Organization of the Christian Church

Late in the 18th century, arguments over governance threatened to split the Methodist Episcopal Church. The Rev. James O’Kelly, leader of a group that disputed the authority of bishops, withdrew from the church’s General Conference in 1792. After efforts at reconciliation failed, O’Kelly and like-minded ministers cut their ties with the church in Dec. 1793 and called themselves Republican Methodists. They met here at Old Lebanon Church in Aug. 1794 to organize the new denomination. Emphasizing congregational independence and individual interpretation of the scriptures, they adopted the name Christian Church. The denomination was a forerunner of the United Church of Christ, founded in 1957.