Harrodsburg Christian Church

Photo from Armstrong Archives

This photograph is a 1920s view of the first Christian Church building (1848-1926) in Harrodsburg.  A group of ten responsible subscribers agreed to fund $4,500 for a lot and the construction of a church on this South Main Street location.  The building to the left is the George Bohon Buggy Company.  On the right is the Dixio Inn, a boarding house that served “delicious meals” to both boarders and locals.

Harrodsburg Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) is the oldest continuous congregation of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), chartered in 1803 and even pre-dating the denomination by several years. With ties to Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) founders Barton Stone (Kentucky) and Alexander Campbell (West Virginia), Harrodsburg Christian Church (HCC) was one of the original churches of the Springfield Presbytery.

One cannot tell the story of HCC without including such notable institutions as Bacon College (now Transylvania University), the College of the Bible (now Lexington Theological Seminary), and Kentucky University (now University of Kentucky). Harrodsburg Christian Church played a prominent role in the life of all three of those educational facilities. In fact, Bacon College President James Shannon and Professor Samuel Hatch served as the church’s first two regular preachers while the college was still located in Harrodsburg.

Photo from the Armstrong Archives

The current church was built in 1927. To prepare for our Bicentennial Celebration 2003, a $1.4 million renovation was initiated in 1998; completed in 2002. It has been said each generation builds on the accomplishments of the prior generation. The Harrodsburg Christian Church has had a vivid past with a membership which has sacrificed much to support the Lord’s work in Harrodsburg and beyond. A long line of distinguished ministers has shepherded the congregation, serving as our spiritual guides. 

Today, Harrodsburg Christian Church is truly “embracing our past and touching the future” as we begin our third century of Lord’s work. Indeed, a storied past, but it’s our vibrant present and future which distinguishes us. Our Church life is characterized by freedom, under the Lordship of Jesus Christ. A very important slogan used by Disciples through the years governs our relationship to one another: “In essentials, unity; in non-essentials, liberty; in all things, love.” Come celebrate Jesus with us!