Previously, it served as the church for the Gimmestad parish, which is part of the Nordfjord prosti (deanery) in the Diocese of Bjørgvin, but now it primarily functions as a museum.

Since 1910, the church has been preserved as a historic site and is occasionally used for religious services or weddings.

[4][5][6] The 1692 building still stands today, representative of typical Norwegian church architecture from the period after the Reformation.

The most significant change occurred around 1720, when the church was painted red and embellished with flower motifs.

In 1910, the new Gimmestad Church was built about 0.6 kilometres (0.37 mi) to the east, closer to the fjord.