American Lutheran Church (Billings, Mont.)

St. John’s Evangelical Lutheran Church was organized in 1905 by Rev. Jorgen E. Madsen, who had served the group of Norwegians settled in Billings since 1895 on his trips between Forsyth and Missoula. He and several other pastors served the church for short periods of time. All services were in Norwegian until the 1920s.

The first church home was a small building on the corner of North 24th street and 4th Avenue North was built and renamed American Lutheran, “The Friendly Church Around the Corner.” In 1948 a new parish hall was built, and the sanctuary on North 30th Street continued to be used until 1954 when the present church was finished.

In 1963 American Lutheran had three missionaries and lay workers in New Guinea, Tanzania and Taiwan. The Reuter Memorial organ, a legacy to the church from Albert J. Sheets, was installed in 1966. It is one of the largest pipe organs in the state with 1,863 pipes.