The first Lutheran service held in Dayton, of which there is any record, took place June 19, 1813.  The Reverend Jacob Scherer, a missionary from North Carolina visited this area.  He reported the spiritual condition of Ohio as being very dark and unpromising.  Not until 1839 was there a successful effort to organize a Lutheran congregation in Dayton.  This seems strange, because there were Lutheran congregations in the surrounding area.  Why the county seat was bypassed is unknown.