It is located in the village of Nordland on the northern side of the island of Værøya.

It used to be the main church for the Værøy parish which is part of the Bodø domprosti (deanery) in the Diocese of Sør-Hålogaland.

Around the year 1599, the old church building was either heavily repaired or torn down and rebuilt.

In 1750, the church was described as a low, wooden building with bracing beams on the north side to help strengthen the wall.

Each church parish was a constituency that elected people called "electors" who later met together in each county to elect the representatives for the assembly that was to meet at Eidsvoll Manor later that year.