First Lutheran was organized in the prairie community of Savage on November 30, 1913. Many persons of Lutheran background had moved from the Midwest to take advantage of the opportunities in this community. For the first years the congregation met in stores, homes and schools, and in the Congregational church. On August 18, 1918 a church was completed at the cost of $4,963.
In the 1920s, church faming was begun in order to reduce the debt on the building. Certain pieces of the land were rented by the church, with the land owner receiving ¼ of the crop. Members of the church donated the use of machinery and labor. In the late 1950s the membership had grown so large that it was necessary to remodel the church and provide Sunday School space. In the late 1970s the congregation sold the old parsonage and built a new one on land donated by a member.
From the guide to the First Lutheran Church, Savage, Montana, Records, 1913-2012, (Pacific Lutheran University)
