It is the main church for the Sokndal parish which is part of the Dalane prosti (deanery) in the Diocese of Stavanger.

Records from the 1600s refer to the church as Sankt Jakobs kirke, so it was likely dedicated to Saint Jacob.

The medieval church stood on the site for centuries and over time it was renovated, repaired, and rebuilt.

Around the turn of the 19th century, the old church was torn down and a new building was constructed on the same site.

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 in Eidsvoll later that year.