Lake Campbell Lutheran Church began as the Medary Norwegian Evangelical Lutheran Congregation of Brookings County, Dakota Territory. The congregation was organized on June 13, 1870, at the John Thompson home in Sverdrup Township, Minnehaha County. Its charter members were Mr. and Mrs. Nils O. Trygstad, Mr. and Mrs. Ole O. Jermstad, Mr. Cornelius N. Trygstad, Ole N. Trygstad, Thomas H. Thompson, Erik Andreas N. Trygstad, Michael N. Trygstad, Martin N. Trygstad, John H. Thompson, Elias H. Thompson, G. Gundersen Tvedt, Christopher H. Baltrud, Jens Amundsen Hage, Magne A. Nesthus, Caroline Trygstad, Jukom Olsen Sundet, and Halvor H. Egeberg. The first recorded meeting was held on July 9, 1870, to extend a call to Rev. E. Christensen, who accepted and became the first pastor. In 1887, the southwest district decided to take the name Lake Campbell Norwegian Evangelical Lutheran Congregation. The Lake Campbell Church was built in 1890 on land donated by Johannes A. Berge. Early settlers used their freedom to worship by organizing a congregation and providing religious instruction for their children, and they were honored as pioneers who labored and sacrificed to establish a Christian congregation in the Lake Campbell community.