History:

Pella Lutheran Church had its beginning in 1905 when Peter Andersen, a Danish settler, requested help from the Danish Lutheran Church in America in establishing a Lutheran Church in Sidney.  The Danish immigrants of this area spoke very little English or none at all and felt a strong need to worship God in their native language.  Through the efforts of Peter Andersen and several other men in the Sidney area, a church constitution was drafted and signed on February 26, 1908 at worship services held in the cabin of Hans J. Larsen.

Believing that “God is our refuge and strength” (Psalm 46:1), the settlers chose “PELLA” (meaning “a place of refuge”) as the name for their new congregation.  The first building was erected north of Sidney on a fifty acre plot of land donated by Mr. and Mrs. Peter Andersen.  (This property now serves as the site of the present Sidney Cemetery.)  The Pella church served families scattered many miles apart and this, among other factors, led to a division in the congregation.  The Brorson church was built near the hill community in 1916 about nine miles northwest of Sidney and was served by Pella’s pastors until 1958.  In 1966, the Brorson congregation merged with Pella, leaving the church building and cemetery to stand as a lasting tribute to the vision and faith of those first Danish pioneers.

The Pella church building was begun in 1909 at the Sidney cemetery site, but was not completed until after a difficult move in1913 when the church was moved to the corner of south Central Avenue and 5th Street south.  This building was eventually sold and the present structure was erected at the corner of West Main Street and Lincoln Avenue and was dedicated on November 13, 1949.  In 1960, the Danish Evangelical Lutheran Church of America merged with other Lutheran denominations and became a part of the American Lutheran Church.  In 1988, another merger of Lutheran denominations formed the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA), to which Pella belongs today.

Pella Lutheran Church became a totally English speaking congregation in 1936 and dropped the word “Danish” from the church’s official name in 1948.  Today, while honoring the heritage of our founders, we are a congregation that consists of people from all kinds of ethnic and cultural backgrounds.

In 1991, Pella agreed to provide pastoral support for First Lutheran Church, a small rural congregation in Lambert, Montana – a partnership that still continues today.

In this Centennial Year of 2008, the members of Pella give thanks for 100 years of ministry here in the Sidney, Montana area and look forward to continuing to work with and be blessed by God in the years to come – in Jesus’ name.  Amen!