The History of Immanuel Lutheran Church

“Faithful to All Generations”

Immanuel Lutheran Church was “born” in 1924; Trinity Lutheran Church (downtown) is our mother
church. Before we recount Immanuel’s history, it is appropriate to remember our roots and reflect on God’s faithfulness to all generations.

The 1830s was a time when German Lutherans left their homeland for religious freedom. They arrived in the United States, settling along the eastern coast and moving westward. By 1847, they established The Lutheran Church – Missouri Synod. Eight years later, “The German Evangelical Trinity Lutheran Church of the Unaltered Augsburg Confession of Memphis, State of Tennessee” (more simply known as “The German Church”) was born. By God’s grace, the church survived two yellow fever epidemics in the 1870s. Proud of their heritage and in order to preserve their German culture and customs, Trinity maintained a parochial school until 1912.

“Because World War I hastened the integration of German-speaking people into American society, Trinity lost much of its ethnic profile. Its growth began to come largely from within the community...In 1909, with the city expanding, need for a local Lutheran Church had arisen in South Memphis… Trinity’s first daughter congregation, The Lutheran Church of the Redeemer, was organized by families in the Third Street and McLemore Avenue area… Another daughter congregation, Immanuel, was formed in 1924 in the Highland Heights area. Some of Trinity’s ablest members were involved, and the mother church was supportive in the efforts to establish both a church and a school.”

—Trinity’s 150th Anniversary Brochure

To be continued...