Celebrating 200 Years of Making More and Better Disciples

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There is so much to celebrate about what God has done in the past 200 years through Mountain. Perhaps more exciting, though, is what the future holds! There is a next step for everyone who calls Mountain “home,” and that includes you.


The story of Mountain is not a story of buildings or meetings or activities. The story of Mountain is about people encountering the life-changing news of Jesus. It’s a story about God’s kingdom being present in the here and now, as well as in the there and then. The story is God’s story, and he’s telling it through Mountain.

We come from a strong heritage that has been characterized by growth, outreach and innovation. Started as a result of pioneering preachers who traveled by horseback from Kentucky, Mountain was formed by leaders who demonstrated a willingness to go, reach and endure in order to see God’s kingdom grow. 


Each generation has built upon the victories and struggles of the past in order to continue making disciples of Jesus Christ. We’ve been planting churches since the 1870’s and sending missionaries since the 1880’s. We’ve changed and experimented in order to keep fulfilling the mission. 

Now is the time for our generation to continue this heritage. There’s more to be done, much more. As we look at what has brought Mountain to this point, we know God has bigger plans for the future. Everything in the past has merely been a launching point for today as we continue to follow God faithfully forward. 


1821 & 1823 – Samuel Rogers, one of the great pioneer leaders of the Restoration Movement, travels by horseback from Kentucky to speak to believers in Maryland. They meet in a log cabin known as Union Chapel on Old Joppa Road which held about 80 people.
August 1824 – James McVey, a Restoration preacher from Kentucky, arrives at Union Chapel for a three-day meeting and organizes what would become Mountain Christian Church. 

July 1834 – After a revival preached by James Henshall and George Austin, the Christians at Union Chapel begin seeking their own house of worship and start meeting at a Friends’ schoolhouse, joining with another group of Christians organized that same year. 
August 1847 – First house of worship is dedicated on a piece of property known as “The Mountain,” which is the present Mountain Road Campus location.
1860’s – Civil War results in the loss of many members, but Mountain continues to minister throughout that time. 

1877 – Mountain begins church planting efforts in northern Harford County starting Avondale Christian Church.  
1878 – Instrumental music was first introduced in worship at Mountain. 

1882 – Albert Norton (then Senior Minister at Mountain) leaves to begin the first mission of the Christian Churches in India. He later began church work in Japan as well.  

1891 – Mountain moves to its second house of worship on the Mountain Road Campus (later remodeled and enlarged in 1941). 

1892 – Mountain sends a group to plant Fork Christian Church in Baltimore County. 
Early 1900’s – Dr. George W. Brown, a scholar of Mountain, works to translate the Old Testament into the Hindi language to reach the largest population group in India.
1946 – Dr. William P. Walker begins as Senior Minister.
1947 – Mountain works to plant First Christian Church of Havre de Grace. 

March 1956 – Mountain dedicates and moves to its third house of worship on the Mountain Road Campus (which we now refer to as Walker Chapel). 

1957 – Mountain helps to plant Boulevard Christian Church in Essex. 

1964 – Kenny Messman ordained at Mountain and leaves to work in Rhodesia, Africa (now Zimbabwe).

1968 – Mountain experiments with a new venue – Drive-in Services. The cars would park on the lot in the area in front of Cook Auditorium for the service.  

1975 – Mountain’s facility is expanded to include a new education wing which allows Mountain Christian School to begin in September of this year. 

September 1993 – Mountain moves to its fourth house of worship on the Mountain Road Campus which we now call Cook Auditorium. 
December 1997 – Ben Cachiaras begins as Senior Minister. 
September 2004 – Mountain moves into the New Life Center, the fifth house of worship on the Mountain Road Campus.  
March 2006 – Mountain sends a group to start Community Christian Church in White Marsh including four staff and around 200 members.  
September 2008 – Mountain begins a second worship venue on campus with simultaneous services in two different locations on the Mountain Road Campus. 
March 2010 – Mountain launches its second campus in Bel Air at The John Carroll School.  

October 2013 – Mountain launches its third campus in Edgewood and creates a community center called The EPICENTER to focus ministry in the areas of children and youth, recovery, life skills, and health and wellness. 

June 2017 – Mountain launches online services.

September 2017 – Mountain launches a fourth campus in Abingdon.

April 2021 – Mountain launches a fifth campus in Aberdeen and partners with The EPICENTER to open a second location.

2024 – Mountain Celebrates 200 years of making more and better disciples.


Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. Hebrews 12:1 

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