OUR HISTORY

 

“To God be the Glory, Great things He has done!”
Evangelist Crusaders Church was founded on March 18th, 1966, in Hennepin County, MN, by the late, Rev. Walter A. Smith, his wife, the late, Dr. Hattie L. Smith, and the late, Evangelist Dorothy Thomas. These three along with Dr. Hattie Smith’s mother, Mother Luella McGee, and Prophet Don Hansen, served on its first Board of Trustees.

Rev. Smith had been an ordained minister and pastor in the Church of God in Christ before the Lord led him to begin his own ministry. He served as the senior pastor of Evangelist Crusaders until the Lord called him home on October 18, 2001. Dr. Hattie Smith, who was also an ordained minister, served on the Board of Trustees and in a variety of other capacities until her death on August 5, 2005.

Joined and assisted by other powerful leaders such as Bishop Dorothy Hill, Dr. Norris Rose and Dr. Nathanael J. Mullen, Jr., (just to name a few); Pastor Smith built a ministry whose influence has touched many lives near and far and has helped to give rise to many churches and parachurch ministries.

Evangelist Crusaders believes that the Baptism of the Holy Spirit is still a part of God’s plan for the Christian church. We believe that signs and wonders should (and will) accompany the preaching of God’s word, just as they did when the New Testament was written.

Evangelist Crusaders has been graced to witness and be a part of many miracles throughout its history: healings, deliverances, the changing of the weather, bringing the dead back to life, miracles of provision - both financial and physical (like, the multiplying of food) plus many, many more.

Evangelist Crusaders’ rich history is rooted in the three core elements of its mission. We focus on: 1) evangelizing the lost; 2) discipling the believers; 3) and training individuals for ministry. All of this is done through, with and in the power of the Holy Ghost. Our mission statement is, “To advance the Kingdom of God by providing a worship environment in which God’s people can be discipled in His Word to serve others and to evangelize the World.”

Pastor Smith felt it was of necessity to get the Gospel outside of the four walls of the church to reach as many of the lost as possible; therefore, the church has sought to save the lost by encouraging personal evangelism and organizing corporate efforts. Bishop Hill, Dr. Rose and others also contributed greatly in recommending and organizing those corporate efforts. These efforts included such things as door-to-door canvassing, interactive street ministry, preaching on buses and on street corners. We have held tent revivals and other types of outdoor meetings - in and out of the state.

We have and do minister in nursing homes and prisons. We have preached over the radio and appeared on television programs. We have done revival work in other countries. We have also distributed practical goods as a means to evangelize through community outreach.
Regarding discipleship, in simple terms our philosophy has always been one of teaching by “precept and example,” a phrase Pastor Smith would often use. Thus, our leadership roles have demanded a high standard and our programing has sought to lay and encourage the foundation of personal devotion, holiness and surrender to the will of God. We are not just to “do” Christian, but first and foremost, to “be” Christian.

The last of these three core elements is training believers for ministry. Within this effort, Pastor Smith felt a special call from the Lord to develop and ordain women to formal Gospel ministry (something that was quite contrary to the sentiments of many of his peers). Over the years, many leaders, male or female, young or old have been groomed, licensed and ordained. Many of these have gone on to lead their own churches or ministries, locally and nationally.

Those in the church not called of God for ordination to the preaching ministry do have the opportunity to grow, mature and contribute to the work of the Lord in other vital areas of ministry. These include such things as the ministries of helps, artistic expression, administration, giving, governance, or the compassionate care of those in need.

Ministry Locations.

The physical location of the ministry has changed over the years.
Our first location was in a mission on Plymouth Avenue, in north Minneapolis.  From there the church rented a house from the city on the north side of Minneapolis at 1701 Thomas Place. This became the most notable of our previous locations. 1701, as it is affectionately called, had previously been a house of ill-repute. I remember Bishop Hill once remarking about the clean-up effort. Not only did they find the ill-repute related paraphernalia but also they had no running water to start the clean up so they melted snow; talk about dedication and determination.

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