The following is from Saleste, Paul H., Ninetieth Anniversary of Saint John's Evangelical and Reformed Church, January 1, 1935.
The minister of this period was Rev. W. Her. He was brought up in the Lutheran church, and was immovable and intolerantly Lutheran-minded. He sought, therefore to break the newly made connection with the "Evangelical Church" in order that they might join some Lutheran Synod. Disagreement and dissention sapped the strength of the church. Again the church marched on bravely in the spirit of its founders, while the pastor failed in his purpose. About twenty-five families however left during his pastorate to organize a German Lutheran Church which still subsists.
The following is from Saleste, Paul H., One Hundred Years of Saint John's Church, Evangelical and Reformed, January 1, 1945. (Spelling and grammar as in the original.)
Then came Pastor W. H. Her. The congregation made an ill-considered choice. He stayed a little over a year. But it was a stormy year. It was his own fault.
I don't think he enjoyed a single day of his ministry. His ambition seemed to have been to break the connection just made, between the congregation and the Evangelical Synod. We should not forget that there were in the church in that day those who had been born, baptized and confirmed in Lutheran, Reformed and Evangelical church traditions, and any narrow-minded pastor would be out of place in such an unmerged assembly of men. But our fathers ha side-tracked these unessential matter of denominational doctrine for the purpose of unity in the "One God, One Lord, One Spirit, One Faith" of the universal church. Tampering with this laudable basis of congregational harmony proved the undoing of this unloved Pastor Her, and he was asked to leave - which he did. That's often helpful to a congregation, but frequently harmful. It is therefore a very happy solution of the matter when we observe that the congregation in its next request for a pastor, turned to the Evangelical Synod. The unpleasant faction left the church and served as a nucleus of a Lutheran Church in our city.