A detailed history of the Methodist Church in Columbia from its founding through 1960 may be found in History of the Missouri Methodist Church by Frank F. Stephens, Library of Congress number 65-63217.
Copies are available through the church office.
By 1814 there were enough circuits in Missouri to form the Missouri District. The exact date of the rise of Methodism in Columbia is uncertain, but it probably was about 1828. There was no Methodist house of worship in Columbia during the first decade of the town's history. Services were conducted in members' homes, under the trees when weather permitted, and in such places as the courthouse. Camp meetings were held almost every summer at various places on the circuit.