During the 1880’s and 1890’s a large tide of immigration from Sweden began and the first Swedes arrived in Stamford about 1879. A Lutheran congregation had been organized in Bridgeport in 1885 and their pastor began holding services in Stamford. The St. Johannes Society was organized in 1889, meeting in local churches. On September 11, 1891, St. John’s Lutheran Church was officially organized as a mission congregation with twenty-six members. Services were held at St. John’s Episcopal Church.

In 1892 land was purchased on St. John’s place; the cornerstone was laid on January 1, 1894, and dedication of the building was on December 13, 1896. A pipe organ was installed in 1906, half of the cost having been donated by Andrew Carnegie.

Services were at first conducted in Swedish but over the years English was spoken every other Sunday. In time Swedish was used only one Sunday a month; this practice continued into the 1940’s. In 1923 the land under the building was sold, and the church was moved across Main Street on blocks and rollers drawn by horses to a plot on Grove Street three blocks away. A sacristy and Council Room were added and a basement was built. At this time there were 195 communicants and 65 children.

During those early years the congregation was served by many pastors, all for short periods. In 1925 Pastor Nore Gustafson accepted a call and served until 1944. During his tenure membership increased to 353 communicants and 71 children, and St. John’s became self-supporting, no longer requiring mission aid..

In 1944 Pastor Bernhard Johnson was installed and he served until 1981. Property was purchased on Newfield Avenue and our present sanctuary was dedicated in September 1954. St. John’s made news at this time when the Grove Street building was sold to a Jewish Reform congregation. For about six months the two groups shared the building, until the Newfield Avenue building was finished. The large portrait of Jesus Christ was covered on Fridays when the temple held services and then uncovered for the Lutheran Sunday service. This was an unusual relationship for the time and two congregations developed mutual friendship and respect.

Eventually the Jewish group built their own temple and sole the Grove Street property to the Roman Catholic Diocese of Bridgeport. It became the parish of Our Lady of Monserrat for Spanish-speaking people. The land was sold to Stamford developers in 1986 and the building was demolished after a joint service of remembrance shared by all three religious bodies.

In 1958 an education and parish hall wing was added to the building and in 1974 the Ina-Ellen chapel was dedicated, completing the physical plant. In 1981 Pastor Dennis Albrecht began his ministry. Throughout the history of the church there have been many active organizations-Sunday School, Junior and Senior choirs, men’s and women’s groups and youth ministry. In the early years many of their activities were fund raising meatball dinners and smorgasbords, fairs, Christmas tree sales, etc. but the emphasis today is on worship, Bible study and service projects as well as fellowship. The use of the church building is also offered to many groups as a ministry to the community-Boy Scouts, Red Cross, AARP, AA, and Literacy Volunteers.

The education wing also houses the Gray Farms Nursery School, established in 1954 with a mission to serve both church and community. It is a state-licensed and nationally accredited nursery school with 50 full- and part-time children in attendance.

In celebration of the 100th anniversary of the founding of St. John’s a Heritage Fund was established. This was a challenge fund: for every dollar donated to a special fund for renewal of the physical property, two dollars (to a maximum of $200,000) was set aside from the St. John’s Endowment Fund for special outreach during the 1991 anniversary year. This goal was met and outreach gifts were made to a variety of service organizations. These included Bethphage Mission, the Philadelphia Seminary and New England Synod mission partners as well as many local organizations dealing with mental illness, hospice care, counseling, care of the homeless, drug abuse and prison visitation.

In 1993 a memorial garden, The Courtyard, was established next to the chapel. This gives families an opportunity to memorialize former members by the installation of bronze plaques, either incorporated into the surface of the terrace or affixed to the exterior Chapel wall.

In 1995 a custom-crafted Richards Fowkes tracker organ was installed in the balcony of the sanctuary. The tonal design was inspired by 17th and 18th century organs of northern Europe. It has 2419 pipes, divided into 49 ranks.

In 1999, St. John’s called the Rev. Scott L. Harris as pastor. In addition to Pastor Harris, Dr. Stephen Rapp serves as Director of Music. The congregation counts some 560 baptized members.

In the fall of 2000, St. John’s Council adopted the following Mission Statement:
Confident in the knowledge that Christ is with us always, we, the members of St. John’s Lutheran Church, are called as disciples of Christ to worship God, proclaim the Gospel, grow in our understanding of Holy Scripture, love one another, and share with others God’s grace and blessings.