The Philadelphia congregation, after its re-organization by Pastor Mühlenberg in 1743, was known as the German Evangelical Lutheran Saint Michael's congregation, until the building of the large church at the corner of Fourth and Cherry streets, in 1766, when the corporate title became The German Lutheran Congregation in and near the City of Philadelphia in the Province of Pennsylvania.

The parent (St. Michael's) church stood at the North-East corner of Fifth Street and Apple Tree Alley, a small thoroughfare north of Arch street, a location at that time well out of town. The lot extended northwards to Cherry (Alley) Street, and was used for burial purposes. This was known as Der St. Michaels Kirchhof, where such members were buried as could afford to pay for their graves; the poorer ones found a resting place in den Allgemeinen Kirchhof as it is called in the old records (Pastor's Field). The site of this "General Burying Ground" of days gone by is now the beautiful Washington Square, in the very heart of Philadelphia, a spot still covered by soft green sward, while the three consecrated God's Acres of the congregation, as well as the sites of the two historic churches, have been obliterated, and the ground covered by commercial establishments.

The grave-yard beside the church served the congregation until 1759, about seven hundred human bodies having been buried within that small space. In the latter year another piece of land was bought upon the opposite side of Cherry street. This site was later covered by the William H. Horstmann & Sons factory. In this small piece of ground, over twenty-five hundred human bodies were interred within the next sixteen years.

A third, large graveyard, between Race and Vine and Eighth and Franklin streets, was purchased in 1776, and served the congregation until about the year 1866, when the ground was sold and used for commercial purposes. The present Zion church is built upon a part of this ground.