First Free Church has a long history of seeing God at work in Chicago. The church was planted in 1880 and came to its current home in the Andersonville neighborhood in the early 1900s. We have remained in the city since then, committed to make disciples of Jesus Christ both locally and globally.

Our Swedish Beginnings (1840-1880)

First Free’s roots go back to a religious revival that swept through Sweden starting in the 1840’s. Small groups of Swedish Lutherans gathered in homes to read the Bible, partake in the Lord’s Supper, and sing hymns. Influenced by German Pietist and English Wesleyan theology, these small groups encouraged people to experience a personal relationship with Jesus. They were devoted to reading the Scriptures and were known for challenging church traditions of state run church systems by asking “Where does it stand written?” Although initially a renewal movement within the Lutheran church in the 1880’s, these house groups began identifying themselves as independent congregations.

First Free’s founders were among the first to establish an independent Swedish mission congregation. In the fall of 1880 , a group of 17 Swedish immigrant believers who were meeting for prayer, Bible study and singing in a house on the near north side of Chicago (near the present Chicago Avenue and Clark Street) decided to publicly advertise services. They held their first communion service on February11, 1881 with about 150 people attending. They continued to meet in various facilities, from the basement of a print shop to rented halls, and began a Sunday School for about 40 children.

Missions (1880s)

By 1888-9 they adopted the name Oak Street Svenska Fria Missions Forsamling (The Oak Street Swedish Free Missions Congregation) and constructed a building with two halls, two stores and four apartments. The early congregation took the mission part of their name seriously. They sought to evangelize the incoming Swedish immigrant community and were active in local and foreign missions.

In 1885 Ellen Modin became the first financially supported missionary of the congregation, starting a ministry to Mormons in Utah. In the 1890s in Minnesota, she also founded the “Women’s Alliance Mission Home” to train women evangelists, and the “Home Of Shelter” for troubled women and unwed mothers. Then in 1887 the congregation commissioned its first foreign missionaries, including Hans Jensen von Qualen, a young Danish Immigrant, and member of the Free Mission Congregation, along with Eugene Sieux and John Lee, two Chinese immigrants. Together they sailed to China and established the Free Mission work in Canton, a movement that planted Evangelical Free churches that are still active today. In 1910 the first member of our congregation went to India. In 1924 two couples went to Africa from First Free.

In the following 10 years, under Rev. Axel Nordin’s leadership, the Young People’s Society, confirmation classes, a missionary paper, Ladies Aid Society (now WMS), and the first classes of Svenska Bibelinstitutet (now Trinity Evangelical Divinity School) were founded.

Opening of the “Summerdale” Location

As the congregation grew under several pastorates, members gradually moved farther north to the city’s outskirts, requiring a ministry site in the Summerdale community. So in 1910 three lots were purchased for $3,250 at the corner of Berwyn & Ashland, our present site in the neighborhood now known as Andersonville. A nearby vacant church was purchased and moved to that location. For some months they tried to maintain worship services at both the Oak Street Mission and at Summerdale but, in 1912, they sold the Oak Street Hall and concentrated their ministry at Summerdale.

Rev. Frank W. Anderson (1913-47) guided the congregation through many changes. In 1914 the official church name became the First Swedish Evangelical Free Church of Chicago. To accommodate a growing congregation, in 1926 a new church sanctuary building was erected and dedicated following a seven year building fund drive. The Sunday School and Young People’s work grew, and the First Swedish Evangelical Free Church transitioned from Swedish to English. At the end of Pastor Anderson’s ministry the church had 372 members and a Sunday School enrollment of over 500 people.

To adapt to growing ministries, the following years saw completion of the gym (1948), the purchase of a parsonage in Edgebrook (1952, later sold), and the Christian Education wing (1956).

Ministering in the City

The people of Chicago were changing too. In the early days at Berwyn & Ashland, the surrounding community was virtually all Swedish. But, in the 1950′s-70′s, many people moved north and west of Chicago. Daughter churches were spawned in the suburbs (North Suburban Free Church and Glenview Free Church).

Meanwhile, First Free remained committed to ministering in the city. In 1961 Pastor Arley Bragg (1952-1970) wrote: “We are in this area to stay. We have no intentions of leaving. This is our field. It is a mission field and we must not leave it and we must not fail it.”

Pastor Milo Lundell (1972-82) oversaw the transition of the church from a predominantly ethnic Swedish congregation to one that more closely approximated the new diversity in the neighborhood.

During Pastor Richard Ahlberg’s tenure (1982-86), two nearby properties, the house at 5243 N. Ashland and the 3-flat at 5239 N. Ashland, were purchased as part of a long-term plan to provide for church parking and future ministry needs. Outreach Pastor Scott Lemanager and his wife Polly helped draw students and young adults to adult education and fellowship activities.

Pastor Carl Sutter and his wife Arloa came in 1988. Their commitment to God and to people in the congregation and the neighborhood was demonstrated as they worked to meet the needs of a broad scope of people, to proclaim the Gospel in this community and to provide an open and supportive environment for ministry and service. The Sunday morning services (with a blend of contemporary and traditional), and the plethora of ministry opportunities and fellowship activities drew and reached many young adults from diverse backgrounds. In 1992 Breakthrough Urban Ministries, Inc. began its ministry to the homeless utilizing the facilities of First Free, with Arloa Sutter as its Executive Director. Breakthrough grew tremendously and moved their operations to East Garfield Park in 2008.

Between 1993 and 1999, under Pastor Sutter and then interim-Pastor Bob Moeller, the renovation of facilities continued with major work on the sanctuary and the nursery, and the purchase of an additional adjacent property at 5241 N. Ashland. Changes and development of new ministries continued as well, following a church consultation in May of 1993.

In December 1999, Pastor Bill Shereos, and his wife, Wenda, began their ministry here. For many years of their tenure here, Wenda led a flourishing worship arts ministry. Under Bill’s leadership, First Free embraced a vision for the Christian life – “Sharing God’s story through compassion and conversation.” These focal points have led us in a plan to expand our facilities to include a new Family Life Center, which was completed in 2008. The later building was also a response to a baby boom in the church as the Lord brought a number of families with young children into our congregation. Pastor Bill retired in January 2017, after 17 years of service with us.

First Evangelical Free Church’s purpose is to glorify God by making disciples who celebrate God’s presence, nurture one another to maturity in Christ, and reach the world through evangelism and service. We have remained in the city and are committed to the city. Now the once homogeneous Andersonville — the heart of Swedish Chicago — has become a diverse mixture of nationalities and languages. We find our ministry in this community to be strategic. We are determined to be a caring community bringing Christ’s hope and empowerment to the city! As “the world” continues to come to us, we must build on our strong heritage to reach these people with the life changing message of Jesus Christ. First Free has through the years ministered to thousands of people who have entered its doors. Through these people, we continue to reach out to the city as well as to the ends of the earth with the gospel of Christ.

Our vision is to celebrate lives transformed by Jesus Christ. Read our mission and vision.

Our Statement of Faith is that of the Evangelical Free Church of America

Our campus includes our worship center, family life center, and church office buildings.

Our servant leaders include pastors and staff as well as our elders, officers, and deacons

We would love to hear from you.