On October 26, 1897 four men gathered to discuss the possibility of establishing a Lutheran Church in Manchester. They were Mr. Caspar Bellman, Mr. Joseph Hoffman, Mr. John Reidel, and Dr. George Wolfe, the organizing Pastor as well as the communities dentist and doctor. In 1898 land was purchased and the first building was erected. The building was officially dedicated on November 13, 1898. The present church location is the original building site. Through the years the congregation has experienced steady growth. In 1932 St. Stephen Lutheran Church (Busse) disbanded and around half the members transferred to Zion, as St. Stephen and Zion had already been a joint parish for many years. In 1951 a major remodeling job was done that raised the building and a new structure was built which included a basement, restrooms, full kitchen, and a bell tower. Zion celebrated its centennial in 1997. Today Zion continues its history of building up disciples, proclaiming the gospel of Jesus Christ, and seeking to serve in our community and the world.
