Lutheran immigrants, from various parts of Sweden and some from Norway, had settled near Annandale in the year 1886 or before. Pastors Gustaf Petetson of Stockholm and J.A. Levine of Cokato had made home missionary journeys preaching the word of God to them. It was in order to provide for spiritual needs for these pioneer men and women that the ministry of St John's Lutheran Church was established. There are descendants of the charter members, who are members of the present church.

The name of the original church was The Swedish Evangelical Lutheran St. John's Church of South Side. In 1887 a building committee of five persons was given the task of preparing plans for the building of a church. This building was on the northeast corner of Harrison and 3rd. On May 10, 1959 ground was broken to build a new church building at the present site; In 1972 a new educational wing was added to complete the building.

The Church Register of the original church records 38 communicants and 30 children (68 baptized members). The services were held in the Swedish language (except for funerals) until 1918. In the early 20th century the growth of the congregation remained fairly constant as the 1914 annual report showed that. The congregation had grown to 170 baptized members and the 1945 annual report shows 191 baptized members. In the 1997 pictorial directory, baptized members were 950. At the end of the year 2000 St. John's had a baptized membership of 1,225. On December 16, 2001, the current sanctuary building was dedicated. In 2006, St. John's had a baptized membership of 1,449.

By 2024, it had become clear that St. John’s building could no longer fully meet the needs of a growing and vibrant congregation. Classrooms were overcrowded, meeting spaces were limited, and fellowship areas were stretched beyond capacity. Accessibility also needed improvement, and not all of our ministries were under one roof—our youth, for example, had to meet in the education building across the parking lot. These challenges highlighted the need for a more welcoming, unified, and functional space for ministry.

In March 2024, the Making Room campaign was launched to address these needs and create facilities that reflected St. John’s values of hospitality, discipleship, and service. The vision included a new education wing, larger gathering areas, additional meeting rooms, a drive-through canopy, and accessibility upgrades so that all people could feel at home in our church.

That fall, the project faced an unexpected challenge when Vanman Architects and Builders furloughed staff midway through the design process. Although this caused delays, the congregation remained steadfast, trusting God’s guidance and moving forward with prayer, generosity, and perseverance. Architectural plans were eventually completed, and momentum was renewed.

On April 20, 2025, St. John’s joyfully broke ground with D.J. Kranz as the general contractor. After months of anticipation and hard work, construction was completed in September 2025.

The expanded facilities now stand as a testimony to God’s faithfulness and the dedication of the congregation. What once felt cramped and divided has been transformed into space for learning, worship, fellowship, and outreach—bringing our community together under one roof and preparing the way for generations to come.