OUR HISTORY

Some history of our congregation:

Central Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) has been a part of Murfreesboro and Rutherford County for almost a century. Founded in 1908, the name "Central" was chosen as a reference to the congregation's support for a centralized missionary society.

Construction of our sanctuary began in May of 1911. Bell Bros. & Co. of Murfreesboro was the builder; W.R. Bell, Jr. was the architect; and Kelley Poff was superintendent of the construction. It took almost two years to complete construction of the building which was finalized in December of 1912. The structure is a combination of Oriental Byzantine architecture with the Greek classical order of columns. The dome has been likened to that of St. Sophia of Istanbul, Turkey, built between 532 and 537 CE. In the building's design, the arch of the hemispherical dome is repeated in the sanctuary. A rounded arch is found over the organ pipes. It is made of dark, polished wood with Ionic columns. Another arch is found over the marble baptistery with Ionic columns including the ram's horns. The baptistery arch has a large keystone at the top. Rounded arches are evidenced in the choir railing, and the pews are arranged in a semi-circle around the chancel area. Rounded corners in the choir loft and overhead ceiling provide the room excellent acoustics. Both the interior and exterior were renovated in 2002.

Our 90-year old sanctuary of Oriental Byzantine architecture compliments our traditional worship service held at 10:45 each Sunday morning. The service includes the hallmark of Disciples of Christ worship, celebration of the Lord's Supper every Sunday as a climactic conclusion. The service is otherwise led by both the laity and clergy in reading holy scripture, singing hymns, praying, sharing of joys and concerns, and enjoying choral and instrumental offerings.