Bill Hamel, then the Evangelical Free Midwest District Superintendent, made some contacts in Manhattan about the possibility of planting an Evangelical Free church here. Little did he know that God had already been putting this idea in the hearts of several people in the Manhattan area. Several preliminary meetings were held in the summer of 1986 and a small group Bible study was formed from this group.

Over the next few months this group of twelve grew in size and eventually held the first public service of what was then called The Evangelical Free Church of Manhattan on January 11, 1987 at the Manhattan Catholic School (then Luckey High School).  The name was changed to Faith Evangelical Free Church in 1997 and then later to Faith Manhattan Church in 2022. The vision for Faith Manhattan Church from the start was to be a church that emphasized strong biblical exposition, lay leadership, biblical community, and a heart to reach out to a diverse community.

Steve Ratliff, a recent graduate of Trinity Evangelical Divinity School, was called as our first pastor in the spring of 1988. Steve and his wife, Brenda, arrived in July and a rapid increase in the size of the congregation followed. That same year services were moved to the Manhattan Christian College chapel as the church continued to develop in ministries, leadership, and size.

After meeting for 9 years at Manhattan Christian College, Faith's first permanent facility was constructed and occupied in 1997 on the current site.

Through the years God has refined and increasingly made clear that our purpose as a church is to help make disciples of Jesus who love God, one another, and our neighbors. Our passion, as we move into the future, is to prayerfully pursue this purpose with great energy and faith for the good of our community and for the glory of God!