Directions to Antioch Christian Church.

From Hwy 64 turn west of "J" Hwy and go 1.1 miles to County Road 275. Turn south and go approximately 1/2 mile to the church building, which is located across the road from Antioch Cemetery.

HOW IT ALL BEGINS

James DeForrest Murch in his book Christians Only writes, “J. A. Spencer, author of a History of Kentucky Baptists, claimed that by 1827 ‘Campbellism was a raging fanaticism in Northern Kentucky.’ He further observed that in 1829 and 1830 ‘there were severed from the Baptists eight or ten thousand people’ who joined the Restoration movement.” [i]

John Pitts was born near Pittsboro, North Carolina in 1776. He married Sarah Stovall, November 11, 1809 in Sumner County, Tennessee. Sarah Stovall was born in 1788 in Virginia. John and Sarah lived in Tennessee until about 1841 or 1842 when they joined their married children in Missouri. Young Mimms (sometimes spelled Mims) Pitts, their son was an ordained minister in the Christian Church and is considered to be the founder of the Antioch Christian Church.

In an article telling about the founding of the church we read, “Young Mims’ mother had been reading the New Testament and left another church to accept the Christian Church doctrines.” [ii]

Mrs. Arthur Fisher wrote a brief history of the congregation that was read at the 100^th Anniversary of the church. In it she says: “The first record we can find of the first preaching of the Christian doctrine in Hickory County was held in the Baptist church on half mile north of Pittsburg, Missouri by elder Mims Pitts in 1843.

“The Baptist people permitted them to hold services in their church building for some time and there had been several additions to the church. One that we had learned of was Aunt Timpie Pitts, wife of Newt Pitts. One Sunday morning when they went to church they found it was closed so they held the services outside.

“Later they moved their place of worship to the Dorman log school-house, which was located on the present Ben L. Mallonee farm.

“Elder Edwards, Mims Pitts, E. J. Kendall and A. J. Pitts were organizers and early leaders of the church. The congregation met in different homes for worship and communion. Later a brush arbor was built on elder Mims Pitts farm, at present the Clester Pitts farm, one and one fourth miles west of Pittsburg.

“The arbor was located just south and west of the house where Mims Pitts lived and died, in 1896.

“The first church house was built in 1872. It was located in the south west corner of the present cemetery. The lumber for it was hauled from the Piney mills south and east of Springfield with team and wagons, taking seven or eight days to make the trip. We have the names of three men who braved the snow storms and all kinds of weather to help haul the lumber to build their church. Elder Mims Pitts, Uncle Newt Pitts and Uncle Newt Brannon. There were probably others of which we have no record.

“While they were building the house (church), a man came by and remarked, ‘You are building another Antioch, are you?’ So they decided Antioch would be its name.” [iii]

Some have conjectured that the man’s remarks were prompted by the popularity of the Primitive Baptists who were also called Antioch Baptists. They had organized a church on December 3, 1833, meeting in the home of Washington Young about four miles northwest of Cross Timbers. Records do not show that a church building was ever erected. [iv]

A similar version is found in the Pitts Family History, a book compiled by Josephine Pitts Gambill. She writes:

“The Antioch Church was first organized near Pittsburg, Missouri in 1843. The Elders were Lewis Edwards, Young Mimsms Pitts and E. J. Kendall, grandfather of the Mallonees. Young Mimsms lived about on-half mile north of the present church site. Near his home the first place of worship, a brush arbor, was built. Andrew Jackson Pitts came to the County in 1845 and very soon became an early leader in the church. The church often met in his home for worship. Young Mimsms served as one of the preachers for several years. His parents John Pitts and Sarah Stovall Pitts came from Kentucky and assisted in the work.

“Rev. John Belcher reorganized the church in 1858 with Y. M. Pitts and William Coon as Elders and A. J. Pitts as Deacon. Elders Lewis Edwards and Y. M. Pitts died about the same time, the latter on June 29, 1896. E. J. Kendall died in 1903.

“Colonel B. D. Smith preached for the church before the Civil War and in the early 1870’s. Elder Bonds was preaching in 1872 when the first house of worship was erected. A Baptist preacher rode by and remarked, ‘Raising up another Antioch?’ and the name stuck to the church.” [v]

Combining Mrs. Fisher’s and Mrs. Gambill’s writings, we learn that the first church house was used for 34 years, during which time 24 preachers served the congregation. As the congregation began to grow the building could not hold or seat all the people. Plans began to be made for a larger house of worship.

The new building would be across the road from the cemetery on land donated by George P. Miller. It was erected in 1905 and finally completed in 1907. On November 3, 1907, Brother F. E. Butterfield preached the dedication sermon. After a basket dinner at noon a Brother Davis of Dallas County preached in the afternoon and Brother Butterfield preached again at night.

The congregation held two annual basket dinners - one on Decoration Day, the first Sunday in June and one during the annual revival meeting.

The largest evangelistic ingathering was in 1901 when J. D. Babb held a meeting resulting in 53 additions. The second largest meeting was by Manville Caldwell in 1926 with 26 additions.

By 1905 Antioch had “mothered” four more Christian Churches in Hickory County. Those churches are: Quincy Christian Church - est. 1875, Cross Timbers Christian Church - est. 1888, Elkton Christian Church - est. 1898 and Hermitage Christian Church - est. 1905.

However, during her long history there were also times of controversy. In the 1890’s there was some confusion over “alien immersion.” Then after moving into their new building there was some agitation to get an organ. In 1910 one was secured, but it didn’t stay long.

The church building was broken into one night, the organ hauled out into the yard and destroyed. This resulted in the congregation being listed as an a cappella church from 1910 until 1925. Finally in 1925 a piano was purchased and instrumental music again became a regular part of the worship assembly.

Another situation arose in the early 1960’s when a district minister from the Disciples of Christ visited the congregation. There was some work being done to the building and he made the remark, “This will make a fine funeral home.” Ernest Jenkins, one of the elders who was hosting this preacher, asked him what he meant by that remark. The man replied that the district office was planning on closing the Antioch church and merging it with the Hermitage church. To which Jenkins politely and firmly informed the man that he would never again be welcome to Antioch and that there would be no merger. From that time on the Antioch Christian Church severed its ties with the Disciples of Christ and became an independent Christian Church.

[i] Murch, James Deforrest, Christians Only, Page 78, Standard Publishing

[ii] From a copy of a page given to this author, source unknown, Page 21

[iii] Fisher, Mrs. Arthur, History of the Antioch Christian Church

[iv] Ihrig, B. B., History of Hickory County, Missouri, Page 259

[v] Gambill, Josephine Pitts, Pitts Family History, Page 12