In 1885, Hayward was a logging community of 1,069 people with nearly 1/3 of them from Scandinavian countries. A small group of these faithful immigrants decided that their number warranted a building of a church and the Scandinavian Lutheran Church of Hayward was erected on what is now the corner of 4th and Michigan Streets in 1887.

Reverend Nord (pictured right), the first pastor of the church, submitted his resignation on February 18, 1916, after thirty years of dedicated service. He had been traveling from Rice Lake to preach since the church's inception, his failing health the reason for his leaving.

By the 1960's the congregation had outgrown its church home and a new church, in its present location at Main and Wittwer Streets, was ready for services on Easter Sunday, March 29, 1964. In over 100 years of service, First Lutheran Church has grown from a small group of Scandinavian immigrants to a diverse congregation of more than 1,200 members who participate in local and worldwide mission concerns for the sake of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.