Nathanael Lutheran was chartered in 1885 and built in 1886 on farmland 7 miles Northeast of Alcester, SD. The charter members were of Swedish descent and the services were conducted in the Swedish language. The first church stood proudly for 16 years before being leveled by a tornado in 1902. A new and much larger church arose in its place in 1903 and proudly served until it was dismantled in 1956, leaving only the North Cemetery in memorial to the pioneers whom preceded us.

Nathanael Lutheran did not die, but over a period of time had given way to changing times. Alcester had become a thriving business center at the beginning of the 20th century and the population base had shifted. In 1910, a parsonage was purchased in Alcester and in 1918 a church was acquired to serve the dual country/city congregations which had evolved. Eventually the arrival of the motor car and a new mobility doomed the future of the country church. A new parsonage was built in Alcester in 1949 and a new church building was completed in 1960.