St. John's Evangelical Lutheran Church was organized in 1838 by German Lutheran immigrants, primarily from Bavaria and Hesse-Darmstadt, who settled in this vicinity in the 1830s. The congregation, called Neudettelsau, erected a second log church in 1843 in the center of the German Settlement. A split in 1846 led conservative members to build a separate brick church a half mile away, and in 1847 this church became one of the 12 charter members of the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod. Growing membership required a larger brick church on this site in 1860, and in 1878 the two St. John's congregations in the settlement reunited. The current Gothic-style church was designed by G.F. Walker of Cleveland and built by A.M. Fry of Piqua in 1900, with an addition constructed in 1989. The original building cost was $17,043, not including member donations of labor, materials, and furnishings. A parochial school was established in a log building in 1843 and received free books from friends in Germany. After the school was moved into the vacated church, a brick school was built on the current property in 1864. Rising enrollment led to its replacement by a two-story brick school in 1880. After a fire destroyed the school, it was rebuilt in 1937, with later additions. The church and school continue to serve the community.