Johnson was baptized into the Church of Christ by Sidney Rigdon in February 1831. Joseph Smith and Emma Hale Smith moved into the Johnson family home on September 12, 1831. Johnson was then ordained an elder on October 25, 1831 and a high priest of the church on November of that same year. In response to a revelation given on January 25, 1832, Johnson joined Orson Pratt on an evangelizing mission which took them through the eastern United States. The two were successful preachers and brought many converts to Mormonism on this and other missions.
