Zion Lutheran Church of Crown sits in rural Crown, a quiet corner of northern Anoka County about ten miles from Zimmerman, Princeton, Isanti, St. Francis, and Elk River. Founded by German settlers who began meeting for worship in private homes in 1870, the congregation has gathered on the same stretch of 269th Avenue NW for nearly 150 years. Today the church is known for its traditional liturgy, strong Christian education program, and tight-knit rural community life centered on the gifts of Word and Sacrament.
Worship on Sundays and Wednesdays
Worship is the heart of life at Zion Lutheran Church. Sunday services begin at 9:00 a.m. and follow a traditional Lutheran order with prayer, praise, thanksgiving, and hymns. The pastor leads the congregation through the readings and sermon, administers the Lord's Supper, and proclaims the forgiveness won by Christ. In worship, the people of Zion gather around Word and Sacrament, the gifts the church considers essential to Christian life.
After the morning service, Adult Bible Class and Sunday School meet at 10:15 a.m. The adult class opens the scriptures in a more conversational setting, while the children gather by grade for age-appropriate lessons using Concordia Publishing House curriculum.
Wednesdays carry their own rhythm. A Midweek Bible Study meets at 10:30 a.m., and Confirmation Class gathers at 6:00 p.m. from September through May for students preparing to affirm their baptismal vows. During Advent and Lent an additional midweek worship service is held at 7:00 p.m. Recordings of recent sermons are available as audio files online.
What Zion Believes
Zion Lutheran Church confesses the historic Christian faith as a member congregation of the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod, in the Minnesota North District. The church teaches one true God in three persons - Father, Son, and Holy Spirit - coequal and coeternal. It confesses that God loved sinners enough to send His Son, Jesus Christ, who became human, suffered, died, and rose again to forgive all people of all time. Through His death as the substitute for everyone, Jesus purchased and won forgiveness and eternal life. Those who hear this Good News and believe it receive the eternal life it offers. God creates faith in Christ and gives people forgiveness through Him.
The Bible is God's inerrant and infallible Word, the sole rule and norm for Christian doctrine. The Lutheran Confessions, drawn from Scripture, are a true and binding exposition of Holy Scripture and serve as authoritative texts for the congregation's doctrine and practice. A PDF of the Lutheran Confessions is available through the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod.
A Mission to Reach and Strengthen
The congregation's stated mission is "To Reach the Lost and Strengthen the Saved." Members are called to live bold, courageous lives of Christian witness before a non-believing world. Followers of Jesus demonstrate good works and the fruit of the Spirit: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. Every Christian is called to a life of eternal significance and is uniquely gifted for service.
A History Rooted in the German Settlement
The story of Zion Lutheran Church begins in 1870, when settlers in Crown began gathering for worship in their homes with laymen reading the sermon. A traveling missionary arrived in 1872, and the first pastor came in 1877. His first official act, a baptism on January 28, 1877, marks the congregation's formal founding.
The first church, a 20 by 30 foot frame structure, was dedicated in 1879. Pews, pulpit, and altar were all handmade by members, and the building cost about $250. Pastors of that era served multiple communities, traveling among Princeton, Crown, Bradford, and Twin Lakes.
A log parsonage went up in 1883, and the pastor agreed to teach school three months a year. Special collections for Synod were taken on Christmas, Easter, Pentecost, and Thanksgiving. Mission festivals began as early as 1887, drawing neighboring churches together. By 1890 a new parsonage was built and more benches added to handle Sunday overflow.
In 1902 plans were drawn for a larger church measuring 50 by 30 by 16 feet. The new building was dedicated on February 22, 1903, with two services that day, one in German and one in English. That same year the congregation joined the German Evangelical Lutheran Synod of Missouri, now known as The Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod. The pastor's salary at the time was $300 per year, plus wood for fuel and hay and feed for his livestock.
The old church became a school, and in 1921 English services were tried on a trial basis. By 1929 they were held on the first and third Sundays of each month. A Sunday School was formed in 1923. In 1943 the weekly envelope system was introduced and the Ladies Aid joined the Lutheran Women's Missionary League.
A new school was built in 1954, only to be destroyed by fire on December 28, 1962. A replacement school was dedicated on October 27, 1963, at a cost of $90,000. The present parsonage was built in 1960 with much donated help, and a complete renovation followed in 1998. In 1977 a Narthex was added in time for the church's 100th anniversary, and a two-manual Wurlitzer electronic organ was dedicated by the Ladies Aid. A gym, kitchen, and two classrooms expanded the church-school complex to the west in 1990.
Today the congregation numbers 346 communicant members and 460 baptized souls.
Sunday School and Christian Education
Zion Lutheran Church places a high value on Christian education. Sunday School meets during the school year after the morning service, at 10:15 a.m., and welcomes children from preschool through 8th grade. Teachers use Concordia Publishing House curriculum to walk students through lessons, skits, crafts, and music. The ministry's foundation verse is Proverbs 22:6: "Train up a child in the way he should go; even when he is old he will not depart from it."
Crown Christian School is affiliated with Zion and offers Christian education to area families. Zion also supports Good Shepherd Lutheran High School, an LCMS high school serving students in grades 9 through 12 in the broader region.
LWML and Ladies Aid
The Lutheran Women's Missionary League (LWML) is the official women's auxiliary of The Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod. At Zion, the LWML and Ladies Aid work hand in hand. The Ladies Aid organizes the Easter Memorial Garden flower sale, the lunch and bake sale at the annual Spring Auction and Fundraiser, the Fall Vendor and Craft Sale, and the annual Ladies Christmas Tea. Members serve in Altar Guild, support seminarians, participate in the Baby Bottle campaign for pro-life groups, and work on craft and quilting projects throughout the year. The group meets on the first Thursday of each month at 6:00 p.m., and any woman of Zion is welcome to join.
Trail Life Troop
Zion sponsors a Trail Life Troop, part of the national Trail Life USA program. The troop is a Christian outdoor adventure and character-building ministry for boys and young men, with meetings and activities organized locally. Jason Nemeth serves as the troop contact and can be reached by email for more information about joining.
The Cemetery
Zion Lutheran Church Cemetery sits about a half mile west of the church and school. The cemetery address is 7743 269th Avenue NW, Zimmerman, MN 55398, and a Grave Discover page lists individual gravesites and information for those buried there.
Recommended Reading
The pastor and congregation maintain a list of recommended books for those wishing to deepen their Lutheran understanding of the faith. The list begins with the Bible and the Book of Concord, the historic Lutheran confessions. Other titles include Law and Gospel by C.F.W. Walther, Martin Luther on Galatians, The Bondage of the Will by Martin Luther, The Cost of Discipleship by Dietrich Bonhoeffer, The Hammer of God by Bo Giertz, Broken by Jonathan Fisk, Echo by Jonathan Fisk, Has American Christianity Failed? by Brian Woldmueller, and Thank, Praise, Serve, and Obey by William Weedon. Concordia Publishing House's Essential Lutheran Library is offered as a starting point for new readers.
Plan a Visit
Zion Lutheran Church is located at 7515 269th Avenue NW in St. Francis, Minnesota. The church office can be reached at 763-856-2099. From Highway 169 at Zimmerman, the church is six miles east on County Road 4, then one mile north on County Road 7. Pastor Rev. Timothy Lamkin leads the congregation. Online giving is available through a Vanco giving portal, and a Facebook page keeps the wider community connected.