St. John History

The congregation of St. John Lutheran Church is a devoted family of Christians called together by God to invite all persons to God's love through Jesus Christ and share God's vision for the world. As inheritors of a legacy of over 250 years of continuous ministry and community service, we dedicate ourselves to perpetuating this rich heritage. The congregation of St. John welcomes people of all identities to a nurturing and supportive environment in which together they can worship, learn, serve, share the Word and sacraments, and celebrate the passages of life.


St. John was founded in 1769 and is located on Skippack Pike in the Blue Bell area of Whitpain Township, Pennsylvania.  During the American Revolution, the troops of  George Washington's Continental Army used the church as a hospital.  Those soldiers who did not survive are buried in the church's cemetery.  The original church building (no longer standing) was built on this site in 1771.  The current  church was built on the site of the original building in 1834.  The school building was erected in 1955, expanded in 1999, and further renovations connecting the two and adding offices was completed in 2001.

 
Our congregation is one of more than 9,000 in the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America.  The ELCA is the largest Lutheran denomination in the U.S. with over 4 million members.  Churchwide offices are located in Chicago and the ELCA is currently led by Presiding Bishop Elizabeth Eaton.  There are 160 ELCA member churches in the Southeastern Pa. Synod, headquartered  at United Lutheran Seminary (Mt. Airy), and currently led by Bishop Bryan Penman.