When the chapel was itself outgrown, de Pencier authorized the building of a wood-frame church on the property at the corner of Granville Street and Nanton Avenue in 1925.

[4] It was designed in a late Art Deco style by prominent Vancouver architect George Lister Thornton Sharp, whose other works included the Victory Square monument and the Burrard Street Bridge.

The church was built as a war memorial church “that it be a joyful song unto the Lord; and that it stand as a memorial honouring all Vancouver’s sons and daughters who answer the call to serve their country.”[2] Two hundred thousand dollars was raised from the parish and from across lower mainland B.C.

[5] A year after Robinson's arrival, Packer took an appointment at Regent College, where he remained for the rest of his life.

Packer, considered one of the preeminent evangelical theologians,[7] received an appointment as honorary assistant priest at St. John's, which he held until 2008.

Future Saskatchewan Bishop Tony Burton said that Robinson took over "a moribund, complacent small congregation, and at considerable personal cost set it on the path to becoming Canada's largest Anglican community, and one of its liveliest and most creative.

"[6] By the time Robinson retired in 1992, St. John's had grown to an average weekly attendance of 800 and was widely reported to be the largest Anglican church in Canada.

[5][9] The Southern Cone agreed to provide primatial oversight for traditionalist Anglican churches in Canada as an interim step to creating an eventual parallel province in North America.

[25] By 2021, St. John's had grown to 80–100 in weekly attendance, still far below the pre-schism levels but reaching medium-sized parish status in the diocese.

[25] The 1990 renovation uncovered gray Roman brick above the bullet windows and in bands on the church, as well as red tile sills, that were among "much of the fine detailing of this Gothic-inspired moderne church" that had been hidden by a layer of asphalt siding installed shortly after construction for weatherproofing.

Today, the lady chapel on the south side of the nave is used for the traditional-language early Sunday Holy Communion service.

The north side chapel was converted to flexible space for families with children or pre-function purposes.

It was designed by prominent Canadian stained glass artist Yvonne Williams and was installed and dedicated in 1951 “in loving memory of all those who fell in the world wars in service of their country."

The window depicts Christ on the cross with the words “Lift up your hearts” inscribed in an arch beneath him.

Beneath the cross, two disciples kneel before a communion table containing a chalice with rays of light shining on it.

Stained glass windows in the street-facing west wall of the bell tower depict St. Michael and St. George.

[2] St. John's is one of only a few modern Art Deco buildings on the Vancouver Heritage Register, where it is listed as a C-class entry so classified for its character and contextual significance.