History

The history of St. John's Lutheran church begins with Zion Lutheran Church of Plum Creek Township, just southeast of Burt. The congregation was organized there from 1887-1912. At the time the congregation dissolved, the property was divided between two congregations. Trinity, Algona received the church building and the parsonage was dismantled to use the lumber in building the parsonage and parish house of St. John's, where a majority of the Plum Creek members formed St. John's. The old cemetary still marks the spot where Zion Lutheran once was.

A Lutheran service was held in the Burt theatre building, on May 9, 1912, followed by Lutheran services held every other Sunday in the Presbyterian Church building. St. John's was formally organized on January 1, 1913, and in 1915, a church building was purchased from the Fenton Lutheran Church and moved to Burt. In 1921, St. John's became a voting member of the LCMS, and Ladies Aid was started.

In 1929, the building moved from Fenton was torn down and the present building was built. The new entryway was added and the basement remodeled in 1963. In 1987, the parish house was torn down and the new addition with classrooms and officers was built. In 1992, an outdoor worship area was constructed with field stones from members farms.

St. John's settled on a set order of service in 1930, and when new hymnals were published in 1941 and 1978, they purchased them the same year. In 1989, St. John's purchased the Missouri Synod hymnal, Lutheran Worship, which had been published in 1982. St. John's currently uses this hymnal along with hymns borrowed from the Hymmal Supplement 1998 and the recently released Lutheran Service Book.