The city "Gelsenkirchen" has the "church" in its name. This church was a predecessor of the Protestant old town church. According to tradition, the first church was built around the year 1000 on the highest and flood-free elevation of the village of Gelsenkirchen, which was dedicated to St. George and was equipped with rich property. The church was expanded around 1250, and there is evidence of a beguinage in Gelsenkirchen in 1298. In the 15th century, the central building was replaced by a three-aisled hall church.
The external shape, however, remained unchanged until 1882.
After the industrialization after 1850, the population grew so rapidly that the small church was insufficient despite the larger galleries and three Sunday services. Therefore, it was decided to demolish the old church and build a new one in its place. It was planned in 1882 by master builder Zindel from Essen and inaugurated two and a half years later. The direction of the church was rotated by 180 degrees for reasons not mentioned, where the tower was previously, the choir was now and vice versa. According to the rules of the time, the church was built in the neo-Gothic style.
Destroyed in the hail of bombs on November 6, 1944, after lengthy negotiations with the city, which led to the tower being rotated again (this time by 90 degrees), the new foundation stone was laid on September 19, 1954. The church was occupied in March 1956, it has 1,100 seats to this day and an unobstructed view of the pulpit and the altar from all seats. All lines lead without distraction to the pulpit and altar. The tower encases that of the old church, which in turn rests on the foundations of the first church - so the relationship to the earlier churches in this place is hidden inside.