Calvary Lutheran came into being when 18 families met to establish an Evangelical Lutheran Church in Perham. In August of 1959, Rev. Arthur Vorhes arrived to assist in the organization of the congregation.  The church building was completed in 1959. The first service was held September 27, 1959 with 110 people present. On October 11 that same year, Sunday School classes began with an enrollment of 21 children. The first baptism was celebrated on November 1, 1959.  In January of 1960, Calvary was officially established as a congregation of 18 families: 97 baptized and 51 confirmed members. In April 1960, the ELC merged with two other synods to form the American Lutheran Church. On June 5 that same year, the first confirmation class of 2 was confirmed.  With the 1988 merger of the American Lutheran Church, the Lutheran Church in America, and the Association for Evangelical Lutheran Churches, Calvary became a part of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America and the Northwestern Minnesota Synod of the ELCA.  Over the years the church building has been remodeled and added to several times. This was necessary to accommodate the growth of Calvary, with now over 1,200 members.