The church was built in ten months from 1907 to 1908. Its model was the much older stave churches of Norway. Prof. Karl Mohrmann, consistorial master builder of the Hanoverian regional church, drew inspiration from Nordic churches, but adapted the size and design to the needs of the congregation. Thus, the Hahnenklee Stave Church, with its 240 seats, is larger than its Norwegian counterparts, and the relatively large windows allow plenty of light into the interior.
The local craftsmen used spruce wood from the surrounding area as building material, which also made construction more cost-effective than the originally planned neo-Gothic brick building.
Many elements of the architectural style are reminiscent of shipbuilding, even somewhat of Viking ships with their numerous dragons on the roof and in the decorations. The chandelier is modeled after a ship's wheel.