All are WELCOME

First Lutheran Church of Geneseo is a community of Christians actively living out our faith in Jesus Christ.  Our worship services share uplifting, relevant messages in an open and inviting atmosphere for adults and children.  Through education, service and various activities for people of all ages, we learn about faith and experience God's love.  


We welcome people of all ages and abilities at every worship service, fellowship gathering, and ministry event.  Our church is wheelchair accessible and our worship services are child-friendly.  A special children's message is presented every week to help our youngest worshipers. Our Sanctuary worship space includes the "PRAYground", a family-friendly seating area, and the Nursery, designed for children ages 0 - 2, is available for families to use as needed during worship.  


Click here for our Worship Schedule. Additionally, there are several opportunities throughout each month for fellowship and education.  Visit our Fellowship page for opportunities and our Events page for a schedule of upcoming gatherings.  


We invite you to join us in our mission of Sharing Christ's Love and look forward to welcoming you!

RICH HISTORY
BRIGHT FUTURE

  • OUR PAST

    First Lutheran has grown with the Geneseo community for over 165 years.  On June 27, 1856, Pastor L.P. Esbjon of Andover met with 13 residents and helped them organize "The First Lutheran Church and Society of Geneseo". The "Society" in the title indicates an organization that extended beyond Sunday services to include mutual support throughout the week. One of the main reasons for organizing the church and society was language. In fact, Swedish remained the primary language at services until 1918. For 36 years, our official name was even "Svenska Evangeliska Lutherska församling i Geneseo". Many members still revere the Augustana Lutheran heritage of the congregation. We no longer have "Society" in our name, but we still strive to supply mutual support services.


    There was no resident pastor for the first nine years. Strong lay leadership sustained the congregation in those days, and that tradition carries on today.  Throughout our history, we have maintained a strong partnership with our synod and churchwide organizations, with many of our members serving on boards and committees for the larger church.


    The first church structure was erected in 1857 and a new building constructed at the present site from 1882 to 1886. We purchased a bell for the tower in 1908 and added stained glass windows in 1913. Major remodeling has occurred and additional space added several times since then, including a major addition of fellowship, office and classroom space in 2006.  We are blessed with a facility that is both beautiful and functional, and we strive to be good stewards of the space we have.

  • OUR PRESENT

    We celebrate the diversity of our members. A few generations ago, more than half our members were farm families and most of the others lived and worked in Geneseo. Today, we draw from a radius of almost 20 miles. Less than a fifth of our members live on farms, and a large portion commute to the Quad Cities. We are diverse, yet we work well together. Our membership numbers have growth: from the original 13 members, we have grown to over 800 disciples. We are still strongly rooted in the Geneseo community, and we regularly participate in ministry with other Geneseo congregations as part of the Geneseo Ministerial Association.

  • OUR FUTURE

    Sharing Christ's Love among ourselves and with others, is the mission of our church. We accomplish this in a variety of ways including involvement in the community food bank, quilts for Lutheran World Relief, strong support to World Hunger and the larger church, and "in-house" opportunities for growth and fellowship. We welcome you to take part in new and continuing opportunities to Share Christ's Love at First Lutheran and throughout God's world.