Worship at Bethlehem gradually changed from German to English, with the pastorates of Samuel John (1903-14), G. A. Neumann (1914-28), and Theodore Schmale (1928-51). Congregations who have never made a language shift cannot appreciate how difficult this was. The differences in language tend to build up divisions within the congregation, and many churches have split because of it. In 1904, Pastor John invited Rev. Jacob Pister, a classmate of his and then pastor of Philippus Church in Cincinnati, to come and speak at a Mission Festival. It was the first time a sermon would be preached in English at Bethlehem.
By 1922, the church council meetings were recorded in English, as were the minutes of the Annual Meeting. Regular services in the German language lasted until 1964. The Ladies Aid, which always conducted its meetings in German, kept its organization intact until the celebration of the centennial of the society in October 1971.
The church continued to grow and additions to the church building were built in 1933 and 1966. Church school classes were large and held concurrently with each of the two Sunday morning services. The 1933 addition to the church included Sunday School classrooms and a gym.