The Congregation of Hope Lutheran was formed on September 28, 1919, as part of the Norwegian Lutheran Church in America.  In 1920, an old house was purchased on the southeast corner of Olive and Grand, with the first floor serving as the worship area while the second floor was the parsonage. During 1925-26, the congregation voted to tear down the old house and build what they called a “Chapel”, reusing some of the lumber from the old house.  This “Chapel” was seen as a temporary building until a proper “church” could be built.  Then came the depression of the 1930’s, followed by World War II, which delayed that project, although a building fund was established for a new church.

In 1950, with membership of about 135 families, the old Chapel was moved from the site, and the present church sanctuary was built on the same site for a project cost of approximately $64,000, with $30,000 borrowed from Lutheran Brotherhood.  Just ten years later, an $85,000 extension to the nave provided additional office space, additional Sunday school space, and the Friendship Room. Hope borrowed the entire $85,000 from Lutheran Brotherhood.

Numerous building upgrades and maintenance projects have maintained the Grand Avenue facility in working condition while the Hope Lutheran Congregation has expanded dramatically to over 495 families and over 1,400 members.  Expansion of the current facility has been studied several times over the last 10-15 years.  Unfortunately, site limitations, building code issues, parking restrictions, and other issues severely limited any expansion.

In 1998, Hope Lutheran took advantage of a generous offer from the Boylan family to purchase 20 acres of land on South 19th Avenue for a purchase price of $320,000.  The entire purchase price was paid through the successful Hope Mission Appeal, and much work went into cleaning up that site.  This parcel was subsequently swapped for a similar sized parcel south of that location, which reduced development costs significantly and also allowed for earlier provision of city services. 

In January of 2004 the congregation of Hope Lutheran acknowledged that we are blessed to be living and ministering in the beautiful and rapidly growing Gallatin Valley.  We acted decisively by resolving that, in order to bring the Good News of the Gospel to newcomers and to others in our area who are seeking God’s grace in their lives, and to more effectively meet our calling to expand God’s mission, a new and larger church facility was needed.  The Congregation overwhelmingly approved this proposal and committed major financial resources to the Expand Our Mission building program.