Ironically, given Maple Grove’s rapid growth today, its first residents did not move there voluntarily. After being shuffled from state to state, Winnebago Native Americans were settled in Maple Grove until the were once again shoved out by settlers. Read more...

Churches
There are 108 religious “congregations” in the Maple Grove area. 50% of those are evangelical protestant Christian congregations, while 20% are mainline protestant congregations. Read more...

Demographics
The City of Maple Grove estimates 63,000 people lived within its city limits in 2009. In 1990, the population was only 38,868. The median household income ($92,141) in Maple Grove is almost twice the national average ($51,425). Read more...

The Hindu Temple
The story of the Maple Grove temple is a long and complicated one. Read more...

Directory of Religious Sites

SITE PROFILES

Christ's Community Church
At Christ's Community church, an unusual sign sits next to the door: “No cash dispensed or kept on premise.” After a few moments, the pastor comes and lets me in. “We’re just worried about church burglaries.” she tells me. Read more...

Church of the Open Door
When I arrived at church of the Open Door, I thought I might have taken a wrong turn and ended up at the airport. This glass-covered building could be any large office or industrial warehouse. Read more...

Grove Christian Center
At Grove Christian Center, visitors pass through a small door at the side of the building, following a small sign pointing to the “main office.” Elegantly lettered quotes from scripture, alternating with splashes of burgundy, line the walls. Read more...

Lord of Life Lutheran Church
At first glance, Lord of Life Lutheran Church does not look like it has 8,000 members. Read more...

VOICES

Pastor George Bunnell exudes fervor with dark, piercing eyes in an office covered in scriptural quotes and pictures of him presiding over mass conversions in India and north Africa. The lighting is dim and the blinds are drawn. Two high-backed leather chairs sit in front of a long hardwood desk. Read more...

Pastor Jen Lindwall has been the pastor of “Metro Impact” at Church of the Open Door for the last five years. She is young, dresses in a trendy t-shirt and jeans, has a nose ring and several earrings on each ear. Read more...

Pastor Jenny Moran joined Christ’s Community Church only two years ago. Her office is bright, neat and airy and her desk is lined with pictures of her young children. Three of her immediate relatives are Moravian pastors. Read more...

Pastor Peter Geisendorfer-Lindgren, or “Pastor Peter,” as his congregants call him, has a desk littered with empty cans of Diet Mountain Dew and a refrigerator stocked with refills. A signed basketball peaks out from underneath a bookshelf of Christian, Lutheran, business and team-building books. 

ANALYSIS

How do churches in Maple Grove perceive themselves? How do churches in Maple Grove perceive themselves? What characteristics do they feel are unique to them? What characteristics do they feel differentiate them from other churches? To answer these questions, this project asked the pastors from each of the profiled churches to describe what they thought was unique about their churches, what programs they thought were particularly successful and what differentiated them from other churches in the community. Read more...

What's driving churches in Maple Grove apart? When asked about inter-church cooperation in Maple Grove, Pastor Peter Geisendorfer-Lindgren at Lord of Life Lutheran Church said “If you’re goin’ study somethin’, it’s why churches cooperate less now then they used to.” Read more...

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

Author's Biography and Fieldwork Reflection

Further Resources