Central Presbyterian Church sits in the heart of downtown Lafayette, Indiana, on the corner of North 7th and South Streets. The stone sanctuary, built in 1895 in the Richardsonian Romanesque style, is one of the architectural anchors of the Ellsworth District, and the congregation inside it has been gathering in some form since shortly after the city itself was founded. Today the church is a single congregation known for blending traditional and contemporary worship, an active music ministry, and a long tradition of both planting new Presbyterian churches and supporting community ministries across Greater Lafayette.
The Sanctuary on Seventh Street
The Sanctuary Building was constructed in 1895 by Second Presbyterian Church and is considered one of the outstanding architectural structures in the Ellsworth District of Lafayette. Its design draws on Trinity Church in Boston, the parish where Phillips Brooks served as rector and wrote "O Little Town of Bethlehem." Inside, the interior was updated several times over the decades and most recently refreshed in 1990 to recapture the look it had at the end of the 19th century. A major renovation in 2020, led by KJG Architects and a congregation-led facilities planning committee, repainted and recarpeted the sanctuary and gathering area, modernized the office area with a new reception desk and offices, added a handicapped-accessible restroom, and enclosed the arched outdoor entrance on Seventh Street with an additional accessible ramp.
Off the Seventh Street entrance sit the church offices and the Fitch Parlor, a gathering space used for fellowship. The sanctuary itself remains the regular home of Sunday worship and is also where weddings, funerals, and baptisms are celebrated.
Two Churches Become One
Central Presbyterian traces its history to 1828, when First Presbyterian Church was chartered in the young community of Lafayette, shortly after the city was founded. A later theological division in the national denomination led to the existence of two downtown congregations, with Second Presbyterian Church occupying the Romanesque Revival building at Seventh and Columbia built in 1895. In 1914 the two congregations reunited into a single body known as Central Presbyterian Church.
Throughout its history Central has had a particular role in the wider Lafayette area. The congregation has both funded and seeded several other Presbyterian churches, including Bethany, Faith, Dayton, and Covenant Presbyterian, and has helped start and continues to support community ministries such as Lafayette Urban Ministry. The pastors who have shaped Central include J. Dayton McCormick, Ernest Yorger, Ken McCullen, and David Roquemore, and the church points to that pastoral tradition as part of who it is today.
The Education Building and Right Steps
Adjacent to the sanctuary stands the Education Building, constructed in 1928 and paid for through the generosity of the congregation. Members recall that even the children contributed their pennies to the cause, and the wider congregation sacrificed through the difficult years of the Great Depression to retire the mortgage. Today the building houses classrooms, meeting space, the large fellowship hall and kitchen, and Right Steps Child Development, a licensed program that leases space in the building and provides childcare and early education for children ages six months through six years. Right Steps shares some of its space with the church, including the fellowship hall and kitchen.
Sundays at 10:00 in the Sanctuary
Central Presbyterian gathers for a single combined Sunday worship service each week at 10:00 a.m. in the Sanctuary Building. The service blends traditional and contemporary elements, and the Sacrament of Communion is celebrated on the first Sunday of each month. The church teaches that the table is open to anyone who wishes to receive the sacrament, and bread and non-alcoholic grape juice are served. In the Reformed theological tradition, Central understands Christ to be spiritually present in the bread and cup rather than physically present.
Services are livestreamed on YouTube, and recordings of recent services going back several years are available, along with bulletins that can be downloaded. Members and visitors who cannot attend in person are welcomed to join online in the way that feels most comfortable. For those driving in, there are two church parking lots: one on the east side of the church on 8th Street between Columbia and South Streets, and a second across from the front of the church on Columbia Street between 7th and 8th Streets, with additional street parking nearby. Handicap parking is available in the front of the second lot and along 7th Street on the west side of the building, where a ramp offers an alternative to the front steps. The church office is open Monday through Friday from 9:00 a.m. to noon.
Music at Central
Music is central to worship at Central, with a choir, an adult handbell choir, and an organist supporting the 10:00 a.m. service. Scott Hines serves as Choir Director, and Pastor Wil himself is known to enjoy singing with the choir. Janice Spitalniak has directed the Adult Bell Choir since 1992 and is a retired elementary music teacher from the Lafayette School Corporation with both a bachelor's and a master's degree in music education from Indiana State University. Douglas Fletcher is the organist; he also serves as Director of Operations for Purdue Bands and Orchestras, where he helps lead the Purdue "All-American" Marching Band in the fall and conducts two concert bands in the spring, and he previously spent thirty-one years as a high school band director in east-central Indiana.
Children, Youth, and Adult Formation
Central Presbyterian places children at the center of congregational life. The Children and Families Ministry supports families with young children as they live and grow in faith, treats children as full members of the present congregation rather than only as adults in training, welcomes their questions, encourages their wondering, and creates spaces where they can encounter Christ rather than simply learn about him.
The Youth Ministry seeks to be a place of belonging where all are known, formed, and sent as disciples, connecting youth to a welcoming community of faith where Jesus Christ transforms lives. The program also maintains a presence on Instagram.
Adult Ministry centers on formation, a term it defines broadly as any way people are formed in faith, from what is more commonly called Sunday school to Bible studies and small groups for all ages. Formation continues whether the community is meeting in person or on screen.
Sacraments and Milestones
Central recognizes two sacraments: the Lord's Supper and Baptism. The church honors baptisms performed in any Christian tradition and does not require new members to be "baptized Presbyterian." Baptism is offered to infants, children, and adults, and Pastor Wil is glad to meet with anyone considering baptism.
The church also hosts weddings and funerals. Wedding and funeral policies have been carefully prepared by the staff and the Worship and Music Ministry Cluster and approved by the Session, and written policies are available for review.
Serving Greater Lafayette
Central Presbyterian works with a wide network of local and regional ministries. Among the partner organizations the church names are Family Promise, Food Finders, Habitat for Humanity, Lafayette Transitional Housing, Lafayette Urban Ministry, NAMI (the National Alliance on Mental Illness), One 17 International, and Rise Against Hunger. The church is also part of the Presbyterian Church (USA)'s Matthew 25 initiative, which calls congregations to act in three areas: congregational vitality, eradicating systemic poverty, and building engaged communities. Members are invited to serve through the church's regular service projects and collaborations that put faith into practice throughout the wider community.
Affiliation and Identity
Central Presbyterian Church is affiliated with and ascribes to the doctrines and governance of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.). The church has also stated its alignment with the Covenant Network of Presbyterians, an affiliation that reflects the congregation's welcome of LGBTQIA+ people in the life of the church. As a Reformed congregation, Central emphasizes God's covenantal relationship with humanity, the authority of Scripture in shaping faith, grace received and lived out in gratitude, and faith expressed in the public sphere.
Becoming Part of Central
Membership is not required to participate in the life of Central Presbyterian. Those who wish to join formally may do so by Profession of Faith and Baptism, by Reaffirmation of Faith, or by Transfer of Church Letter from another congregation. The questions asked of new members are simple and direct: they confess Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, trust him, intend to be his disciple, and promise to be a faithful member of the congregation. Anyone interested in learning about membership is encouraged to contact Pastor Wil.
The church's staff is led by Pastor Wil, who holds a Bachelor of Arts in theatre and a minor in religious studies from Purdue University and a Master of Divinity from the University of Dubuque Theological Seminary, completed in May 2019. Before coming to Central, he served for years as an Elder, Stephen Minister, and on a number of committees including the Pastoral Nominating Committee and the Adult Education Committee. He also worked as a PATH Outreach Case Manager with Valley Oaks Health (formerly Wabash Valley Alliance), assisting people in Tippecanoe County who were experiencing homelessness and disconnected from community resources. He is married to Ryan, who is also active at Central.
Stewardship and the Life of the Congregation
Central describes its congregation as richly blessed, with people of diverse talents giving generously of their time and creativity and people of varying financial means giving throughout the year. Financial gifts may be made as one-time donations, pledges, memorial gifts, directed gifts for special purposes, and planned gifts through the CPC Foundation, which also provides loan capital for new ministry initiatives. The Finance Team invites everyone to prayerfully complete an estimate of giving card for the year ahead.
From its stone sanctuary on Seventh Street to its Education Building next door, from the choir loft to the fellowship hall, from the open Communion table to the wider ministries of Lafayette, Central Presbyterian Church continues a two-century story of worship, formation, and service in the heart of downtown Lafayette.