Beginning
in 1847, Central Christian Church of Austin grew slowly for several
decades. The congregation, after the Civil War, was meeting in a log
house on Congress Avenue between Fourth and Fifth streets. In 1867 a
frame building was erected at Eighth and Colorado Streets and was used
as a meeting place for the next five years. A two-story house with a
basement for a Sunday School replaced the other building in 1872 as
church membership increased. This facility was replaced by a two-story
building in 1898 during the ministry of J.W. Lowber (1897-1908).
Elder W.H.D. Carrington preached each Sunday morning to approximately
one hundred worshipers. During Carrington's later ministry in the
1870's, the congregation divided into two "embittered factions".
Carrington rebuked the two groups as having about as much love for each
other as "the Jews had for the Samaritans in older times". Within a
short time, church attendance declined to a very small number.
In 1879, W.E. Hall, a very capable and personable minister, began a
five-year ministry. He constrained the people to live good, righteous
lives -- to refrain from drinking, gambling, dancing, and theater
attendance. His evening sermons had much appeal for the young people.
Youth from other Austin churches were attracted to his popular and
eloquently delivered sermons.
Although the minister was relatively progressive, he did remove a
"divisive organ" from the church which had been placed in the Sunday
School while he was on vacation in 1882. Minister Hall did attend
"Cinderella", a fund-raising social, for which he received criticism
from some of the older, more conservative members of the church.
A few members complained that Hall's $2,500 year salary was excessive.
Addison Clark, while conducting a twelve day meeting in July 1883, was
unable to reconcile Hall and dissatisfied members of the congregation,
after which Hall left the Austin ministry.
Although membership declined during the next two or three years, a
significant event took place in this church as delegates from across
the state met and formed the Texas Christian Missionary Society. The
formation of this society and introduction of the organ into church
worship caused the separation of the church into two groups. One of the
older women who objected to worshipping with instrumental music
remarked: "Now that you have the organ, where are you going to get a
monkey to dance to the music?" The group which withdrew eventually
became the University Avenue Church of Christ; the old church became
Central Christian Church.
In 1929 Central Christian Church erected a new building at the
intersection of Twelfth and Guadalupe Streets. The building, and
example of fourth century Italian architecture, was designed by Robert
Leon White, chairman of the Department of Architecture at the
University of Texas and also a member of the church. The stones from
the church at Eighth and Colorado were bought by St. Elias Eastern
Orthodox Church for their new building on Eleventh Street two blocks
east of the Texas State Capitol. The United States Federal Court House
was built at the Eighth and Colorado site.
The church in 1980 had a membership of about 600. Earlier, before the
University Christian Church was begun, the church had as many as 1,200
members.
