Religion in Minnesota is characterized by a variety of beliefs and practices that has historically been dominated by Christianity. The state has no official church, adhering to the Establishment Clause and Everson v. Board of Education. The right to freedom of religion is a constitutionally protected liberty in Minnesota.
Prior to European colonization, the area now known as Minnesota was home to indigenous religions and belief systems, primarily the customs and spiritual practices of the Native Americans. The mid-19th century saw the establishment of various Christian denominations as the region became a new home for waves of European immigrants, each bringing their own religious traditions. This has led to a landscape where Protestantism, particularly Lutheran denominations, alongside Roman Catholicism, form a majority of the state's religious identity. As of 2014, about 75% of Minnesotans are Christian, down from 84% in 2008. This declined to 63% in 2024.
Over the last few decades, the state's religious makeup has diversified. The 21st century has been marked by growing numbers of non-Christian religions in Minnesota, particularly Islam. Recent data also indicates that about 30% of the state now identifies with no religion. Nevertheless, faith remains a significant aspect of life for many Minnesotans: 83% of the population expresses some belief in God, 57% consider religion to at least somewhat important in their lives, and 21% participate in religious services at least weekly.
History Indigenous beliefs and first missionaries The first religious influences in Minnesota were the spiritual practices of Native American tribes, such as the Dakota and Ojibwe (Anishinaabe), whose traditional beliefs focused on nature and ancestral spirits and included Midewiwin and Wabunowin. In 1680, Father Louis Hennepin, a Catholic missionary from Belgium, arrived in the Lake Pepin region. At that time, the area was claimed by France. Despite the efforts of Hennepin and subsequent Protestant missionaries, the conversion of the Dakota and the Ojibwe peoples to Christianity was largely unsuccessful due to the differences between their spiritual beliefs (e.g., Wakan Tanka) and those of the Christian faith.
The first Catholic Jesuit priest to arrive at Grand Portage was Father Charles Messager in 1731. International borders between Minnesota's Arrowhead Region and Canada were clarified in the Webster–Ashburton Treaty of 1842, which split the Ojibwe community in two.
European settlement
By the time the Roman Catholic diocese of Saint Paul was established in 1851, Christianity was dominant in Minnesota. With the gradual increase of population, the Archbishop John Ireland, serving from 1888 to 1918, was instrumental in the church's growth, advocating for "Americanism" and the integration of Catholic children into public schools. In these early years, there was stark ethnic divisions between German and Irish Catholics which bore out in the cultural practices and politics of the state.
Protestant Christian denominations, particularly Lutheranism, took root with the arrival of Scandinavian and German immigrants. Between 1850 and 1930, over a quarter of a million Swedes immigrated to Minnesota, a portion of whom were motivated by religious freedom, escaping intolerance by the Church of Sweden. These and other Scandinavians who settled in Minnesota formed several distinct Lutheran synods as well as their own Baptist, Methodist, Episcopal, and Mission Covenant churches. Some degree of reconciliation eventually emerged, and between 1890 and 1930 a series of mergers produced several new Lutheran churches. Many churches that had worshiped in Swedish, Norwegian, or German transitioned to English-language services in the 1920s and 1930s. These churches ultimately fed into the 1988 formation of the mainline Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA). The Norwegian Lutheran Memorial Church of Minneapolis is one of two American churches as of 2024 still using Norwegian as the primary liturgical language.
The ecclesiastical fragmentation and the schismatic nature of Protestantism in Minnesota, however, lessened its cultural dominance. This period also saw the rise of African American Protestant churches in North Minneapolis as well as the spread of movements like the Holiness movement.
Native Americans in Minnesota faced renewed efforts to suppress their culture, including the legacy of missionary-run boarding schools. This era was also marked by spiritual movements like the Ghost Dance, which faced severe repression.
19th and 20th centuries Minnesota's Protestant conservatism, particularly among Baptists, was exemplified by William Bell Riley, a Minneapolis pastor who led the fundamentalist movement and opposed Darwinian evolution and harbored anti-Semitic views. His influence nearly led to a ban on teaching evolution in public schools in 1927, but this was defeated due to concerns over religious freedom. By the mid-20th century, Riley handed over his ministry to Billy Graham, who later established his evangelistic association in Minneapolis.
Ethnic and doctrinal divisions within churches diminished throughout the 20th century in Minnesota, giving way to a broader progressive-conservative split. This divide became more pronounced with issues such as religious and racial discrimination, anti-Semitism, and gender roles in society. The debate over distinct gender roles created a schism between progressive mainline Protestant churches, conservative evangelical and Pentecostal churches, and the Catholic Church.
By the 1960s and 1970s, the religious landscape in Minnesota was also shaped by political issues such as abortion and LGBT rights. In 1968, the American Indian Movement was formed in Minneapolis by two Ojibwe leaders to reconnect Dakota and other native peoples with their language and spirituality. The founding of Minnesota Citizens Concerned for Life, also in 1968, marked a significant political influence that disrupted traditional party alignments, including a pro-life Catholic Democrat governor and a pro-life Jewish U.S. senator in 1978.
Recent history In recent decades, Minnesota has seen growth in non-denominational Christianity as well as non-Christian religions. Immigration and refugee resettlement from Southeast Asia has led to the establishment of Buddhist and Hmong religious communities, while immigration from the Middle East and Somalia has contributed to the growth of the Muslim population. The Jewish community, with a history dating back to the late 19th century, is believed to have remained steady.
Minnesota also has a growing number of people who identify as non-religious, in line with national trends. The Pew Research Center's Religious Landscape Study showed that as of 2014, 20% of Minnesotans identified as unaffiliated with any religion, a category encompassing atheists, agnostics, and those who do not identify with any particular religion.
+Religious affiliation of Minnesotans Religion 2008 2014 2024 Christianity84%74%63% └ Mainline Protestant32%29%22% └ Catholic Church28%22%18% └ Evangelical Protestant21%19%20% └ Historically Black Protestant1%2%1% └ Mormon<0.5%1%<1% └ Orthodox<0.5%<1%<1% └ Other Christian1%1%1%Judaism1%1%<1%Islam1%1%3%Hinduism<0.5%<1%<1%Buddhism<0.5%<1%<1%Other religion1%1%1%Unaffiliated13%20%29%
Christianity
The 2023-24 Pew Research Religious Landscape Survey estimated that 63% of the Minnesota population was Christian. Most identified as Protestant (42%) or Catholic (22%).
Protestant
Lutherans form the largest Protestant branch in Minnesota, with 24% of residents identifying as such. Among Lutheran denominations, the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) is the largest. Divided into six synods across the state, ELCA boasted 527,257 baptized members (9.09% of the population) across 991 congregations in 2022. However, this figure marks a 60,808 drop from the year prior and a significant descent from the 805,000 members observed in 1988 (18.71%). ELCA was still gaining new Minnesota members as recently as the early 2000s, but subsequently began declining due to fewer baptisms, more deaths, and resignations. A notable decrease in 2009 was linked to the church's newly adopted policy on same-gender relationships, with many congregations leaving. Since 2010, deaths and resignations have vastly outnumbered baptisms in the church. The other major Lutheran churches, namely the Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod (5%), the Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod (<1%), and the Evangelical Lutheran Synod (<1%), are also declining in membership and attendance. A further 1% of Minnesotans identify as Pietists. While an overwhelming majority of Lutherans in Minnesota are white, some recent immigrants from Ethiopia have established Oromo and Amhara Lutheran (P'ent'ay) churches.
Non-Lutheran Protestants are estimated to be 18% of the population. These include the United Methodist Church (41,466 self-reported members in 2024), Assemblies of God (109,568 self-reported members in 2023), Churches of Christ (1% of state), and Southern Baptist Convention (18,154 self-reported members across Minnesota and Wisconsin in 2024). The United Church of Christ reported 20,139 members in 2022, down from 26,270 in 2015.
An additional 5% of Minnesotans identify as non-denominational and 1% as Historically Black Protestant.
Catholic It is estimated that 1.2 million Minnesotans, or 22% of the state, are Catholic. The Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis is the largest diocese with approximately 800,000 Catholics across 186 parishes. Catholic schools educate over 50,000 students statewide.
Other Christian
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) reports 33,365 members in Minnesota. The St. Paul Minnesota Temple, located in Saint Paul, was dedicated in 1982.
There is a small Eastern Orthodox community with many of its members originating from Syria, Ukraine, and Russia. A proportion Minnesota's Ethiopian immigrants are Oriental Orthodox.
The Amish, who practice Anabaptism, have grown from 1,420 in 2000 to 4,740 in 2020.
Other religions Collectively, it's estimated that members of non-Christian faiths constitute about 5% of the state.
Islam
Muslims have been in Minnesota since the 1880s, originally coming from the Ottoman Empire. Racially restrictive laws in the 1920s limited non-European immigration, affecting this growth. African Americans started converting to Islam in the 1920s, influenced by groups like the Moorish Science Temple and the Nation of Islam. The 1965 immigration reforms led to more diverse Muslim immigration, including educated individuals from the Middle East, North Africa, and South Asia. In 1992, there were around 5,000 Muslims in Minnesota, corresponding to about 0.1% of the overall population.
In late 20th and early 21st centuries, civil wars in countries like Bosnia-Herzegovina, Ethiopia, Somalia, and Sudan led to more Muslims arriving in Minnesota as refugees. The Masjid Al Rahman in Bloomington was the first purpose-built mosque in Minnesota, opening in 1999. Most other mosques in the state are found in converted spaces. For example, the first Somali-run mosque (Dar al-Hijrah Islamic Civic Center) was established in 1998 the Cedar-Riverside neighborhood from a former knitting factory. Results of a 2014 Pew Research report put the Muslim population of Minnesota at 1%, while more recent estimates put the number between 140,000 and 200,000 (about 2.5–3%).