1812
Alexander Campbell Ordination
On January 1, 1812, the Brush Run Church ordained Alexander Campbell to the Christian ministry in a ceremony that broke with traditional Presbyterian practice. The congregation itself, not a presbytery or bishop, conferred ordination—asserting the autonomy and authority of the local church. Thomas Campbell, Alexander's father and himself an ordained Presbyterian minister, participated in the service, symbolically affirming the shift from denominational hierarchy to congregational self-governance.