Central Christian Church has stood at the corner of North Delaware and East Fort Wayne streets in Indianapolis since 1892, and it traces its spiritual roots much further back, to a log cabin just north of the young state capitol in 1833. Today the congregation is one of the most visible expressions of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) in Indiana, known for its Open and Affirming stance, its weekly celebration of communion, a music program that fills the sanctuary most Sundays, and a network of outreach ministries that serve neighbors downtown and across the city.
A House at the Corner of Delaware and Fort Wayne
The redbrick building that worshippers enter each Sunday was constructed in 1892 to replace Christian Chapel, the city’s largest house of worship in its day. Inside, the sanctuary still holds the congregation of a Disciples church that prides itself on being open, progressive, and rooted in a long history of social witness.
First-time visitors quickly learn that the old building has many hallways and staircases. Signs are posted throughout, and greeters are stationed at many doors. Door 1, near the small parking lot off Fort Wayne, leads up a staircase and down a hall to the sanctuary. Door 2, tucked in the courtyard, offers elevator access. Doors 3, 4, and 5 open to various points at the back of the sanctuary. A larger parking lot sits across Fort Wayne between Delaware and St. Clair, and abundant street parking surrounds the building.
Despite the age of the structure, the congregation works to remove barriers. An elevator reaches the sanctuary, hearing assistance is available, gluten-free communion bread is offered, large-print bulletins and hymnals are on hand, and service animals are welcome.
Two Centuries on the Same Corner
Central’s story begins in 1832, when the evangelist John O’Kane organized cottage meetings that led to a new congregation. In June 1833, twenty charter members gathered in Benjamin Roberts’ log cabin in what was to become downtown Indianapolis to organize the First Church of Christ. Six years later they built a modest frame meetinghouse on Kentucky Avenue, between Capitol and Senate. Christian Chapel replaced it in 1852 and became the city’s largest house of worship, with black walnut pews seating 450 people, a pulpit, gas lighting, furnace heating, and a pipe organ.
From the start, Central attracted figures of consequence. Ovid Butler, the anti-slavery leader who founded Butler College (later Butler University), was an early member. David Wallace, who became governor of Indiana in 1837, and his son Lew Wallace, the Civil War general and author of Ben-Hur, both attended. Zerelda Sanders, who married David Wallace, was a leader in the temperance and women’s suffrage movements and a charter member of the church. Her objection to partaking of alcoholic wine led to the denomination’s adoption of grape juice for communion.
The pastoral record has been marked by long tenures. Love Jameson was called as Central’s first evangelist in 1842 at a salary of $300 a year. Allan Philputt served from 1898 to 1925, William Shullenberger from 1926 to 1956, and Linda McCrae continued for twenty-two years before her retirement. In 1990, Barbara Blaisdell became the first woman to serve as senior minister. Today, Rev. Dr. Lee Hull Moses, a Disciples minister with more than twenty years of experience, leads the congregation. Before coming to Indianapolis she served as Senior Minister of First Christian Church in Greensboro, North Carolina, and in the Office of the General Minister and President for the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), where she directed the Proclamation Project, a grant-funded initiative to support Disciples preachers. She holds degrees from Albion College, the University of Chicago Divinity School, and Candler School of Theology at Emory University, and is the author of More Than Enough: Living Abundantly in a Culture of Excess.
An Open Door, Always
Central became an Open and Affirming congregation in 2008, after nearly two decades of dialogue and study. The decision grew out of earlier work. In the late 1980s, when the AIDS crisis struck, Central hosted support groups, volunteered at an AIDS hospice, and held one of the city’s first AIDS-related funerals. In the 1990s, the church began hosting same-sex union ceremonies. After the formal Open & Affirming statement was adopted in 2008, Central continued its public advocacy and participates in Pride each year.
The church’s own words set the tone: “We differ in race, age, cultural backgrounds, abilities, sexual orientation, physical conditions, gender identities, family structure, spiritual journeys and life circumstances. Aided by this God-given gift of diversity, we strive to reflect God’s unconditional love to all Creation. ... Welcome ALL who seek God’s life-giving grace. Come as you are, that together we might make a world of difference.”
The mission statement reads: “Celebrating the unconditional welcome we receive from God through Christ, we join together in worship, community and witness to wrestle with deep questions of faith, to grow in love for God and one another, to confront oppression and injustice, and to extend God’s boundless hospitality to all.”
Sunday Morning at 10:30
The week’s central gathering is Sunday worship at 10:30 a.m. in the sanctuary. The service is described as mostly traditional, with prayers, readings, music, a relevant sermon, and the celebration of communion each week. All are welcome at Christ’s table.
The order of worship moves through five movements. The congregation comes together because God calls. It proclaims the Word, opening itself to God’s teachings. It responds by presenting its many gifts before Christ’s table of grace. It shares God’s abundance in celebration of all God has done. And it goes out to serve, blessed by God’s love, to serve the world.
Inclusive language and leadership are used throughout, reflecting the congregation’s commitment to diversity. Printed bulletins are available at each entrance. Worship is livestreamed on the church’s YouTube channel beginning at 10:30 a.m., and a weekly sermon podcast is available on Spotify and other podcast platforms. Bulletins and archived Children’s Moments are posted online for those who want to follow along.
Children in the Pews and at the Table
Children are an integral part of the worshiping community. All children beyond nursery age are invited to worship with their parents for about the first fifteen minutes of the service. After that, they may move to age-appropriate programming.
Worship and Wonder serves ages three through first grade in a Montessori-influenced worship space in the church parlor. The liturgy welcomes, sings, tells the stories of scripture simply, hears the Word, gives thanks, and shares the feast, leaving children room to wonder about the text. Young Disciples (grades two through five) and Exploring Faith (grades six through eight) use a workshop-rotation model, with art, drama, cooking, Bible games, music, science, video, and digital media rotating around a single Bible story. Acolytes, generally between seven and twelve years old, carry the light of Christ into the sanctuary at the start of worship and lead it out at the end.
The nursery, off Fellowship Hall, welcomes infants through age three from 10:00 a.m. to noon and is staffed by trained caregivers. A formal Child Protection Policy guides all children’s and youth ministries, with two-adult rule, an open-door policy, background checks for volunteers, and a minor screening process for older youth who wish to serve.
High school youth (grades nine through twelve) meet twice a month, on the second and last Sundays, from noon to 1:00 p.m. for food, fellowship, and Bible study that uses storytelling, creative reflection, and dialogue to help students engage the biblical narrative.
Music Across the Sanctuary
Music is central to worship at Central. The Chancel Choir serves in worship almost every Sunday from September through May and on special holidays, presenting classical, spirituals, and contemporary pieces that support and guide the liturgy. Rehearsals are Thursday evenings from 7:00 to 8:30 p.m. The Central Christian Church Instrumental Ensemble plays on the fourth Sunday of each month, with a 9:00 a.m. rehearsal that morning. Vocal soloists and ensembles contribute throughout the year, and the Handbell Choir rehearses as needed for special services.
Joseph Perkins, Jr., the Minister of Music, brings years of experience from the Indianapolis music and theater community, including service as a section leader at Roberts Park United Methodist Church. Organist Keith Mikesell is an electrical engineer by training who is active in both the American Guild of Organists and the American Theatre Organ Society. Zach Crowder serves as collaborative pianist.
Outside the Sunday liturgy, Concerts with a Cause brings prominent local musicians to the sanctuary for free Sunday afternoon concerts. Begun in 2012, the series partners with local charitable organizations; donations are split between the partner charity and the concert series itself. Recent partners have included Exodus Refugee, the Immigrant Welcome Center, Wheeler Mission, the Jewish Community Relations Council, Indiana Youth Group, and the Metropolitan Youth Orchestra.
Learning Together as Adults
Adults at Central grow in faith through both small groups and larger gatherings. Short-term adult studies are frequently offered following Sunday worship, exploring topics such as justice, prayer, dignity, the Bible, Christian heritage, the book of Romans, peacemaking, Islam 101, Disciples history, and theology. These classes typically include a carry-in light lunch and run from one session to several weeks, meeting at noon in the conference room.
The church’s library holds more than 750 books and resources, with strong collections on antiracism, peace and justice, and LGBTQ+ inclusion, plus a Disciples history shelf that reaches back to the founding documents of the Stone-Campbell Movement. The full collection can be browsed online through the church’s TinyCat catalog.
Three Front Doors to the Neighborhood
The Witness Ministry Team coordinates outreach through three sub-teams: hunger and poverty, inclusion and equity, and creation care.
The hunger and poverty team runs the Food Pantry, the Free Clothing drive, and the Thrift Shop, and supports partner organizations such as Habitat for Humanity, CROP Walk, and Bread for the World. The Food Pantry is open the second and last Saturdays of each month from 10:00 a.m. to noon and serves an average of 185 individuals, representing about 90 households, each month. Food is purchased from Gleaner’s Food Bank, donated by the congregation, or bought from designated funds; Indianapolis Fruit Co. donates fresh produce monthly. Stocking happens on pantry-week Wednesdays (8:00 to 9:30 a.m.) and every Thursday, when a team drives to Second Helpings on Maryland Avenue to pick up produce, bakery items, frozen meats, and canned goods, returning with 250 to 500 pounds of food.
The Free Clothing Shop is open Mondays from 10:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Anyone in need of clothing may shop once every four weeks for an outfit and receives a hygiene kit with a toothbrush, toothpaste, soap, washcloth, deodorant, and a razor. The volunteer-run Thrift Shop, which sells clothing, shoes, and household items at modest prices to fund community ministries, is open Mondays from 10:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. and the last Saturday of the month from 10:00 to 11:30 a.m.
The inclusion and equity sub-team partners with organizations such as Faith in Indiana, the AIDS Walk, and PRIDE, addressing root causes of injustice including racism, LGBTQ+ equality, and aid for immigrants and refugees. Central is recognized as a Good Wages Initiative certified employer of choice through EmployIndy.
Working for Justice
Two structured efforts focus the congregation’s justice work. The Antiracism Transformation Team was founded in July 2020 to deepen the congregation’s understanding of systemic racism and to dismantle its hold on the church’s ministry. Working around four pillars - Cultivate, Equip, Ground, and Evolve - the team sets annual goals for training lay leaders, hosting continuing conversations on race, and embedding antiracist practices across ministries.
The Central Justice Network acts as the congregation’s point of connection with broader community organizing, partnering with the Indy Action Coalition and LiveFree Indiana. Through four avenues - advocacy, direct service and mutual aid, community organizing, and political leadership and civic engagement - members attend rallies and marches, show up at city-county public hearings, advocate at City Council meetings for priorities like community violence intervention and housing, and participate in coalition assemblies and voter engagement.
Caring for the Earth
In February 2016, Central was recognized as a Green Chalice Congregation of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), a designation that grew out of the denomination’s 1977 General Assembly resolution creating a Task Force on Ecology. The congregation signed the Green Chalice Covenant and committed to three concrete changes as a sign of its pledge. The covenant calls members to worship God with all creation, study the climate crisis, repent for harm done to the earth, advocate for ecojustice public policies, and rest in God’s good creation. Central is also part of Indianapolis Green Congregations, an ecumenical partner.
How the Congregation Stands Up
A Program Council, made up of the officers of the board, pastors, and leaders of eleven ministry teams, plans the congregation’s life. The teams cover worship, spiritual growth, children and youth, hospitality, fellowship, witness, physical assets, finance, engagement and growth, communication, and stewardship. The Board of Trustees, currently eight members, serves as legal agent of the church and oversees permanent endowment funds.
Sharing What We Have
Members and friends support Central’s mission through the Sunday offering, online giving through Engage, mailed checks, or direct transfers from a bank. The congregation tithes ten percent of all donations to the General Operating Budget through the Disciples Mission Fund to support the wider church’s work, and six special offerings each year support ministries such as Week of Compassion, New Church Ministry, Reconciliation, higher education, and regional initiatives. The Building Fund supports capital improvements, including reducing the church’s mortgage, renovating the parlor, and an outreach project to address hunger locally and globally. Donations of food, clothing, and household goods can be left in carts in Fellowship Hall or at the foot of the basement stairs at Door 1.
Central Christian Church is a community that traces its character back to the wooden bench in Benjamin Roberts’ log cabin and still gathers, two centuries on, around the table it sets every Sunday morning at 701 North Delaware Street.