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At the dawn of the twentieth century, a handful of concerned Christians from Barberton, Ohio, were compelled to act
upon Jesus' "Great Commission" by establishing a church in Barberton that would reach the unsaved with the life-changing
message of Jesus and prepare workers for the Lord's kingdom. So, with the help of the Ohio Christian Missionary Society,
a group of approximately thirty-five people organized the Barberton First Church of Christ on April 4, 1900. They soon
called Brother J.J. Harris to be the first minister of their newly formed congregation.

This small band of Christians initially met in the old Federated Church building for their Sunday worship services, but
moved to a schoolhouse on Wooster Road in 1902 as the congregation's attendance began to increase. Additional church
growth prompted the 1908 purchase of a church building on the corner of Hopocan and Newell Streets from the United
Evangelical Association. Following a 1916 addition to this building, its Sunday School seating capacity of 1,200 was the
largest of any church in the city. The present meeting location of the Barberton Church of Christ, on the corner of
Harvard and Summit Streets, was constructed in 1950 and dedicated on May 21 of that year. In this edifice the task of
reaching the lost and preparing them for the Lord's service continues. In 2004 due to increasing worship and Sunday
School attendance, the church built an addition of 10,000 square feet and began to worship in two services.

Throughout her history, the Barberton First Church of Christ has sent nearly sixty of her members to Christian Colleges
or into various fields of Christian labor. The Barberton First Church of Christ has also played a vital role in the
establishment of the Sherman Church of Christ in Norton, Ohio (1928); the Southwest Church of Christ in Barberton, Ohio
(1957); and the Northside Christian Church in Wadsworth, Ohio (1977). In addition, a vibrant missions program has enabled
the congregation to be an instrument for spreading the Gospel of Jesus Christ to the "uttermost part of the Earth."

As the world moves into the twenty-first century, the Barberton First Church of Christ can proudly look back at a
century of service to her Lord. However, there is still much work to be accomplished for the Lord's kingdom. And, thus,
the members of the Barberton First Church of Christ will continue to labor for the Master until He says, "Well done, thou
good and faithful servant."