The origins of the Minnesota Iowa Baptist Conference are in Sweden in the mid-19th century. A strong movement of Bible reading in homes began to change people's lives away from the religious nominalism of the day. Many of these lasare, or readers, immigrated to the U.S. to avoid the persecution they were receiving from the state church. Once here, these devout and visionary leaders began to organize churches in Waconia, Houston and Chisago Lakes, Minnesota. Their movement thrived and soon there were significant numbers of Swedish Baptist churches in settlements across Minnesota.

When immigration slowed, the church growth also slowed. However, after WWII, this declining, mostly Swedish group reinvented itself and became one of the fastest growing evangelical groups in America.

In the Spring of 2010, Minnesota and Iowa Baptist Conference churches voted to merge the two regions to create one larger region. Minnesota had 175 churches in the conference and then added the Iowa churches for a grand total of 240 churches.

Today, the Minnesota Iowa Baptist Conference churches set the pace of growth in the Baptist General Conference and among evangelicals in Minnesota and Iowa.