About Us

Grace Lutheran Church is a congregation of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA). Grace celebrated 100 years of parish life in the present building in June of 1995. Grace was originally part of the Valley Grove Congregation, which was established by Norwegian settlers in 1862. In 1894, two identical churches were built, one in the village of Nerstrand and one across from the old stone church in Valley Grove. In 1949, the Valley Grove Parish became two independent congregations, Nerstrand Lutheran (which was renamed “Grace” in 1950) and Valley Grove.              

Grace has been blessed by a long line of faithful pastors and is currently being served by Pastor Dean Lundgren. Grace has also been blessed to be a partner in the Kenyon Area Internship Program through Luther Seminary since the 1970s. In this role, the people of Grace help to both support and equip future pastoral leaders to serve God and the church.

As an ELCA congregation, the people of Grace both invite and welcome all people to worship with us as we praise and give thanks to the living God made known in Christ. We invite one and all to share in the blessings of God’s unconditional love and forgiveness for the world which has been made known in the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus the Christ. Grace Lutheran’s mission is to continually build a church that is relevant, constantly recognizes and meets people’s needs, pursues the teaching of God’s Word, and always provides an atmosphere for positive relationships to grow and develop.