In the 1870s and 1880s, many settlers of German ancestry arrived in this area. In 1889, under the leadership of the Rev. R. Seils, Zion Evangelical Lutheran Church was organized, with early worship services held in the Bismark schoolhouse. Beginning with twenty-three charter members, the congregation grew steadily. By 1892, a small sanctuary had been built and a cemetery established on the church property. Another group of families later began worshiping in the Priddy community and, in December 1903, organized St. John's Lutheran Church, holding services in the Becker Mountain schoolhouse. Soon both German Lutheran congregations were served by the same minister. In 1929, the Zion congregation moved to Priddy and built a new sanctuary. In 1941, by mutual consent, the Zion and St. John's congregations joined together as one church under the Zion Evangelical Lutheran Church name. For generations, it has remained part of Mills County history while continuing to serve the community through many forms of outreach.