Forest Lutheran Church was first organized in 1891, with its earliest beginnings dating back to 1876. It is considered the first church in Forest City. The church building, originally constructed in 1891, had a new entrance added in the early 1970s. The congregation joined the Evangelical Lutheran Synod in 1922.
Since 1945, Forest Lutheran Church has shared pastoral services with Zion Lutheran Church in Thompson, IA.
In 2024, Forest Lutheran Church and Zion Lutheran Church joined with Grace Lutheran Church in Lake Mills to form a three-point parish.