Church History

In 1902 the Reverend E.P. Meyer of Squirrel, Idaho, sensed the opportunity and realized the necessity for a of beginning a mission program in Idaho Falls. In 1909 he was officially installed as a Missionary Pastor to Idaho Falls and to the surrounding vicinity, after having served the community for several years as a visiting Pastor. He built up the congregation to a communicant membership of eighteen by the time he accepted a call to Memo, South Dakota.

In the spring of 1913 Reverend William Jaeger came to Idaho Falls and surrounding territories as a missionary. It was during his work in Idaho Falls that these Lutheran people organized into a congregation on December 28, 1913. The congregation was using the old Swedish Lutheran Church on alternate Sundays.

In 1922 a small frame church was constructed on the corner of Seventh and Emerson. It was dedicated in the same year. The present church is located on the same ground.

Another important phase of St. John Lutheran Church's progress was its acceptance into the Missouri Synod in 1933. No longer was this Church a separate entity but it had now become an integral part of a large Synod.

In November of 1948 the ground was broken for a new church building. Reverend Roland Koch of Pocatello was the guest speaker for the cornerstone laying service on Sunday, May 14, 1949. On November 20, 1949, the last service was held in the old church building and the first service in the basement of the new church building was held November 24, 1949. The old church building was sold and moved on May 3, 1950.

On November 8, 1958, St. John's dedicated the new educational wing. This wing contained two kindergarten rooms, restrooms, janitors closet, kindergarten teachers' office, stairs and a West entrance. All the Sunday School rooms and office, closet and the fireside room were on the lower level. In the early 1970's, St. John's no longer offered the kindergarten classes and the two class rooms were then used as an over-flow room and a Senior Youth room.

Reverend Hugo Hein was called to serve St. John as Pastor and was installed on February 6, 1983. Due to the increasing size of St. John's congregation and the potential out-reach in the community the decision was made to extend a call for a second Pastor for St. John. Reverend Bruce Neff was called in January of 1986 and was installed on March 23, 1986.

Many changes have occurred between the years 1985 and the present time. In April of 1985, Braille Work Center #185 became operational here at St. John's. The parsonage was sold. The Pastor studies and the church secretaries' office were centralized in one area.

Under the guidance of the Holy Spirit and the blessings of our loving God, St. John's has grown from 18 communicant members to more than 550 members. Our Church Constitution reads: "The purpose of this congregation shall be to seek the honor and glory of God, to carry out His will, to express and show forth the unity of our faith in Jesus Christ as God and Savior, to spread the kingdom of God and to build up one another in Christian fellowship and love, by preaching of the Word of God, by the administration of Sacraments, and by the religious instruction of all its members according to the confessional standard of the Evangelical Lutheran Church."

God continues to bless St. John's with all the necessary spiritual gifts in her Pastors and lay people to carry out this purpose and thereby to carry out His great commission as found in (Matthew 28:19, 20).