Vads kyrka

The church's early medieval origins were confirmed during a 1947–1949 restoration, when the original late twelfth-century foundation was uncovered beneath the present building. Its documented history stretches back to 1302, making it one of the older recorded churches in the region.

In 1724 the old chancel was demolished and replaced with a longer, wider one, extending the church eastward. This rebuilding also brought the current altarpiece, showing the risen Christ holding the cross, flanked by a depiction of Moses with the Ten Commandments on one side; the identity of the figure on the other side is unrecorded. The pulpit, carved with figures of the four evangelists, also dates from the eighteenth century.

Windows were altered more than once in the following century: a new opening was made on the north side and the west gable window enlarged in 1782, followed by larger replacement windows in 1813, which were given painted 'curtain' decoration in 1815.

The timber bell tower is notably old and contains an unusual feature known as a 'bear ladder' (björnstege) — a single stout log running from the tower floor to the bells, with footholds cut into one side and handholds into the other. According to local tradition, this ladder was credited with saving the tower from being replaced by a conventional church tower during the nineteenth century, though this remains a piece of local lore rather than a documented fact. The tower holds two bells: a larger one recast in Örebro in 1805, and a smaller one cast in Skara in 1748.

The church had no organ until 1951, when an eleven-stop instrument was installed — its first. According to one source, until a recent renovation the organ stood on a gallery at the rear of the church.

In the 2000s the building underwent extensive restoration after being found in poor structural condition; a very dry summer had caused serious cracking in the sacristy walls, and much of the masonry had to be rebuilt from new foundations, with the sacristy slightly lengthened. Interior colours were altered during this work — the pews, altarpiece and pulpit were brought into a shared reddish-blue and red scheme — and geothermal heating was installed. The church was reconsecrated on 30 May 2010.