Through 150 years the congregation ~ worshipers and ministers alike ~ has frequently included national leaders. In the past 50 years, St John's has experienced growth and decline, controversy and consolidation. Sometimes these periods have coincided with national trends and global events. More often St John's has gone its own way. The soaring wooden steeple of settler days is dwarfed by towering 21st century structures, but it still stands out from the crowd.