Our Story

The earliest roots of Bethlehem Church can be dated to 1869, though the church was officially organized as a Swedish Lutheran congregation in 1873. Bethlehem has utilized four different locations in its nearly 150 years, all within downtown Grand Rapids. The congregation became part of the Evangelical Church in America in 1988 when three Lutheran bodies merged to form the largest Lutheran denomination in the nation.

While proudly Lutheran, Bethlehem also celebrates the ELCA’s strong emphasis on fuller ecumenical partnerships with many other denominations, including the United Methodist Church, Episcopal Church, United Church of Christ, Presbyterian Church USA, and the Reformed Church in America.