Forest Hill, Sydenham and Crystal Palace housed one of the major German communities in London, composed mostly of wealthy merchants, with a sprinkling of musicians and artists.

The German Evangelical Church was founded in temporary accommodation in 1875, and the church was built in 1883.

Dietrich Bonhoeffer was the pastor from 1933 to 1935 and the church was named after him at the end of World War II. It was bombed during the war, and rebuilt.