St. John's was founded in 1880 by a small group known as Bethel Lutheran Church that met in a log cabin church north of Frankenmuth as early as 1865; a small group known as St. Paul's Lutheran Church that met in a school house near Birch Run; and a few members of St. Lorenz Lutheran Church in Frankenmuth. The 22 charter voting members built a white frame church in 1880 in the heart of town. Pastor August Kerhberg started the first Sunday School in Frankenmuth at St. John's in 1948.
As early as the mid 1960's, St. John's Congregation realized the need for expanding its church buildings to include more space for Christian education, fellowship and offices. A new Parish Center was constructed and dedicated in 1970 behind the old white frame church at 205 West Tuscola Street. Plans then included the possibility of building a new church on the same site. Ten years later we realized we either had to remodel and build on to the old church or construct a new one. Extensive remodeling plans were drawn up but it seemed wiser to relocate. Land for expansion was limited and very expensive at that site. Under the leadership of Mr. John Koester, an ideal relocation site was found on Genesee Street and Block Road, exactly one mile east of Main Street. In 1985 we purchased the forty acre farm from Mrs. Agnes Weber. It formerly belonged to Stephan and Emma Knoll. Several old beams and some siding from the old barn are being saved for decorative purposes in our building project.
Our new buildings are situated on the front twelve acres of the forty acre farm. These twelve acres have been annexed into the City of Frankenmuth, giving us city water and sewer. The back twenty-eight acres will continue to be farmed and will remain in Frankenmuth Township. A softball diamond, soccer field, picnic pavilion and service garage are in the plans to be constructed behind the Parish Center
The Lord has graciously permitted us to complete our new Parish Center which is phase one of our building relocation program. It contains our new church offices and work-rooms, a library, and three full-sized classrooms that can be divided for Sunday School and School of Religion classes. The classrooms also serve as meeting rooms for St. John's Youth For Christ, Ladies Aid, Sewing Circle, Men's Club, Choir, and Altar Guild. The large fellowship hall/gymnasium is truly multi-purpose and can be used for basketball and volleyball. A well-equipped adjoining kitchen makes it very useful for fellowship dinners. The mechanical system above the kitchen area provides heating and air conditioning for the entire Parish Center and will also air condition the new Church. Future classrooms can be added to the north and west of the Parish Center.
During the construction of the church, the fellowship hall also served as a worship center for all of our church services. A large floor to ceiling net could be drawn across the front of the worship area to protect the organ, altar and other items used for worship when the gym is being used for recreational purposes. The old altar, baptismal font, flower stands, lectern and hymn boards were completely refurbished by Duain and Sally Avery and help to make the fellowship hall look very much like a place of worship until our New Church was completed.
The new Parish Center was almost a year in construction. We broke ground in September 1996, and moved into the building in August 1997, holding our first services on the weekend of August 17. Now we are eagerly awaiting construction of the new Church
Phase two of our building relocation program was the building of a new church. The Church shares a common entry/foyer with the Parish Center. It is located to the southeast, in front of the Parish Center, toward the intersection of Genesee Street and Block Road. The Church is designed with fan-shaped seating for about four hundred worshipers. It has a large gathering space with a balcony above it for the organ and choir. A Heritage Chapel for small weddings and funerals can also be used for overflow seating. It can also serve as a classroom/lecture room. The Heritage Chapel was an ideal place for our old white alter and other historical items from our old church on Tuscola Street. The first services in our new church were held on the weekend of August 26-27, 2000. Dedication of our new church was on Sunday, October 8, 2000.