History

In 1894, members of the German Evangelical Church perceived the need for a mission Sunday school to serve the youth on the southside of Indianapolis. This storefront mission expanded, and on July 13, 1896, the German Evangelical St. John’s Church congregation was founded. By August 1897, the first church building was built and occupied in the Fountain Square neighborhood. After many years of ministry to the near south side, St. John’s was forced to relocate due to the construction of highways I-65 and I-70. True to its past, the congregation first constructed and opened an educational wing in 1963, followed by the addition of a sanctuary in 1972. The current building, on the southwest corner of U.S. 31 and Southport Road, has served as a bulwark for Christian faith,  fellowship, and service for its members and the surrounding neighborhood for over half a century.

During the 20th century, denominational mergers resulted in name changes for St. John’s. The German Evangelical and German Reformed churches merged in 1934. In 1957, the Evangelical and Reformed Church merged with the Congregational Christian Churches to form the United Church of Christ. As a member of the United Church of Christ, St. John’s is guided by the motto of the denomination, “That they may all be one,” and by its constitution which says in part:

“The United Church of Christ acknowledges as its sole Head, Jesus Christ, Son of God and Savior. It acknowledges as kindred in Christ all who share in this confession. It looks to the Word of God in the Scriptures, and to the presence and power of the Holy Spirit, to prosper it’s creative and redemptive work in the world. It claims as its own the faith of the historic Church expressed in the ancient creeds and reclaimed in the basic insights of the Protestant Reformers. It affirms the responsibility of the Church in each generation to make this faith its own in reality of worship, in honesty of thought and expression, and in purity of heart before God. In accordance with the teaching of our Lord and the practice prevailing among evangelical Christians, it recognizes two sacraments: Baptism and the Lord’s Supper or Holy Communion.”

Even as the United Church of Christ guides and supports the denomination, individual churches retain autonomy in worship and ministry with their own congregations.

We believe that “God is still speaking” — that God still has a lot more to say. We extend welcome to all because no matter who you are, or where you are on life’s journey, you are welcome at St. John’s United Church of Christ.