Our Story
It all started at a revival meeting in a barn in Lancaster, PA in 1767. Martin Boehm, a Mennonite preacher, shared his personal story of faith in Christ. After hearing his testimony, a German reformed pastor in attendance, William Otterbein, left his seat, warmly embraced Boehm, and declared loudly, “We are brethren!” From this revival and Boehm and Otterbein’s conviction to prioritize shared personal faith in Christ over dividing theological lines, a new denomination was born: the United Brethren in Christ.
In 1797, Christian Newcomer, an associate of William Otterbein, preached in the Greencastle area. Several years later, when Greencastle incorporated, he preached in the actual town. For 20 years, services were held in the homes of the people who followed the United Brethren.
In 1816 a service held in Peter Hawbaker’s home resulted in a number of conversions and the group then began meeting in the schoolhouse. In 1829, a small frame church was built on North Washington Street, the site of the former First United Methodist Church (now First Church). The movement grew.
In 1889, a major denominational split occurred. The part of the congregation that is now the United Brethren was forbidden (by court injunction) to use the building, so the group of about 40 members started over. They purchased a lot on the corner of Franklin and South Washington Streets and erected a new building. The new church was incorporated under “Radical United Brethren.” The building was remodeled in 1940 but was later outgrown.
In 1963, our current four acre lot was purchased at the corner of Leitersburg and South Allison Streets. The cornerstone was laid in November 1971, the new building was completed, and the congregation moved in. An office addition was added in 1987 and a multipurpose building and remodeling project completed in 1998. In 2025, we expanded our multipurpose room and added a commercial kitchen.
About the United Brethren in Christ Church
The Church of the United Brethren in Christ is a conservative evangelical denomination consisting of about 200 churches in the United States, and an international fellowship of another 560+ churches in 18 countries, including congregations in Canada, Sierra Leone, Jamaica, Honduras, Nicaragua, El Salvador, Mexico, Guatemala, Hong Kong, India, Macau, Thailand, Costa Rica, Haiti, Guatemala, Liberia, France, and Germany.
We trace our beginning to 1767, when a Mennonite evangelist, Martin Boehm, and a German Reformed preacher, William Otterbein, began working together, united by their shared belief in the need for a life-changing conversion experience.
The Church of the United Brethren in Christ is the first denomination to begin in America. Other denominations existed at the time of its founding in the 18th century, but they were transplanted from Europe.
We have shared the same Confession of Faith since 1815, and no changes have been made since 1841. We don’t get hung up on worship styles, methods of baptism, end times scenarios, Bible versions, and a lot of other issues. We stick to the core of the Gospel, desiring unity amidst diversity. As a denomination, we are committed to the Gospel, desiring all to be spiritually alive in Christ; unity, remaining relationally connected to one another; and mission, as we seek to be missionally engaged with the world.
Our denominational headquarters are located in Huntington, Indiana, as is our one denominational college, Huntington University, a Christian liberal arts school with about 1200 students.