Located in the village of Nesland, it is one of the churches for the Vinje og Nesland parish which is part of the Øvre Telemark prosti (deanery) in the Diocese of Agder og Telemark.

The choir was unusually high, raised several steps above the floor of the nave.

[3][4] Eventually, after several centuries in use, the church was deemed to be too small for the parish.

Landstad wrote about the church saying: "[it made] a strange impression.

The sparse lighting, the narrow room, the choir's unusual height above the nave, the unusual paint applied to the walls and ceiling, and above all the impression that one was in the same, probably very little changed, surroundings, among which the fathers of 600 years ago sat in devotional assembly, and where, according to all reasonableness, the first Christian born in this place had worshipfully bowed his knees to the Lord.