Church History

The church was started in 1866 just after the Civil War. The congregation’s name changed three times:

1866 The Evangelical Lutheran Church of Stoughton
1892 Norwegian Evangelical Lutheran Church
1920 First Lutheran Church

Originally, the congregation celebrated worship in Norwegian as many of the early pastors and members had strong connections to Norway; however, the language of choice soon became English.

The church also was a part of several different synods (a geographic collection of churches) over the years.

1866 The Augustana Synod
1871 Conference for the Norwegian-Danish Evangelical Lutheran Church of America
1889 United Lutheran Church Of America
1917 The Norwegian Lutheran Church of America
1961 The American Lutheran Church (ALC)
1988 The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA)