Tucked along 50th Street NE on the east side of Buffalo, Minnesota, Buffalo Free Church is an Evangelical Free Church of America congregation that has built its life around one clear purpose: to glorify God and build relationships. The church describes its vision as raising up effective followers of Christ through redemptive relationships, and it pursues that aim through a wide range of ministries that touch every stage of life, from infants in the nursery to adults in Life Groups. The congregation's mission statement - to love the community for Christ - is more than a slogan. It shows up in a homeless ministry that provides hot showers and laundry, in food drives for students at the local alternative high school, and in short-term mission trips that extend the church's reach beyond Wright County.
Sunday Morning at 9:30
The Sunday morning service begins at 9:30 a.m. and blends culturally relevant music, prayer, and the proclamation of Scripture. Communion is offered on the first Sunday of each month to all who follow Christ, and a time for financial giving is included as an act of worship for those who consider BEFC their church home. Visitors are invited to come as they are - most people dress casually, and jeans, shorts, or business casual attire are all common. The message is livestreamed on Facebook and YouTube for those who want to join from home, and a recording remains available for later viewing.
At 11:00 a.m., a full slate of Christian education classes gathers for all ages. Adults can choose between the Truth Project Bible Study, a young adult Bible study, or a women's Bible study working through the Our Daily Bread devotional. Children move into their own graded environments, and a prayer group meets in Room 1-8 to pray for the church, its ministries, and the surrounding community.
Children's Ministry from Nursery Through 5th Grade
Children are an integral part of Sunday morning at Buffalo Free Church. The nursery, directed by Lezlie Simonson, welcomes children from birth through age three for the entire service, with check-in available before or upon arrival. A parent-child room is open for parents who prefer to stay with their little ones. Just before the sermon, children ages four through 5th grade are dismissed to Kidzone, where they learn to read the Bible, worship, and have fun in a safe environment. Steph Klein oversees the pre-K and kindergarten classroom, and Kristen Ruopsa serves as Director of Next Gen Ministries, providing leadership across every stage of children's programming.
Each week the children's team teaches a Bible story and then helps kids apply it through crafts, activities, and age-appropriate worship, building what the church calls a lasting faith to withstand the years.
AWANA on Wednesday Nights
Wednesday evenings from 6:30 to 8:00 p.m., mid-September through early May, the church building fills with the energy of AWANA - a nondenominational, Bible-centered youth organization whose name comes from the letters of Approved Workmen Are Not Ashamed (2 Timothy 2:15). The program serves children from age three through 6th grade and is built around Scripture memory, handbook time, games, music, and a Bible-story time the club calls Council Time. There is no registration fee; the only request is that families cover the cost of handbooks and uniforms when possible. James O'Neill serves as AWANA Commander, with Tim Skarin directing games and Eva Lindstedt-Wallin leading music.
The clubs are organized by age: Cubbies for three- and four-year-olds, Sparks for kindergarten through 2nd grade, and T&T (Truth and Training) for 3rd through 6th grade. Each handbook walks children through a different facet of the Christian faith, from the character of God to the redemption narrative of Jesus, and an end-of-year awards ceremony in May celebrates their accomplishments.
Student Ministry for 6th Through 12th Graders
Middle and high school students have their own rhythm at BEFC. Sunday Night Youth meets from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m. in the youth room, running from September 11 through May 21. The evening includes games, worship, teaching from God's Word, and small groups broken out by grade and gender. During the week, high school girls gather for a Bible study on Monday mornings from 7:00 to 8:15 a.m. (a ride to study and to school is provided when needed), and the youth guys meet Monday evenings from 7:30 to 8:30 p.m. at Coborns in Buffalo, led by Tony Carlson. Middle school girls also have a small group that meets either Tuesday or Thursday afternoons. The overarching aim is for each student to belong, believe in Jesus, and be transformed by him.
Life Groups and Adult Discipleship
The adult ministry at BEFC is built around the conviction that Christianity is not a solo experience. Life Groups are the primary vehicle for that conviction - small gatherings that meet in homes and at the church to study Scripture, share meals, pray for one another, and serve together. The church currently hosts a co-ed group meeting every other Tuesday evening in Buffalo, another co-ed group on alternating Thursday evenings led by Kyle and Kristen Ruopsa, a women's group on Thursday mornings, a Monday morning study for high school girls, a Monday morning study for youth guys, and a Sunday morning prayer group that anyone is welcome to drop in on. The groups are diverse in format, frequency, and size, but each one is designed to be a safe place for honest conversation and mutual care.
Beyond Life Groups, the adult ministry includes dedicated streams for men, women, and families. Every Man A Warrior (EMAW) equips men to grow in their walk with God, nurture their marriages, raise their children, and steward their resources; the ministry is led by Kalvin Dahl and Jeff Schoess and gathers for a quarterly men's breakfast. Women's Ministry, directed by Nancy Stellrecht, hosts a monthly brunch and a Sunday morning Bible study, with a vision of equipping women to live a gospel-centered life through Scripture, prayer, and intentional relationships. A family ministry page curates resources from Rooted Ministries, Visionary Family Ministry, Axis Parenting, Homepointe, and Empowered Homes to help parents navigate every season of discipleship at home.
Worship Through Music
The music ministry at BEFC is rooted in the conviction that worship is a 24/7 calling. On Sunday mornings, the worship team leads culturally relevant music that prepares hearts to hear the sermon. For those who want to use their gifts, a Worship Choir rehearses at the church on Wednesday evenings from 6:30 to 8:00 p.m., joining together in song to worship the Lord and inspire the congregation to do the same. Scott Deckert oversees the worship ministry, and Kirsten Sletten directs the choir.
Living Out the B.L.E.S.S. Practices
Outreach at Buffalo Free Church is organized around a simple acronym - B.L.E.S.S. - that captures five practices of being a neighbor: Be in Prayer, Listen with Care, Eat Together, Serve in Love, and Share a Story. Members are encouraged to build a F.R.A.N.C. list of friends, relatives, acquaintances, neighbors, and co-workers who do not yet know Jesus, and to look for natural opportunities to bless them.
Local partnerships put these practices into action. The church works with Phoenix Learning Center, an alternative high school for students ages 16 to 21, collecting shelf-stable meals, hygiene items, and snacks to help students get through the day and take meals home. The homeless ministry partners with Love INC and other community organizations to provide hot showers, laundry services, and Mobile Food Boxes to people experiencing homelessness in the area, and the youth ministry serves a community breakfast for high school students through the Feed Breakfast program at the community center.
On the global side, the mission team supports four missionaries and ministry partners: Ellen Abramson with ASON International, Rob and Jackie Passer with EFCA Reach Global, Paul Miller with Timber Bay, and Brenda Cole with AWANA. Short-term mission trips are also part of the rhythm of the year.
What We Believe
Buffalo Free Church holds to the Statement of Faith of the Evangelical Free Church of America. The church teaches that there is one God, eternally existing in three equally divine Persons - Father, Son, and Holy Spirit - and that the Bible, in both Old and New Testaments, is the verbally inspired, authoritative Word of God. Members affirm that human beings are sinners by nature and by choice, rescued only through the saving work of Jesus Christ, who is fully God and fully man, was crucified under Pontius Pilate, rose bodily from the dead, and now sits at the right hand of the Father. The church confesses the work of the Holy Spirit in regeneration, sanctification, and empowerment for Christ-like living, and believes that the true church is made up of all who have been justified by grace through faith alone in Christ alone, manifest in local congregations that observe the two ordinances of baptism and the Lord's Supper.
Christian living, the church teaches, cannot separate God's justifying grace from his sanctifying power; believers are called to love God supremely, love others sacrificially, care for the poor, pursue justice for the oppressed, and make disciples among all people. The church looks forward to the personal, bodily, and glorious return of Jesus Christ and to the resurrection of the dead, the final judgment, and the new heaven and new earth.
On marriage, sexuality, the sanctity of life, and the complementary roles of men and women, BEFC has published a set of distinctives that reflect the broader EFCA position. The church teaches that marriage is between one man and one woman and that every person is made in the image of God from the womb to the tomb. The church holds a complementarian view of men and women, believing that men bear primary responsibility for spiritual leadership and training in the church and home while women exercise their spiritual gifts in any way Scripture allows, including serving in many leadership roles apart from the office of elder or lead pastor.
Leadership and Governance
Greg Braly serves as Senior Pastor and also sits on the Elder Board. Kristen Ruopsa leads children's, youth, and family ministries as Director of Next Gen Ministries. Heather Thornton serves as Administrator, and Jay Stellrecht serves as Facilities Director. The church is governed by an Elder Board chaired by Rick Stadtlander, with Craig Bechthold, Matt Deidrick, Harry Maravelas, Kyle Kurz, Michael Schaefer, and Chris Taylor serving alongside Pastor Greg.
Plan a Visit
The church office is open Monday through Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. and can be reached at 763-682-6846 or heather@buffalofree.org. The mailing address is 2051 50th Street NE, Buffalo, MN 55313. Sunday morning visitors can park and enter at the main entrance; nursery check-in is available before the service, and Kidzone is offered for children four years old through 5th grade. For those who prefer to join from home, services are livestreamed on the church's Facebook page and YouTube channel. Giving can be done online, by text to 763-296-8462, by mail, or in person during the service. A church app is available for download as well.