Brief history of Zion Lutheran Church:

On January 26, 1891, Rev. SJ Nummedal, pastor at Jasper MN, called a meeting at the home of A. Haaverson for the purpose of organizing a Norwegian Lutheran Church in Garretson, SD. There, they elected officers for this newly formed Norwegian congregation.  On February 1, 1891 they voted to affiliate with the United Norwegian Evangelical Luther Church of America.  They called Pastor Nummedal to serve as the first pastor of Zion Lutheran Church.

Early worship services were held in homes and then in the schoolhouse.  They then bought an old stone building which they used until a church building could be built.  The first church building was built in 1899 at the cost of $1,350.00.

In 1920 three congregations formed a parish: Zion, Palisade and Norway.

In 1946 Zion changed from the Norwegian Lutheran Church to the Evangelical Lutheran Church. On April 19, 1953, the congregation dedicated the present church building. 

In 1957 Palisade church merged with First Lutheran church of Valley Springs, leaving the parish with only two congregations, Norway, and Zion. In 1963 Norway and Zion decided to sever their parish ties.  Zion then began to hold two worship services on Sunday morning.

In 1988, Zion became part of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America.