St. John Lutheran Church History

For over 150 years, St. John Lutheran Church has stood as a cornerstone of faith in Berlin, Wisconsin. Our history is a testimony to God’s faithfulness as he has brought us through many changes and generations to continue sharing him in word, deed, and sacrament.

The seeds of St. John were planted in the 1860s by German immigrants who settled in the Fox River Valley. Seeking a place to worship in their native tongue and raise their children in the Lutheran faith, these pioneers formally established the congregation in 1867. In 1868, construction began on our first church building. From our inception, education was inseparable from worship; the first church also came with a first classroom in its basement.

By the time the building was finished in 1872, the congregation was growing. In 1877, Pastor Proehl introduced the first Sunday School. Through the 1880s, St. John had had a number of pastors, but as the century drew to a close, the leadership of Rev. C.F. Ebert and teacher Albert Mueller provided a season of stability that allowed our mission to flourish.

By the turn of the century, St. John had outgrown its original walls. In 1901, the congregation dedicated a large, new brick church seating 350 parishioners; the original church building was converted entirely into a school.

In 1907, Rev. Krueger came to St. John and stayed nearly thirty years. He saw the congregation through the significant cultural shifts of the early 20th century. In 1921, St. John held its first English services once a month, though German remained the primary language. By 1926, the transition was well underway, with English used at every service. The church continued to grow, and the balcony had to be expanded to accommodate the added worshippers.

The school continued to thrive as well; they hired a second teacher in 1924. Following World War II, the baby boom fueled a physical expansion of the school in 1949—the "old part" of our current school facility still dates back to this era. Enrollment surged so quickly that a third classroom was opened in 1956, followed by two more in 1958.

In 1973, St. John called Pastor David Meyer, who would become a beloved and long-standing figure in our history. Under his leadership, the school reached a milestone enrollment of 150 students in 1976, necessitating yet another three-classroom addition.

By the mid-1980s, St. John had become such a large, bustling family that an associate pastor, Rev. Eckardt, was called to assist. By the late 1990s, the congregation was quite literally "bursting at the seams” so as Pastor Meyer prepared for retirement and leadership transitioned to Pastor Hinrichs, the congregation began a new building project.

In 1998, we broke ground on our current church across the street from the old building. While the building was new, the heart of the old sanctuary was carefully preserved and carried across the road. To walk into our sanctuary today is to see our history:

• The original stained-glass windows were restored and reinstalled.
• Bricks from the old church were placed behind the chancel to form a distinctive cross.
• The altar, lectern, pulpit, and communion rail were all restored and reused.
• The organ was updated and moved to its new home.

Every long history has its seasons of challenge, and the transition following the retirement of the popular Pastor Meyer and the stress of the construction of the new church saw a period of membership decline. However, God is faithful. Over the last fifteen years, St. John has entered a season of stability and renewed growth.

Today, our membership and school enrollment are slowly and steadily increasing. We remain a place where the true Word of God is spoken and where His love, mercy, and Sacraments are freely given. We thank God for all He has done for St. John Lutheran Church and School, and we look forward to where He leads us next.