A history of our congregation.

a brief history of first presbyterian church, tyler

In April 1870, William Nathaniel Dickey founded First Presbyterian Church of Tyler. Beginning with only eight members from two families, it became a new congregation of the Presbyterian Church in the US (southern). The denominational name reflected the regional schism caused by the War Between the States during the previous ten years. The Presbyterian Church US later merged with the Presbyterian Church USA in July, 1983.

Before the new church began, Dickey preached alternating weeks in buildings shared by Methodists and Baptists. As other Presbyterians joined with Dickey and the original families to form a congregation, they began meeting regularly in a wood framed building at Spring and Line Streets, and named themselves the First Presbyterian Church of Tyler. A 600-pound bell was installed in that first building and it has moved with the church to each of the three subsequent structures.

A brick church building was constructed in 1885 on Ferguson Street and dedicated in 1886. Again in 1914, a new brick building was built at the corner of Broadway and Elm Streets to combine two Tyler churches, the First Presbyterian Church (US) and the Cumberland Presbyterian Church.

There were ten pastors after Rev. Dickey from 1877 until 1915 when Dr. Robert Hill began his ministry. Dr. Hill served FPC for 31 years, until 1946. It was a period of important growth as new organizations were added, including: Men of the Church, Women’s Auxiliary, Sunday School Department, Vacation Bible School, Christian Endeavor and the Teen Age Girls Class, and also supported missionaries in Korea and Africa.

By 1942, more space was badly needed, but the church delayed new expansion until the end of World War II. At war’s end, Dr. Hill retired, and a very young and energetic pastor, John Anderson, came to the church. Plans for a new church building were approved and building began in 1949. The beautiful Georgian style building remains today as the focal point for the church’s ministry of Word and Sacrament, its scripturally based multi-age education and its evangelical mission to the community.

Membership grew to 1,350 by 1960, in part from the diligent local visitation work of a dedicated layman, Swanson Yarbrough. John Anderson resigned in 1951, and since the the church has had eight pastors and many assisting ministers.

In 1995, a major building renovation project provided new children’s classrooms in the education wing, and moved the parlor and some adult classrooms to the Fellowship building, which was built in 1988. An administration building for the church staff was built in 1998.

At various times along the way, church members helped organize the East Texas Crisis Center, PATH, Children’s Village, Children’s Weekday, and Potter House ministries, Habitat for Humanity of Smith County, H.I.S. House, Parents Anonymous and Meals on wheels. The church has been an active supporter of other Tyler charities and members have worked as volunteers, board members, and leaders in other civic, benevolent and cultural organizations, such as sponsoring on its premises literacy classes in English, and GED exam classes for young adults.

The congregation of FPC continues to work its mission: to love God with all our hearts and minds, to love our neighbors as we love ourselves and to go everywhere with the good news of God’s love in Christ.

Ministers - Past and Present

William Nathaniel Dickey - 1870 - 1871
W.W. Brim - 1873 - 1876
J.H. Wiggins - 1877 - 1878
C.C. Williams - 1878 - 1885
C.R. Dudley - 1895 - 1896
W.J. Caldwell - 1897 - 1901
J.D. McLean - 1902 - 1906
J.E. McLean - 1906 - 1911
S.D. Logan - 1911 - 1915
Robert Hill - 1915 - 1946
John F. Anderson - 1946 - 1951
J. Sherrard Rice - 1952 - 1959
William F. Summers - 1960 - 1966
T. Hartley Hall, IV - 1966 - 1973
James A. Jones, III - 1973 - 1980
E. Douglas Vaughan, Jr. - 1982 - 1989
Richard Jordan Ramsey - 1990 - 2000
Ben McAnally - 2000 - 2001
Robert Bruce - 2001 - 2004
Tom Finley Brown - 2004 - 2006
Stuart G. Baskin - 2006 - present

Associate Ministers - Past and Present

Cecil H. Lang - 1958 - 1962
J. Montague Cook - 1963 - 1968
C. Dooley Hitch - 1967 - 1975
William R. Jones, Jr. - 1968 - 1971
Llewellyn P. McCord - 1974 - 1981
James M. Collie - 1976 - 1983
Robert Q. Pierce - 1983 - 1991
David R. O’Neal - 1986 - 2006
Marialice Billingsley - 2008 - 2013
Pamela N. Leach - 2008 - 2021
Jennifer Marshall - 2018 - 2020
Brendan McLean- 2022-Present

First Presbyterian Church of Tyler is affiliated with the Presbyterian Church (USA), our denomination’s governing body. This means that we follow a Reformed theology as outlined in the Book of Confessions and that our governance is Presbyterian—ruled by presbuteros, literally elders or wise ones—as specified in the Book of Order, all under the authority of the Word of God.