Zion was founded in 1913 as a Home Mission Church of the Evangelical Synod of North America. Forty-five persons (who were predominately of German ancestry) attended the first worship service held in the Oklahoma City courthouse for a rental fee of $1.50 per Sunday. In the ensuing years, Zion went through many location changes and also denominational changes. By the time the church celebrated its fiftieth anniversary in 1963, it had been part of the ecumenical movements of four denominations (Evangelical, Reformed, Congregational Christian churches, and the United Church of Christ.) It was this background that made an aging congregation (the median age was sixty-five) open to uniting with the Northwest Presbyterian Church.

Northwest Presbyterian was established in 1959 when twenty-eight families first worshipped at the lone Y.W.C.A. Northwest membership consisted of young, upwardly mobile families. An average stay in Oklahoma City for these families was two and one-half years. This did not contribute to stability for Northwest.

The union would bring together two congregations that needed each other. Northwest brought youth and vitality to the union and Zion provided experience and financial stability. The marriage of these two churches took place in January 1977, and Church of the Savior was formed. Spiritually committed members of both denominations created a new polity that satisfied both denominations. The 230 members of Northwest, 140 members from Zion, the Presbyterian senior pastor, John Ed Withers, and a newly called associate pastor from the United Church of Christ, Eldon Schmidt, all became full-fledged members of the denominations.

A new sanctuary at the Northwest site was built to accommodate projected growth. An Activity Center was also built for youth activities. The Child Care Center was retained as a church local mission and housed in its original space at Northwest.