The Rush River Lutheran Parish traces its history to 1855 with the settlement of Martell township in Pierce County by Norwegian immigrants. At this writing in 1986, the parish consists of two congregations: Our Savior's Lutheran Church and the Rush River Lutheran Church. The present Our Savior's congregation was created when congregations of the South Rush River and Our Savior's Lutheran churches merged in 1957, and was known until 1963 as the South Rush River Church. Also in 1957, the congregations of Martell Lutheran and Rush River Lutheran (also known as the North Prairie Church) merged forming a new Rush River Lutheran Church congregation.
All four congregations were originally Norwegian Lutheran churches and throughout their histories, the congregations shared pastors. Today, the Our Savior's Lutheran Church congregation uses the building that had been the South Rush River Church, built in 1891-1892; while the Rush River congregation uses the former North Prairie Church building that was constructed in 1898.
