First Presbyterian Church, Chattanooga

The First Presbyterian Church in Chattanooga stands as the city’s earliest Christian congregation and a significant religious institution in the region. Located on McCallie Avenue, this historic church is affiliated with the Presbyterian Church in America (PCA) and has played a pivotal role in Chattanooga’s religious and cultural landscape since its founding in 1840.

The church originated with missionaries from the Brainerd Mission to the Cherokee. After the Trail of Tears, they shifted focus to Chattanooga’s growing English, Scots-Irish, and Welsh community. Worship began in a log cabin, and by 1845, a formal church was built on Walnut Street. The congregation moved several times, including to a Seventh and Market Streets building used as a military hospital in 1863. In 1910, they settled in a Stanford White-designed church. Listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2009, it celebrated its centennial in 2010.

First Presbyterian has had thirteen ministers, including Thomas McCallie, whose family founded The McCallie School, and Jonathan Bachman, a former Confederate chaplain, and 1910 Presbyterian Church Moderator. In 1924, Joseph Glass Venable broadcast the first local worship service, starting what became the longest-running U.S. radio program. Ben Haden (1967–1999) later launched the "Changed Lives" radio ministry on WFLI Chattanooga.

With its deep historical roots, architectural significance, and ongoing community and global outreach, the First Presbyterian Church of Chattanooga remains a cornerstone of faith and history in the city.