Through an almost continuous succession of ministers, St. John's first pastor Andrew Henkel, could trace his ancestry back to the days of the reformation. With such a heritage, it is little wonder that Andrew and his father Paul were not only interested in establishing new congregations but also in uniting them for mutual strength.In 1818, the Henkels and other nearby Lutheran pastors formed a Conference. Meeting at Somerset, the Conference elected Paul Henkel as it's secretary. Eventually the Conference grew into the Joint Synod of Ohio and other states. Not many years after the Conference was formed, its pastors saw the need of a theological seminary. While he was still pastor of St. John's Andrew Henkel was one of the three pastors appointed to investigate the possibility of establishing such a seminary. When it was organized, he became one of is first directors.Thus St. John's first pastors played an important role in the growth of Lutheranism in Central Ohio. By 1835 the congregation had become a part of the Miami synod which on April 11, 1899, during the pastorate of C.W. Sifferd, held its annual meeting in St. John's church. In time the Miami Synod became a part of the General Synod and in the present century this became the Synod of Ohio of the United Luthera Church in America. In 1961, this became part of a merger forming the Lutheran Church in America of which St. John's was a member until it merged with the American Lutheran Church and the Evangelical Lutheran Church becoming the present Evangelical Lutheran Church in America with over 5 million members.In 1991 St. John's for reasons explained in the previous Chapter withdrew its membership from the ELCA and became a member of the American Association of Lutheran Churches.
