Kountze Memorial Lutheran Church, Omaha

Kountze Memorial Lutheran Church is a historic congregation founded on December 5, 1858, when Reverend Henry W. Kuhns and fourteen residents organized Emanuel’s Evangelical Lutheran Church, the first Lutheran congregation in the Nebraska Territory. The church later adopted the Kountze name after members of the prominent Kountze banking family provided financial support in memory of their parents.

The congregation moved to its present site in 1906, and the current church building officially opened in 1913. Today, it belongs to the Nebraska Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) and continues to serve both its congregation and the wider community. Constructed of white limestone in the German Gothic style, the church features a bell tower containing the bell from the congregation’s 1862 church, curved pews, a large sanctuary skylight, and an extensive collection of stained-glass windows. Several windows and architectural elements from the earlier church were incorporated into the new building. The sanctuary also houses a historic Aeolian-Skinner pipe organ, renovated and expanded by Schoenstein & Co. beginning in 2014, reflecting the congregation’s long tradition of sacred music.

Beyond worship, Kountze Memorial supports education, music, and community service through Christian education, choirs, instrumental ensembles, a weekly food pantry, and partnerships providing free medical and counseling services through the Kountze Commons Community Outreach Center. Sunday worship has been televised since 1962. Visitors are welcome to attend public services and admire the stained glass, limestone architecture, historic organ, and preserved features reflecting more than 165 years of Lutheran history.