In the mid-1870s, Lutheran families in the Glenview area sought to establish a congregation faithful to the Lutheran Confessions. This applied to Rev. Adam Detzer of Des Plaines, a pastor affiliated with the Evangelical Lutheran Synod of Missouri, Ohio, and other States. In response, Rev. Detzer began holding services, and by the end of January 1876, the Evangelical Lutheran Church congregation was formally organized.
The first worship services of Immanuel Lutheran Church were held in a schoolhouse on what is now Shermer Road, but when the building had to be moved, the congregation resolved to construct its own church. On March 5, 1876, trustees were elected, and a contract was soon let to build a church on a two-acre site on West Lake Avenue (now Chestnut Avenue). Through generous donations of labor and funds totaling $1,530, the congregation completed the church, laying the cornerstone on April 22, 1876, and dedicating it on June 25, 1876.
At the same time, the congregation decided to build a parsonage and a school, and Rev. John Zimmermann of Rosehill, Texas, accepted the call as the first resident pastor and was joyfully installed, though he resigned after two years due to ill health. During the following vacancy year, pastoral duties were shared by Rev. G. Loeber and Rev. Adam Detzer.
