Methodism in Chattanooga is actually older than Chattanooga itself. In the 1820 Methodist groups began to reach out into the Cherokee settlements in southeast Tennessee and Northwest Ga. Rev John McFerrin was appointed as a missionary to the Cherokee in 1827 and had a great impact on John Ross. The year that John Ross became the principal Chief of the Cherokee Nation he also became a Methodist.
When Georgia claimed the Cherokee Lands in 1829, a sad history began. In the 1830s, 7,000 US Troops corralled the Cherokee people of this area down the "trail of Tears." Samuel Austin Worchester and Elizur Butler of the Brainerd Mission, and 9 other minister defied Georgia's laws in protest and were arrested and sentenced to 4 years of hard labor. Four Methodist ministers who worked with the cherokee chose to travel with them on the westward exile. The compassion and zeal methodists had for their Cherokee brothers and sisters in small bright spot in a very dark period of our history.
In the mid 1830s a group methodists formed a church in area of Hamilton County now underwater, but at the time known as Dallas. It came to be known as Jackson's Chapel. The remnants of this church would later form Burk's Chapel now known as Burk's United Methodist. In the 1840 small groups were meeting Hamilsprings and Bird's Mill road (Brainerd). The groups would become known as the Hixson and Brainer United Methodist Churches, respectively. The first Methodist Church in Chattanooga was formed in 1837 or 1838 (The town would not officially be called Chattanooga until 1839)
The Methodist roots in the Sequachie Valley runback even farther. Methodists were meeting in homes early as 1807. Whiteside UMC, Pikeville UMC, McKendree UMC can trace their beginnings to before 1820. With so any Cherokee displaced new settlers set up churches in place of the old mission sites.
During the 1860s the first Black Methodist congregation in East Tennessee began to meet in Chattanooga. This congregation is known today as Wiley Memorial United Methodist Church and still meets in the building the 1887 congregants built with their own hands.
The Methodists of Chattanooga have been a part of this city for many years. The turmoils this city has faced has been felt by methodist churches as well. When the nation split in the mid 1800s so did the Methodists Episcopal Church. When the split churches first planned to get back to gather, Chattanooga was one of the locations where Northern and Southern Methodists met in 1911 to begin working on unification.
During the twentieth century Methodist churches moved with the people. As many Chattanoogans moved out of the downtown area and into the subburbs many down town churches moved, closed or Mergered with other nearby churches.
In 2017, the Holston Conference consolidated from 12 districts to 9, and the Chattanooga District became known as the Scenic South District.
When Georgia claimed the Cherokee Lands in 1829, a sad history began. In the 1830s, 7,000 US Troops corralled the Cherokee people of this area down the "trail of Tears." Samuel Austin Worchester and Elizur Butler of the Brainerd Mission, and 9 other minister defied Georgia's laws in protest and were arrested and sentenced to 4 years of hard labor. Four Methodist ministers who worked with the cherokee chose to travel with them on the westward exile. The compassion and zeal methodists had for their Cherokee brothers and sisters in small bright spot in a very dark period of our history.
In the mid 1830s a group methodists formed a church in area of Hamilton County now underwater, but at the time known as Dallas. It came to be known as Jackson's Chapel. The remnants of this church would later form Burk's Chapel now known as Burk's United Methodist. In the 1840 small groups were meeting Hamilsprings and Bird's Mill road (Brainerd). The groups would become known as the Hixson and Brainer United Methodist Churches, respectively. The first Methodist Church in Chattanooga was formed in 1837 or 1838 (The town would not officially be called Chattanooga until 1839)
The Methodist roots in the Sequachie Valley runback even farther. Methodists were meeting in homes early as 1807. Whiteside UMC, Pikeville UMC, McKendree UMC can trace their beginnings to before 1820. With so any Cherokee displaced new settlers set up churches in place of the old mission sites.
During the 1860s the first Black Methodist congregation in East Tennessee began to meet in Chattanooga. This congregation is known today as Wiley Memorial United Methodist Church and still meets in the building the 1887 congregants built with their own hands.
The Methodists of Chattanooga have been a part of this city for many years. The turmoils this city has faced has been felt by methodist churches as well. When the nation split in the mid 1800s so did the Methodists Episcopal Church. When the split churches first planned to get back to gather, Chattanooga was one of the locations where Northern and Southern Methodists met in 1911 to begin working on unification.
During the twentieth century Methodist churches moved with the people. As many Chattanoogans moved out of the downtown area and into the subburbs many down town churches moved, closed or Mergered with other nearby churches.
In 2017, the Holston Conference consolidated from 12 districts to 9, and the Chattanooga District became known as the Scenic South District.