Castle Rock Lutheran Church has at its root the “Pioneer Church” formed by Norwegian settlers in the spring of 1855. The congregation met in the homes of the members and it was not until December of 1859 that a contract was let for the construction of the first church building. The first church was located on Breezy Hill Road in Hickory Grove Township and was a wooden structure with only one set of pews in the front. The rest of the congregation sat on rough-hewn benches, one of which is on display at our Parish Hall. The Seim Cemetery is located on the site of the original church.
In 1870, the congregation decided to divide into two separate parishes, a north division and south division. The north division completed construction of their building in 1870 and is now known as the Hickory Grove Lutheran Church. The south division began construction of church in 1882 and was completed in 1883. Our church was then known as the Blue River Lutheran Church as the building overlooks the Fennimore Fork of the Blue River, which is now more commonly referred to as Castle Rock Creek.
In 1903, the two churches combined their needs and effort to build a parsonage which is located on County Highway Q, by Breezy Hill Road. This structure is still standing today and is a private residence.
In 1909, the Blue River Lutheran Church built a Young People’s Hall, which is now known as the Parish Hall and still serves the congregation for many fellowship and community outreach events.
It is interesting to note that neither building had indoor plumbing until the congregation decided to upgrade and remodel the church in 1995. A bathroom and office were added without detracting from the original décor of the structure. A couple of years later, plumbing and a bathroom were added to the Parish Hall as well. Recently, air conditioning was added to both buildings and in 2016, a kitchen makeover was done at the Parish Hall, making it far more usable for church and community events.
Our church has been blessed with many dedicated pastors since its inception and is currently served by Retired Pastor Steven Kottke, who agreed to serve our congregation until we find another pastor. Pastor Steve served several congregations in the Midwest and retired a few years ago from his last position as assistant to the Bishop for the South Central Wisconsin Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of America. Our pastoral history is as follows:
1855-1858 S. Munch
1858-1860 J.N. Fjeld
1860-1864 P. M. Brodahl
1864-1866 O. Juul
1866-1897 O. Naess
1902-1904 Thor Eggen
1904-1911 J.A.E. Naess
1911-1921 G. Gunsten
1921-1940 M. B. Anderson
1940-1941 M. Bjornson
1941-1945 H.C. Molstre
1945-1955 O.J. Engh
1956-1962 Gordon Hendrickson
1963-1964 Arlo Espeland
1965-1990 Leroy Peterson
1991-1994 Steve Simmonds
1995-2011 Leroy Johnsrud
2012-2021 Kathy Jacobson
2021-2023 William Budzinski
2023-2024 C. Ethan Edsall, Interim Pastor
2025-Present Steven Kottke, Interim Pastor
Additionally, six sons of the congregation have been ordained into the ministry and served many congregations around the world in their service to our Lord. These are: J.A.E. Naess, Albert Tollevs, Ole Oren Johnson, Standley Gunsten, Leroy Johnsrud and Charles Hulsether.
Our congregation has been very active in community outreach programs. Our first Father/Son Banquet was held in 1942 and the first Mother/Daughter Banquet in 1954. These traditions continued until the start of the Covid pandemic in 2020 forced us to discontinue. In 1998, the first Fishermen’s Breakfast was held in conjunction with the opening of the Wisconsin General Fishing Season and continues to be a popular event for fishers and members of the community as well. The congregation also “adopted” a significant stretch of County Highway Q as part of the Adopt a Highway Roadside Clean-up program and picks up litter along this road a couple of times a year.
Castle Rock has always had a strong emphasis on Christian Education for our young people and this continues to this day. Our church currently offers a “Sunday” School program on Wednesday afternoons called Kid’s Cruis (Castle Rock United In Spirit) as well as a Vacation Bible School Program in the summer. Confirmation classes are held in conjunction with our shared ministry with the Fennimore United Methodist Church.
