Our Story
Our Purpose
Our methods have changed over the years, but our goal has always been to inspire people to follow Jesus.
Following Jesus means:
- We see our devotion to Him as our primary identity. Col. 2:6-12
- We accept Jesus’ view of what’s most important. Matthew 22:36-40
- Our aim is to routinely “Hear and Obey” Jesus' teaching. John 15:1-17
- Evidence of “following” should be seen in the “fruit of the Spirit.” Gal. 5:22-26
- Our hearts should be moved by what moves His heart. Matthew 25:34-40
- We seek to engage in the Mission Jesus gave us. Matthew 28:16-20
If you want to dig a little deeper, there are 3 “following Jesus” principles that define our church and the life we believe God is inviting us to live:
Our Staff
The staff and leadership at Bismarck Baptist Church is made up of men and women who want to serve Jesus and love people. If you have questions or prayer requests for any of our staff, feel free to contact our church office to speak with them.
Bismarck Baptist is led by a team that starts with our “Elders” (Deacons) and our staff. If you’re looking for someone to blame, you’ve found the right spot. Contact us at office@bb.church or 701.223.4445.
Bryan Hochhalter
Lead Pastor
Bryan is originally from Bismarck and Bismarck Baptist. After being a pastor at a church in California, and lead pastor at churches in Canada and Detroit, Bryan and his wife Holly, are back at Bismarck Baptist – and have been since the end of 2014. They both love sports, adventure, traveling, and riding their Harley Davidson motorcycles. They have three adult sons.
Matt Anderson
Youth & Outreach Pastor
Matt grew up in Montana and has been on staff at Bismarck Baptist since November 2021. Before Bismarck Baptist, Matt worked as a supervisor at The Dakota Boys and Girls Ranch. He also has prior experience in campus ministry. He and his wife, Emily, recently had a baby girl, Ella, and have two dogs, Yeti and Mara.
Sara Christianson
Financial Director
Sara was born and raised in Mandan and now resides in Bismarck with her husband David and their four children—Mason, Dane, Naia and Zachary. Sara joined the staff at Bismarck Baptist in August 2016. She has worked as an accountant for 14 years. Besides keeping the numbers straight at Bismarck Baptist, she also has a creative business called “Board & Brush” and is actively involved in the Midwest Autism Association.
Bekah Duram
Pastor of Children and Families
Bekah was born and raised in Bismarck North Dakota. She Joined Bismarck Baptist in 2023. Her husband is Riley Duram and they have 2 sweet kids, Nova and Cru. She is excited to jump into teaching all the kids about Jesus and growing in relationship with them. Family is most important to her and spends her days going on all sorts of adventures with them. These things include hiking, walking, biking, picnics, swimming and so much more. Bekah used to work at Sunset doing activities with the residents at the nursing home and enjoyed the creativity, fun and laughter the job included and hopes to corporate that into kids ministry!
Ministry Enhancer
Kari strives to bring Mary’s heart and Martha’s hands to Bismarck Baptist. She and her husband, Joel, relish time with their two daughters, one son-in-law, and friends. She has been on staff since Nov 2019.
Darrin Houstman
Facilities Director
Darrin, a native of California, moved to Bismarck in 2012 and joined BBC as a 3rd generation Bis-Baptian. He worked at Oxentenko Inc. for 9 years as a painter and spent a year with Pella windows before taking over for Ron Peterson as facility manager in 2022. Darrin is a father to his daughter, Tori, and her husband, Brandon. He has 2 grandchildren, Lua and Atticus, who still reside in northern California.
Pastor of Care
Rod and his wife Daylene moved to Bismarck to be closer to their family after pastoring in SD, and joined the staff in late 2020. They have also served churches in Beulah and Anamoose, ND. Daylene enjoys interior decorating and designing. Rod likes to keep active playing practically any sport. He enjoys meeting and getting to know people of all ages. Daylene and Rod have a son and two daughters, and are “Nana” and “Popper” to eight grandchildren.
Pastor of Worship
Dan was born and raised in Bismarck and now lives on a farm south of Menoken where he and his wife Aly try to keep track of their 4 kids. Dan has been on staff at Bismarck Baptist Church since January 2021. When Dan is not leading worship, he enjoys playing any sport that he can compete to win. He also enjoys farming and operating his custom forage harvesting business.
Our Beliefs
In core issues - we have unity
“There is one body and one spirit…there is one Lord, one faith, one baptism, and one God and Father of us all.” Ephesians 4:4
In peripheral issues - we have liberty
“Accept him whose faith is weak, without passing judgment on disputable matters. Who are you to judge someone else’s servant? To his own master he stands or falls…so then each of us will give an account of himself to God…so whatever you believe about these things keep between yourself and God.” Romans 14:1, 4, 12, 22
In all our beliefs - we show love
“If I hold in my mind not only all human knowledge but also the very secrets of God, and if I have the faith that can move mountains but have no love, I amount to nothing at all.” 1 Corinthians 13:2
A healthy church...
We are confident enough in the truth of the gospel that we don’t get nervous if someone doesn’t believe just like us. Although we will never allow alternative teaching on core issues, we do believe in giving people time to realize the truth.
About human beings...
People are made in the spiritual image of God, to be like him in character. People are the supreme object of God’s creation. Although every person has the tremendous potential for good, all of us are marred by an attitude of disobedience toward God called “sin”. This attitude separates people from God and causes many problems in life. Genesis 1:27; Psalm 8:3-6; Isaiah 53:6; Romans 3:23; Isaiah 59:1,2
About salvation...
Salvation is God’s free gift to us but we must accept it. We can never make up for our sins by self-improvement or good works. Only by trusting in Jesus Christ as God’s offer of forgiveness can anyone be saved from sin’s penalty. When we turn from our self-ruled life and turn to Jesus in faith we are saved. Eternal life begins the moment one receives Jesus Christ into their life by faith. Romans 6:23; Ephesians 2:8,9; John 14:6, 1:12; Titus 3:5; Galatians 3:26; Romans 5:1
About eternity...
People were created to exist forever. We will either exist eternally separated from God by sin, or eternally with God through forgiveness and salvation. John 3:16; John 14:17; Romans 6:23; Romans 8:17-18; Revelation 20:15; 1 Corinthians 2:7-9
The above is a summary of our larger statement of beliefs.
If you would like more details, visit the North American Baptist Statement of Beliefs.
View BeliefsOur History
Around Bismarck and Around the World
Since 1912
How We Started
The beginning of Bismarck Baptist Church is traced back to a small group of German Baptists who began to hold services in various homes throughout the city over 100 years ago. On February 25, 1912, the church was officially organized at a meeting held in the Will School. Thirteen charter members bound themselves together for worship and mission.
Early Years
The church dedicated its first sanctuary at 322 8th Street in 1913 and Henry Hirsch served as the first pastor. Early innovations in ministry included being instrumental in forming Bismarck’s “Baptist Home for the Aged” (now the Baptist Care Center in north Bismarck). As the church grew the need for a new facility spurred the construction of a new church building on 11th and Ave B in 1951.
Our Current Location
In 1966, Bismarck Baptist moved into a modern facility at its current location of 22nd Street and LaForest Ave.
The joy of a new building was short-lived. In the middle of the night on January 17, 1967 a fire started in the sanctuary that engulfed the new building in flames. The congregation returned to holding serviced in their former sanctuary on Ave. B while the new church building was rebuilt. Six months later, patience and perseverance allowed Bismarck Baptist to return to its new sanctuary.
Over the Years
Over the years Bismarck Baptist joined with other churches across the Midwest to build Crystal Springs Baptist Youth Camp, visible from I-94 60 miles east of Bismarck. We also remain proud of the daughter church we helped start up on Washington Street: Century Baptist.
We have also been involved in contributions and partnerships to help establish over 1700 churches in Cameroon, West Africa through many generous donations.
Bismarck Baptist has also had the privilege to partner with other churches across the country to form a vibrant orphanage ministry in Brazil called “Chain of Love.” Other impactful ministries have been build with Bismarck Baptist contributions in Nigeria, Japan, The Philippines, Romania and in Russia.
History in Perspective
We’re proud of our past and the sacrifice our congregation and missionaries have made to touch lives for generations. We thank God for our present and the way He continues to shape us, but we would be incomplete without a commitment to our future.
Psalm 78:2 says “I will utter hidden things, things from of old – things we have heard and known. We will not hide them from their descendants; we will tell the next generation the praiseworthy deeds of the Lord…which he commanded our ancestors to teach their children, so the next generation would know them, even the children yet to be born, and they in turn would tell their children.
Someone passed a torch to us. A group of people said, “We will work… pray… serve…dream… give… sacrifice.”
God used the work of our predecessors to reach us. Our challenge: We must do for the next generation what the previous generation did for us. We are excited to have now added Romania to our growing list of global outreach and Pioneer school to our list of local partners.
We continue to be committed to MAKING A DIFFERENCE BY FOLLOWING JESUS.
