Balfour Lutheran Church
Sahr Avenue
Balfour, McHenry County, North Dakota, 58712

End of an era - Minot Daily News June 4, 2016
 
Located in McHenry County, the town of Balfour had a population of 40 at the time of the 2014 census. It was founded in 1899 when the Soo Railroad was extended to that point. One year later, some of the people living there formed a Lutheran church, naming it Balfour Lutheran Church.
 
For several years, the parish had consisted of Drake, Balfour, Butte and Kief congregations. However, the Drake church merged with another Lutheran church in Drake and decided they wanted a full-time pastor. The Balfour, Butte and Kief parish was then formed.

The Kief church closed in 1970 and some of the members transferred to Balfour. In the 1970s, Balfour shared ministers with the Butte church.

Since about 1987, Balfour Lutheran Church has closed from early December until Easter to save heating costs, according to a written history from congregation member Carol Evenrud.

“There are handwritten records of our church history since 1900,” Evenrud said. “The early records are written in Norwegian, so it is difficult to interpret them unless one has knowledge of the Norwegian language.” The record book from 1900-1906 was microfilmed for the Evangelical Lutheran Church Archives at Luther Seminary in St. Paul, Minnesota.

Unfortunately, membership at Balfour Lutheran Church has been declining over the past 25 years. The church will be closing June 12, 2016.