Tucked along Nicollet Avenue on the south side of Minneapolis, Oxboro Evangelical Free Church has shaped its identity around a single phrase: "to move all people closer to Christ." From the nursery tucked downstairs to the adults gathered around Fireside room tables on weeknights, the EFCA congregation has built its ministry on the conviction that expository preaching, intergenerational worship, and relationships across generations are the means by which that movement happens. The result is a church that looks deliberately ordinary on Sunday morning - a sanctuary full of families, a mix of hymns old and new, coffee before the service, fellowship after - and that takes seriously its calling to reach "from the crib to the grave."
Sunday Morning at 10:00
The Sunday service is the gravitational center of the week at Oxboro. It begins at 10:00 am with coffee and other drinks available beforehand, and most people linger after for a time of fellowship. The order is unhurried and biblical: worship through song, prayer, and the preaching of God's Word. Pastors preach expositionally, working through entire books of the Bible verse by verse so that the congregation hears the full counsel of Scripture rather than isolated proof-texts.
Music plays a large role. The congregation sings a blend of older hymns and newer songs, all chosen for what leaders describe as "biblical faithfulness, theological richness, and congregational participation." The aim is a balanced, multi-generational gathering in which voices of every age join together.
On the first Sunday of each month, the entire congregation - from preschool through adult - stays together for the full service. That morning also includes the Lord's Supper, when believers remember Christ's death and resurrection together.
What a First-Time Visitor Should Know
Oxboro goes out of its way to make first-time guests comfortable. Dress ranges from shorts in the summer (the building has no air conditioning) to dresses and sport coats; the consistent advice is simply "come as you are." Children are welcome in the worship service, though programming is available throughout the morning.
A Welcome Desk sits just outside the sanctuary where volunteers can answer questions. A mothers' room is available on the main level for nursing mothers and parents of infants who need a quieter space. Coffee is served before the service, and families are invited to check children in at the Children's check-in table on the main level, where a volunteer will register each child and provide guardian security stickers and name tags. After the service, parents return to the child's classroom and show their sticker for pick-up.
Children's Ministry: From Nursery Through Fifth Grade
The goal of Oxboro's Children's Ministry is simple and stated plainly on its page: "to move children closer to Christ." That work happens through age-appropriate, Biblically based lessons and activities on Sunday mornings, Wednesday nights, and during the annual Summer Soccer Camp.
Sunday programming is organized around the Explore the Bible Kids curriculum, which treats Scripture as something to be lived into and investigated. After the first portion of the worship service, children in Pre-K through fifth grade are dismissed downstairs to small groups divided by age, where they hear a Bible story, participate in activities that reinforce the message, and build relationships with consistent adult leaders. Toddlers and infants through age three have their own nursery, where volunteers play with the children and lead a brief craft or Bible story.
On Wednesday nights from 6:30 to 8:00 pm, TeamKID gathers children from kindergarten through fifth grade for a high-energy program built around Bible stories, Scripture memory, life application, and recreation. Every component is designed to teach life lessons and to draw children closer to God.
Each summer, Oxboro hosts a Summer Soccer Camp for children who have completed kindergarten through fifth grade. Campers spend mornings from 9:30 am to noon developing soccer skills - dribbling, passing, shooting, teamwork, and sportsmanship - alongside short devotionals and faith-based lessons that connect biblical truths with perseverance and character. Lunch is provided daily.
All children's ministry volunteers are required to pass a background check before serving.
Youth Ministry: Oxygen for Grades 6-12
The student ministry, called Oxygen, meets most Wednesdays from 6:30 to 8:00 pm throughout the school year. The name reflects the conviction that middle and high schoolers need what faith provides - "a God who created them with purpose, loves them intensely, and offers them abundant life in Christ Jesus."
Wednesday nights blend games, worship, biblical teaching, and breakout groups. In breakouts, students meet with a caring adult leader and a small group of peers to dig deeper and apply faith to everyday life. Throughout the year the ministry also hosts retreats, events, and hangout times designed to build friendships and give students a place to ask hard questions. Adult volunteers serve in the same background-checked environment as the children's ministry.
Adult Ministry: Small Groups, Bible Studies, and Community Events
Adult Ministry at Oxboro is intentionally built around relationships that extend beyond Sunday morning. The primary vehicle is the small group: groups that generally meet every other week during the school year, often in a church member's home, and that often stay together year over year. Most groups include some form of Bible study alongside the shared work of "doing life" together. Newcomers most often enter a small group during the September kick-off or in January.
For those wanting a more structured study, Bible studies meet weekly. The Women's Bible Study gathers Wednesdays at 6:30 pm in the Fireside room, and the men's Ironmen Bible Study meets Thursdays at 7:00 pm in the same space. No regular childcare is provided for these studies.
Community events round out the rhythm. A Men's Breakfast meets the first Saturday of every month around eggs, bacon, and conversation. Women's events are scheduled throughout the year and have included a Spring Brunch, Christmas in July, and a Paint-a-Picture Night. Special events like a 20-30's game night, Minnesota Twins outings, a "Welcome Home" celebration, and Donuts & Coffee with missionaries have been part of recent programming. Open-gym basketball is offered on Monday nights during the fall.
Music and Arts Ministry
The Arts and Worship ministry aims in every element - music, Scripture reading, prayer, baptism, communion - to lift up the name of Jesus and draw the congregation closer to Him.
The Choir has two focused seasons a year, Christmas and Easter, each running about six weeks to help shape the congregation's focus on the birth and the death of Christ. Three Bell Choirs - one for fourth through sixth graders, one for seventh through twelfth graders, and an adult ensemble - perform during services throughout the year. No previous musical talent is required; the choirs are designed so that anyone can learn. The Worship Team leads the congregational singing from week to week, weaving a mix of traditional hymns and newer songs to declare the truths of who God is and what He has done.
Leadership
Ben Groen serves as Senior Pastor. He holds an undergraduate degree from Northwestern College (now University of Northwestern - St. Paul) and a Master of Divinity from Bethel Seminary. Ben joined Oxboro full-time in 2010 as an Associate Pastor working primarily with youth and became Senior Pastor in January 2017.
Mark O'Brien joined the staff in 2025 as Associate/Youth Pastor. He is a graduate of Moody Bible Institute with a degree in Pastoral Studies and has served as a youth pastor, on staff with Cadre Missionaries, and with the EFCA Student Ministries team. Mark and Rachel have been married since 2005.
Kathleen Donaldson came on staff in 2024 as Worship Director. She studied Piano and Music History at the University of Windsor in Ontario before earning a Master of Church Music from Baylor University, and previously led worship and directed choirs at churches in Texas and Indiana.
Rachel O'Brien joined as Children's Ministry Director in 2025. She graduated from Northwestern College (now University of Northwestern - St. Paul) with a double major in Bible and Youth Ministry, and has worked as a Youth Director, on staff with Cadre Missionaries, and with homeschool families from a disciple-making perspective.
The church is governed by a board of elders and served by a deacon team responsible for receipts, disbursements, missions, fellowship, adult ministries, property, and membership and communications.
What We Believe
Oxboro has adopted the Statement of Faith of the Evangelical Free Church of America (EFCA), an association of some 1,500 autonomous and interdependent churches united by a common commitment to serve the Lord Jesus Christ under the guidance of the Holy Spirit and obedience to the Word of God. The EFCA's reach currently extends to some 50 countries.
The Statement of Faith begins with belief in one God - Father, Son, and Holy Spirit - who has graciously purposed from eternity to redeem a people for Himself. It affirms that the Bible, both Old and New Testaments, is the verbally inspired Word of God, without error in the original writings, the complete revelation of His will for salvation, and the ultimate authority for faith and life. Human beings are created in God's image but alienated from Him through sin; salvation is found only through the atoning death and victorious resurrection of Jesus Christ, who is fully God and fully man.
The church confesses the work of the Holy Spirit in regenerating sinners, baptizing them into union with Christ, indwelling, illuminating, and empowering them for Christ-like living. The true church is manifest in local congregations whose membership is composed of believers, and the Lord Jesus mandated two ordinances, baptism and the Lord's Supper, which visibly and tangibly express the gospel. Christian living flows from justifying grace: love for God, sacrificial love for others, care for the poor, and justice for the oppressed, all empowered by the Spirit's power and fervent prayer. Oxboro looks for the personal, bodily, and glorious return of Christ, and holds to the bodily resurrection, final judgment, and eternal destiny of every person.
The name "Evangelical" describes the church's theology - a commitment to the proclamation of the gospel and to the Scriptures as the inspired, inerrant, authoritative, and sufficient Word of God. The name "Free" describes its polity - a commitment to a congregational form of government. Together: evangelical in faith, free in governance, and interdependent in fellowship with other EFCA churches.
Worship Live and Online
Oxboro livestreams its Sunday service, broadcasting to a Vimeo account and simulcasting to Facebook Live. The Vimeo stream offers the option of casting to a smart TV through the Vimeo app, Chromecast, or the Livestream TV Roku channel. The Facebook stream can be cast from the Facebook app. Sermon recordings are archived on the church's Vimeo and YouTube channels and can be browsed by series - recent series have included The Overflow of Knowing Christ through Philippians, a long journey through the Gospel of Mark, and a Disciplemaking Focus series - and by speaker. Pastors currently preaching in the pulpit include Senior Pastor Ben Groen, Associate Pastor Mark O'Brien, Greg Loomis, Marcelo DaCosta, and Peter Dybvad, among other occasional guests.
Visiting, Connecting, and Giving
The church office is open Monday through Thursday from 8:30 am to 12:30 pm and closed Friday. The phone number is (952) 881-6956 and the general email is office@oxboro.org. The Church Center app handles event registration, volunteer sign-ups, and online giving. Visitors can also fill out a Connect card online to let the church know they are coming or have recently attended.