On August 25, 1886, a North Side La Crosse congregation of the Norwegian Evangelical Lutheran Church was organized. The name chosen was Bethel Meninghia or simply called the Norwegian Synod. From 1886-1888, the congregation met at the Union Church at Windsor and Avon streets. In 1889, the congregation moved to the southeast corner of George and Sill streets. A new church facility, seating 410 people, was constructed in 1958 at the southwest corner of Loomis and Livingston streets, where the congregation remains today. The new building at 1931 Loomis Street was dedicated November 16, 1958.
The Bethel Church became a member of the United Norwegian Church in 1890; however, in 1899 it became affiliated with the Lutheran Free Church. No longer was the church exclusively Norwegian in ethnicity. The congregation now consisted of a variety of nationalities, which made the Bethel Church a truly American church. In 1963, the church became affiliated with the American Lutheran Church. Today, it is affiliated with the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America.
