The origins of the church go back to 1947, when the Vilan Chapel Foundation was established to gather local interest and funding for a future church building in the district. It took some fifteen years for the project to come to fruition: building work finally began in August 1962, with the firm of Herman Olsson as main contractor and Filip Lundgren as architect.
The church and its parish house were consecrated on 18 August 1963 by Bishop Martin Lindström. As a purpose-built mid-twentieth-century district church, its architecture is plain and functional rather than monumental, reflecting the practical needs of a growing residential area rather than any older ecclesiastical tradition.
Inside, the chancel wall is decorated with artwork by Ralph Bergholtz and Randi Fisher, giving the otherwise simple interior a distinctive focal point. The church also has a mechanical organ, built in 1968 by the Mölnlycke firm A. Magnussons Orgelbyggeri.
From 1 January 2014 Vilans kyrka became part of the wider Kristianstad pastorate, reflecting broader administrative changes affecting many local parishes in the area rather than anything specific to this building.