Who We Are

Our History

The unique story of a unique church began in 1931 with several area families creating a Sunday school in a private home for neighboring children.  A few years later, this evolved to include regular services at a local chapel.  A decade later in 1952, this group of Presbyterians and Episcopalians worshiping together, decided to form the Indian Hill Church.

The Indian Hill Church is one of only a few successful dual denominations in our country. Our church began as a fully constituted dual denomination under the auspices of our two regional governing bodies: The Southern Ohio Diocese of the Episcopal Church and the Presbytery of Cincinnati. However, our informal roots go back even further. The primary foundational concept was this: to provide a local church that would meet the needs of Episcopalians and Presbyterians living in the Indian Hill area, and to do so intentionally as an experiment in ecumenicity. There were risks involved in this experiment owing mostly to denominational differences. And yet Episcopalians and Presbyterians here were prepared to make this gesture because the rewards so clearly seemed to outweigh those risks.

Now, after almost 75 years we can safely say that our church is no longer an experiment in ecumenicity. It works! We have shown here that we can accept those denominational differences, be enriched by them, and use them in the creation of new traditions. As a dual denominational church, we have been ahead of our time in terms of concept.  The faith practices of those attending the church are those of tolerance.  Services are seamless, meaning Presbyterians and Episcopalians attend each other’s services without any hesitation.  Presbyterians sit next to Episcopalians in church without any idea who is practicing which tradition.  Our heritage at the church is one of the future.  We would like to see ourselves as an example of acceptance.