Zion Lutheran Church

Duane's take

Here's my telling of what the official marker has to say about Zion Lutheran Church in Dallas County. Now settle in, because this is a story that starts small — a handful of German immigrants in a borrowed room — and just keeps on growin'. Sometime in the 1870s, German Lutherans started arriving in Dallas.

And like folks who've carried their faith a long way, they weren't about to let it go just because they were far from home. They started gathering for worship, finding each other, building something out of nothing much at all. Then in 1874, the Rev.

Tirmenstein came up from New Orleans and began leading those Lutherans in worship. Others soon followed his example, and for a while they made do with the facilities of the First Baptist Church — holding their German-language services in somebody else's house, the way travelers sometimes have to. It's a humble beginning, and don't you forget it.

Five years later, under the Rev. G. Birkmann, something official took shape.

In 1879, the group organized itself as the German Evangelical Lutheran Zions Congregation of Dallas. That same year — same year, mind you — they didn't just organize, they built. The newly formed congregation constructed a building that held a sanctuary, a pastor's living quarters, and a school, all under one roof.

The Rev. Birkmann served as both pastor and the school's first teacher. His successors kept right on doing the same thing.

One man, two jobs, and a congregation counting on him. Through the late 1800s and on into the twentieth century, the congregation kept growing. With growth came change — several relocations, building expansions, the congregation spreading out and planting itself deeper into Dallas.

Now, change doesn't always sit easy, but Zion Lutheran took it in stride. Then came 1940, and a change that meant something. The church discontinued use of the German language in worship services.

The language that had called these people together across an ocean, the language of their hymns and their prayers — set aside. Four years after that, in 1944, the congregation took on the name it carries to this day: Zion Lutheran Church. The school had its own chapter of struggle.

Enrollment declined — pulled down in part by the spread of nearby suburban areas — and the school went through a period of closing. But in 1948, it reopened. Some things, it turns out, are worth restarting.

Through all of it — the relocations, the new names, the silenced German hymns, the school that came back — Zion Lutheran kept its eyes on the community around it. Youth groups, mission work inside the city, mission work in other countries. The congregation reached out, and it kept on reaching.

Today, Zion Lutheran Church and its school are still there, still serving the spiritual and educational needs of Dallas. Started in a borrowed room with a preacher from New Orleans, and still standing. That, friends, is a congregation that knows how to last.

What the marker says

Soon after German Lutherans began arriving in Dallas in the 1870s, they began to gather for worship. In 1874, the Rev. Tirmenstein from New Orleans started leading the Lutherans in worship, and others soon followed, utilizing facilities of the First Baptist Church for the German-language services. In 1879, under the Rev. G. Birkmann, the group organized the German Evangelical Lutheran Zions Congregation of Dallas. That same year, the newly formed congregation constructed a building that provided space for a sanctuary, pastor's living quarters and a school. The Rev. Birkmann served as both pastor and the school's first teacher, a practice continued by his successors. During the late 1800s and into the 20th century, the congregation continued to grow. Along with increasing membership came many changes, including several relocations and building expansions. Other important changes occurred in 1940, when the church discontinued use of the German language in worship services, and in 1944, when the congregation became known as Zion Lutheran Church. The school also experienced changes, reopening in 1948 after a period of declining enrollment brought about in part by the spread of nearby suburban areas. Through all these years, the Zion Lutheran congregation has been actively involved in the community. It has focused on outreach, particularly through youth groups and mission work within the city and in other countries. Today, Zion Lutheran Church and its school continue to serve spiritual and educational needs in Dallas. (2006)