A group met on February 18, 1921 and unanimously decided to organize a new congregation. The new church received the name of the Evangelical Messiah Lutheran Church of Ashtabula, Ohio. It has been called in short - Messiah Lutheran Church.

There were about 200 confirmed members. Rev. Oleen was Capernaum's pastor at the time and he continued to serve both parishes. Rev. Oleen accepted a call in July 1922 to become Messiah's full time pastor. At about the same time, The Rev. E. W. Peterson accepted a call to Capernaum. The parishes then each had their own pastor and the formal relationship between Capernaum and Messiah ended.

Raymond Freeburg of Jamestown, NY was hired as architect to prepare plans for a new church . A bid of $46,950 was accepted for the construction of the new church. Excavation began May 1, 1928. The first service was held in the beautiful new building September 22, 1929.

After 11 years as pastor at Messiah, Rev. Oleen resigned in 1932. The congregation extended a call to C. Oscar Leonardson to become Messiah's second pastor. With Pastor Leonardson's leadership, English became the main language of the congregation. English replaced Swedish, which was the native language of most of the original members. Rev. Leonardson resigned in 1938.

Pastor Carl Moberg was called and began his duties in 1939. He served until 1944. Pastor Wallace Johnson was called and started serving Messiah in 1944. He served until 1950.

Pastor Pettersen retired from active ministry in 1978 and the congregation issued a call to The Rev. Wayne Sherman. Pastor Sherman served until 1991. During his tenure the church's outreach effort improved greatly. The Lend-A-Hand food pantry was established and Messiah's former Parish House became the only homeless shelter between Cleveland and Erie (Samaritan House). Both of these programs continue to serve area residents.

The Rev. Elizabeth Eaton was called in 1991. She served until 2007 when she was called to be Bishop of the Northeast Ohio Synod. During Pastor Eaton's tenure a major restoration of the entire church edifice was accomplished costing nearly $300,000. The Church's outreach effort also expanded with organization of the Station Avenue Task Force which has as a goal the improvement of our troubled neighborhood.