2025

Second Presbyterian Church
Indianapolis, IN

Second Presbyterian Church

First Presbyterian Church in Indianapolis was founded in 1823. After theological differences over the origin of sin 15 members broke away and formed Second Presbyterian Church in 1838. In 1864 a new pastor was called and was responsible for starting many Presbyterian churches in the city–4th, 5th, 6th, 7th, 8th, 9th, 10th, 11th, and 12th Presbyterian. In 1864 the Pastor founded the Indianapolis Library System. In a Thanksgiving Day sermon, he said “The deficiency that is really fatal to the city’s character is the want of a public library.”

After a move to the suburbs in 1870, the church recognized the importance of women in church and founded the Female Industrial Society of the Church for visiting the sick and poor, and organized a Women’s Missionary Society. Also founded was a Sabbath School for Chinese people who were working on the Transcontinental Railroad.

In 1921 The pastor took a strong stand on Darwin’s Theory of Evolution, which almost caused a split in the General Assembly as William Jennings Bryan, a delegate, had introduced a resolution to exclude all members who accepted the Theory.

In 1959 the church moved to its current location on the twenty-acre site. An elder and his wife gave $1,000,00 for construction of the current edifice.

The church has been active over the years for many important missions including the first ordination of a woman in 1977, hosting of the funeral of Ryan White in 1990, and care for the long-term needs of orphaned and vulnerable children in 2007.

In 2021 the church signed a contract for a small two-manual and pedal organ for Milner Chapel. We look forward to the completion of the organ early in 2025.