Our History
The Nashville Presbyterian Church was organized in 1875, and soon built a church on south Jefferson Street near the village green. Following a fire that destroyed the building, the small congregation rebuilt and continued meeting until 1926. Then, Nashville Presbyterians merged with a congregation in Boggstown and ceded their land and building to the growing Methodist Episcopal Church in Nashville. There would be no organized Presbyterian Church in Nashville for almost 75 years.
In 1998, a small Bible study began in the home of Dale and Janice Cassiday. Soon the group outgrew their living room and began meeting for Sunday worship at the Pine Box Theater on Jefferson Street, just a few blocks south of the site of the old Nashville Presbyterian Church. Local ministers—many of them Presbyterian—led the worship services and provided leadership, and soon the congregation identified with the Presbyterian Church (USA). Rev. Dr. Roger Dean served as the organizing pastor of the new church, named Brown County Presbyterian Fellowship (BCPF).
In 2002, BCPF entered into an agreement with St. Agnes Roman Catholic Church to purchase its building on State Road 135, just north of Nashville. The two churches shared the building while the new parish church was constructed south of town. With support from the Presbyterian Church (USA), BCPF was able to settle into its new building by the fall of 2003. The church’s sixty members helped BCPF maintain a very active presence in the community, especially through the arts.
With strong support from the Presbytery of Ohio Valley, BCPF called Rev. Dr. Scott Seay to be its part-time pastor in 2008 to lead the congregation through a process of discernment about its future. Responding to widespread flooding in the county, compassionate members of BCPF established a free clothing ministry called God’s Grace. Through the faithful generosity of its members, the church completed a capital campaign in 2013 and has retired its mortgage seven years ahead of schedule.
Though small, BCPF has continued to thrive. A steady stream of talented artists provide excellent music each Sunday morning. Rev. Mac Bellner joined the staff in 2022 to assist Pastor Scott, especially with pastoral care responsibilities. The church is a founding member of Chamberfest Brown County and supports the arts in the Nashville community in a variety of ways. God’s Grace—now a community based 501(c)3 not-for-profit—continues to be a significant local mission of the church. Most recently, BCPF has partnered with the local chapter of St. Vincent DePaul to further its outreach locally.
God is accomplishing much through Brown County Presbyterian Fellowship!