History

History

For over 150 years Our Saviour’s has connected the dynamism of the Christian faith to the joys and challenges of contemporary life.

History - Our Saviour's Lutheran Church
- Our Saviour's Lutheran Church

A community of Norwegian immigrants formed Our Saviour’s Lutheran Church on December 6, 1869. This came two years after Minneapolis incorporated as a city and eighteen years after the Dakota signed away rights to land along the Mississippi River to the United States in exchange for compensation, a treaty the U.S. has never honored. We acknowledge that our congregation gathers to worship on the traditional land of the Dakota people and we answer our Native neighbors’ call to be Treaty People, protecting the rights of indigenous nations.

- Our Saviour's Lutheran Church

Our Saviour’s has worshiped and worked at the corner of 24th Street and Chicago Avenue since 1912. After a fire destroyed the sanctuary in 1995, the congregation recommitted itself to the Phillips neighborhood of south Minneapolis. The building dedicated in 2000 features floor-to-ceiling windows that open to the street, a reminder of God’s call to serve, celebrate, and do justice in the world.

Every time we retell the stories of this congregation, we find new things. In 2019, member Dan Swenson-Klatt compiled a history of Our Saviour’s for the congregation’s 150th anniversary. In 2022, Luther Seminary Caleb Rollins wrote a paper exploring the connections between Our Saviour’s, suburban Lutheran congregations, and the ways white supremacy misshapes the church.