From the Church website:
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The Church was organized late in 1856 by a group of merchants and farmers and two doctors, all of whom were emigrants from Tennessee, Kentucky, Pennsylvania, and Virginia, who came to seek homes in this western country. Being of the same faith, they were drawn together by the desire to have a place to worship, and twenty-two persons comprised the membership of the first congregation.
Church services were held in the homes of the members until 1860, when this small but earnest group of Christians had succeeded in erecting a house of worship on the site where the present church building stands.
The congregation worshiped in the first building until Harrisonville was put under military rule early in the Civil War when a unit of Union cavalry took possession of the building and used it to stable their horses. During an epidemic, the church building was turned into a hospital. The pews were converted into beds for the sick, and all the adult members who were not stricken, assisted with the nursing. Following President Lincoln's Emancipation Proclamation, all slaves were, by order of the Military Provost, brought into Harrisonville and set free. No place of refuge had been prepared for these people who had been removed from the only homes they had ever known. Night was coming on and they were without shelter. However, the people of the Christian Church threw open their doors, and gave to the women and children, at least, temporary shelter.
In 1882, the first building was razed and a more modern one was begun. The first service held in the new church was Sunday School on June 10, 1884, with the building be dedicated one month later.
February 1907 marked the beginning of a period of growth in the history of the church. Many new members were added to the church roll. Listed in a 1915 membership directory were the names of 432 resident members and 36 non-resident members. The church building was added to at various times in order to meet the growing needs of the congregation. In 1914, repairs were made and a new room was added.
The church was enjoying this time of great prosperity when the building was completely destroyed by fire on the night of February 28, 1916. The flames were discovered several hours after the regular Sunday evening service and were supposed to have been caused by a defective flue.
Before the ashes had cooled, the members were forming plans to rebuild. Sunday School and Church Services were continued without disruption in the circuit court room of the county court house. Plans were adopted and the contract was let for the erection of a substantial, modern church building. On July 27, 1916, the congregation assembled on the church lot and held a brief service, as the pastor, members of the church board, and members of the building committee turned a spade-full of sod for the foundation. Pledges amounting to $15,000 were made, which, added to insurance on the burned building and contents, and the previous donations, more than covered to cost of the building.
As World War II was drawing to a close, the boys would soon be returning home, new homes were being established, and families being re-united. All of this was bound to have its effect on the church, and it truly was a challenge. There was much to be done. One of the first things recognized was the fact that the House of Worship was badly in need of repair. Some of the panes in the many of the windows in the sanctuary were broken. To have these repaired necessitated crating the windows, one or two at a time and sending them to the factory for repair. The front concrete steps were rebuilt, the floors in the sanctuary sanded and refinished, a new carpet was laid, and the basement of the church was completely gone over with a new covering for the basement floor. The kitchen took on a new look and many other things were done.
The education building was built in 1966. Around this time, the church also purchased property west of the church and on Washington Street for parking lots. The sanctuary walls were painted in 1983, and in 1984 a combined project of refurbishing the fellowship hall and razing the house on Washington street to extend the parking lot was completed.
Other improvements have been made through the years. Among them are the kitchen update and construction of the communion preparation center as well as the new church sign on the corner of the lawn. The grand piano was refinished and a new boiler for the sanctuary was installed as well as new air conditioning and ceiling fans for the sanctuary. The stained glass windows were covered with tempered glass, and the sidewalk and steps were covered.
In 1989 the parsonage was first refurbished including new appliances. In the year 2000 a safety railing was installed in the balcony. In 2005, the parsonage was completely refurbished in preparation for a new minister. All these improvements were made, and the church has remained debt-free for several years.