Johann Schreiber was born in 1832 in Maugenhard, Baden-Württemberg, Germany. In his teens, he moved with his family to Illinois in 1847. A few years later, a religious service in Adeline, Illlinois convinced him to join the Evangelical Association and become a pastor.

After serving circuits in Illinois, Nebraska, and Iowa, Schreiber arrived in Kansas in 1863, not long after it officially became a state. He was a founding member of the Kansas Conference of the Evangelical Assocation.

In 1860, Schreiber married Mary Fisher. Together, they had nine children.

Schreiber continued to serve as a pastor in Kansas for 34 years, until his death in 1896. He is buried in Leonardville, Kansas.