About Us

Scandinavia Lutheran Church has roughly 550 members who come from the surrounding townships as well as Iola and Waupaca. The church has been around since Norwegian settlers migrated to Waupaca County in the early 1850s and has had three series of buildings.

Doctrinal differences on predestination in the late 1880s caused a split in the church, causing a group from the old Scandinavia church and New Hope church to build the Scandinavia Evangelical Lutheran Church, more commonly known as the Synod Church.

In 1919, differences were dropped and the two Scandinavia churches reunited and alternated services between the Cross Church out of town and the in-town Synod Church. During the Depression era, it didn’t make sense to keep two buildings for one congregation, so services were held only in town. In 1928, Cross Church was razed. The old bronze bell was moved to the Synod Church, where it now rests on a pedestal on the present north church lawn.

The Synod Church was moved across the street to accommodate a basement. When it was nearly ready for use in 1934, it was destroyed by fire. The current brick building, which now houses the congregation, was dedicated a year later.