FLC's History

It all started when...

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)