Our History

The Campbellsville Christian Church traces its roots to the old Mt. Gilead Christian Church that was organized in 1820 in Green County. The first Christian Church meetings in Campbellsville began in October 1839 (some reports are in 1834). The church building was located in what is presently the Brookside Cemetery. Tradition has it that this building was used for a hospital during the Civil War. The church disbanded during this period and did not re-organize until 1884.

In the spring of 1884 a group of concerned Christians called a meeting on March 30 at the Methodist Church located on Main Street. The purpose of this meeting was to organize a Christian Church in Campbellsville. Arrangements were made to reimburse the Methodist congregation for expense incurred on the Sundays they used their church building. Bro. W.L. Williams was chosen as preacher for one Sunday in each month.

On August 31, 1884, a meeting was held at which the church board instructed the trustees to purchase property for the erection of a church building. A lot on Lebanon Avenue was purchased for $200 and Rod Jeter was contracted to construct the building. Soon thereafter a beautiful frame building with an impressive belfry and Gothic windows was erected. This building which stood at what is now the corners of Broadway and Lebanon Avenue was in the exact location where Medicine Centre Pharmacy is presently located. It faced Lebanon Avenue. The building served the congregation for several years.

Early in the year 1915, plans were made to build the present house of worship. The lot on the east side of Lebanon Avenue between Maple and Second Street was purchased for $4,000. A beautiful floor plan, known as the “Akron Plan,” with the pulpit in the corner and the seats arranged in a fan shape, was designed by a Mr. Greene. The building, constructed by J.C. Miller, was considered one of the most unusual and beautiful in the state. While the church structure remains the same as it originally was, many extensive improvements have been made through the years.

From 1974 to the present, the church has purchased several pieces of property to expand parking. The Family Life Center was constructed in 1989 and the Education/Office building in 1998 (the parsonage was razed for this project.) In 2005 a ten-year plan was announced to enlarge and enhance the fellowship, educational and worship areas. Phase One was completion of the third floor of the Education Building, including an elevator. Phase Two enlarged the kitchen, added a storage space and a meeting room. Phase three was the renovation of the sanctuary. Entitled “Because We Believe”, the completion of the plan celebrated the one hundredth anniversary of the sanctuary building and positioned the church facilities for growth for the next several years.