Renner Lutheran Church
Encyclopedia
Renner Lutheran Church, also known as Nidaros Norwegian Evangelical Lutheran Church, is a historic church located in Renner, South Dakota
. The church is listed on the National Register of Historic Places
as Renner Lutheran Sanctuary. It is reportedly the oldest church in operation in South Dakota.
. That church was later destroyed in a wind storm, and rebuilt in 1878. The original church's 100 foot steeple was believed to be the cause of its destruction, so a shorter steeple was selected during reconstruction. Additional churches were also constructed in the region to accommodate churchgoers, since frequent flooding along the Big Sioux River
made travel difficult.
The church was moved to Baltic around 1911 or 1912, since the town had no church of its own at the time. It was moved a second time in 1939 to Renner, South Dakota
, where it stands today. The church has been in continuous operation for more than 125 years, and is considered the oldest operational church in the state of South Dakota
. It is part of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America
denomination. The church's altar was constructed in 1886, and remains a central fixture in the sanctuary.
The church was renamed Renner Lutheran Church in 2009, to avoid confusion with the East and West Nidaros churches that were also part of the congregation.
Renner, South Dakota
Renner is an unincorporated community in Minnehaha County in the U.S. state of South Dakota. Renner has been assigned the ZIP code of 57055. The demographics of Renner are not listed separately by the United States Census Bureau, but are included within those of Mapleton Township...
. The church is listed on the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
as Renner Lutheran Sanctuary. It is reportedly the oldest church in operation in South Dakota.
History
The church was founded as Nidaros Church in 1868. First located in the sod home Norwegian immigrants John and Kirsti Thompson, a church was later built on the prairie roughly 3 miles south of Baltic, South DakotaBaltic, South Dakota
Baltic is a city in Minnehaha County, South Dakota, United States. The population was 1,089 at the 2010 census.-Geography:Baltic is located at , along the Big Sioux River....
. That church was later destroyed in a wind storm, and rebuilt in 1878. The original church's 100 foot steeple was believed to be the cause of its destruction, so a shorter steeple was selected during reconstruction. Additional churches were also constructed in the region to accommodate churchgoers, since frequent flooding along the Big Sioux River
Big Sioux River
The Big Sioux River is a tributary of the Missouri River, long, in eastern South Dakota and northwestern Iowa in the United States. The United States Board on Geographic Names settled on "Big Sioux River" as the stream's name in 1961....
made travel difficult.
The church was moved to Baltic around 1911 or 1912, since the town had no church of its own at the time. It was moved a second time in 1939 to Renner, South Dakota
Renner, South Dakota
Renner is an unincorporated community in Minnehaha County in the U.S. state of South Dakota. Renner has been assigned the ZIP code of 57055. The demographics of Renner are not listed separately by the United States Census Bureau, but are included within those of Mapleton Township...
, where it stands today. The church has been in continuous operation for more than 125 years, and is considered the oldest operational church in the state of South Dakota
South Dakota
South Dakota is a state located in the Midwestern region of the United States. It is named after the Lakota and Dakota Sioux American Indian tribes. Once a part of Dakota Territory, South Dakota became a state on November 2, 1889. The state has an area of and an estimated population of just over...
. It is part of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America
Evangelical Lutheran Church in America
The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America is a mainline Protestant denomination headquartered in Chicago, Illinois. The ELCA officially came into existence on January 1, 1988, by the merging of three churches. As of December 31, 2009, it had 4,543,037 baptized members, with 2,527,941 of them...
denomination. The church's altar was constructed in 1886, and remains a central fixture in the sanctuary.
The church was renamed Renner Lutheran Church in 2009, to avoid confusion with the East and West Nidaros churches that were also part of the congregation.