St. John's Lutheran Church has a long history in the Iowa County area. The first pastor was the Rev. George Bayer, a native of Bavaria, Germany. He was installed at St. Martin’s Lutheran Church on October 22, 1882, and, at the request of a group of Lutherans in Marengo, began conducting services here in the early part of 1883. Pastor Bayer served St. John’s until 1919. A congregation was organized on April 26, 1885 under the name of St. John’s Evangelical Lutheran Church of Marengo, Iowa. For many years the congregation met in the St. John’s Reformed Church building on Eastern Avenue.

On February 22, 1903 the congregation bought the old Presbyterian church on Eastern Avenue for the sum of $1,500. It was used by the congregation for nearly 49 years and was renovated many times during those years. Finally, its age together with the growing need for better facilities for an ever-increasing congregation, made a new church building a necessity.



In 1952 a new building was complete and has served as our worship facilities to the present.

An education wing was added to the building in the early 1970s.