In the late 1830s, German-speaking congregations of the Methodist Episcopal Church (the church's official name from 1784-1939) began to be grouped into a number of geographically defined German conferences. These conferences were divided into districts, which were, in turn, made up of individual congregations. The Northwest German Conference was organized in 1864. It initially included the following districts: Chicago, Galena (IL), Milwaukee, St. Paul, and Red Wing (MN). By 1887 the conference had become so large that an additional conference—^the Northern Central Conference was formed. It consisted of German Methodist districts and congregations in Minnesota, North Dakota, and northern Wisconsin. Administratively the congregations were in a constant state if flux, often transferring their affiliation from district to district, even from conference to conference.

The Northwest German Conference existed until 1933 (by which time it had become the Northwest-Chicago German Conference). At that time its member congregations were absorbed into English-speaking conferences of the Methodist Episcopal Church. The Northern German Conference remained in existence until 1924. Its Minnesota congregations also were absorbed by English-speaking conferences - the Minnesota Conference and the Northern Minnesota Conference.