Zion's History
150 YEARS OF SHARING THE GOSPEL!
Zion Lutheran Church is the oldest Lutheran congregation in Des Moines, Iowa. Zion was organized as a congregation in 1859. The original members met in a private home to worship together. The congregation moved to a new church building on Locust in 1864. In 1898 the congregation moved once again to a new building at Third and Chestnut. A major change occurred in 1939 when services in German only were ended in favor of English. The church decided to re-locate out of the business district and moved to 3816 36th Street in 1957. Many members of the congregation dreamed of a larger church building to accommodate the growing membership. The result was a move to the current church location near Beaver and Aurora in 1985.
As a congregation we have experienced many changes since 1859, but we are unchanged in our celebration of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. And we welcome you to worship with us!