The places where Wooster residents gather to worship are woven into the very fabric of this city. Wooster is home to more than twenty churches and several other religious institutions today.1Wayne County Public Library, “Churches in Wooster, Ohio,” Wiki.
When German immigrants settled in this area in the early 1800s, one of their first priorities was establishing a place to worship and build a community. Both Lutherans and German Reformed congregations worshipped in Wooster, and in 1919 they came together despite their differing beliefs to create the “German Lutheran Reformed Church of Wooster and its Vicinity.”2Leo A. Keil, A History of The First Reformed Church, The First Evangelical and Reformed Church, The Trinity United Church of Christ (Wooster, Ohio, 1993). After several disputes over the next seven years, the two congregations split over disagreements, though they continued to share the building (ironically called “the Peace Church”) until 1844. Many of today’s Lutheran churches can trace their lineage to this split. The German Lutherans formed their own church, Salem Lutheran, in 1827, which split even further in later years. The German Reformed remained separate until 1953 when they joined the Lutheran Christ Church to form the United Church of Christ.
Another prominent group of immigrants in Wooster were the Scottish and Irish population. In 1815, a group of fifteen Scottish and Irish settlers formed the First Presbyterian Church, which was then supported and funded by local citizens. Many local church members such as Ephraim Quinby and John Kauke donated land and funding for the church’s progress.3“Our History”- First Presbyterian Church)
Other churches formed during the earliest period of Wooster are the First Baptist Church formed in 1804, the first organized church in Wayne County; St. Mary Catholic Church in 1817, Central Christian Church formed in 1835, etc.4“Churches in Wooster, Ohio.”
The following audio clip from Dr. Kevin Franklin of Trinity United Church of Christ, describes the early religious divisions between the Reformed and Lutheran Germans of Wooster.
For further reading:
Ben Douglass, History of Wayne County, Ohio Indianapolis, IN: Robert Douglass,1878.
Leo A. Keil, A History of The First Reformed Church, The First Evangelical and Reformed Church, The Trinity United Church of Christ, Wooster, Ohio, 1993.
“Immigration.” Wayne County (OH) Wiki. Wayne County Public Library, 2020. https://wiki.wcpl.info/w/Immigration#Wayne_County.2C_Ohio_Immigration.
Vance, Raymond H. “Salem Lutheran Church Growing in Faith Together.” slcw.org. Salem Lutheran Church, 2021. http://slcw.org/.
“Welcome to Trinity United Church of Christ.” Trinity United Church of Christ, 2021. https://trinityucc.org/.