Church of the Three Crosses was formed in 1966 by the merger of two early Old Town congregations dating from the 1800s which were both founded by German immigrants: Second Evangelical United Brethren Church and St. James United Church of Christ.

The Second Evangelical Church was founded in 1852. Its first church building was erected at Chicago and Wells in 1856. In 1869, the congregation moved to the northwest corner of Wisconsin and Sedgwick where its building was twice destroyed by fire, with the final rebuilt structure dating from 1937 (shown above left). This congregation was affiliated with the Evangelical United Brethren denomination which later merged in 1968 with the Methodist Church to form the United Methodist Church.

The St. James Church originated in 1896 as the St. James Evangelical Congregational Church. The building was purchased from another congregation about 1897 and located at 1718 N. North Park (shown above right, in back of lot). A parsonage was moved to the site about 1905 (shown above right, in front of lot). In 1957, the Congregational churches in the U.S. united to form the United Church of Christ, and thus the church became the St. James United Church of Christ.

Initially, Church of the Three Crosses met in the Second Evangelical Church building. In 1973-4, the present building, with its flexible and multi-use space, was erected at the corner of Wisconsin and Orleans. In keeping with its heritage, this congregation is affiliated with both the United Methodist Church and the United Church of Christ.

A brief history of Church of the Three Crosses, as well as its two predecessor congregations, was published for the 40th anniversary of the congregation in October 2006. Copies are available at the church.