The Olivet Congregational Church, Olivet College and to a large extent, the city of Olivet were founded by the Rev. John Shipherd.  John Shipherd and his wife, Esther Raymond, were missionaries for both the Congregational Church and the Presbyterian Church. 

The Shipherds were avid abolitionists and also believed that women and persons without means should be able to receive a higher education.  In 1834 Shipherd co-founded Oberlin Collegiate Institute, the first college in the world to offer a four-year degree to women and eventually the first in the nation to offer a degree to persons of color.  In the 1840s Shipherd decided to create a new Oberlin in the wilderness of Michigan.  He originally purchased property near Grand Ledge but, on a trip back to that location, became convinced that God wanted him to build his trinity (church, college, and community) on a hill in southern Eaton County.  He named the place Olivet, after the biblical Mount of Olives.

In the dead of winter in 1844, a group of 24 adults and 14 children left Oberlin for Olivet, arriving ten days later.  On the first Sunday, Shipherd preached in a log cabin owned by the Shumways, one of the few families already in the area.  By the next Sunday, the residents of the community had constructed a log cabin for Shipherd to use as a home and church.  This was the beginning of the Olivet Congregational Church.

In the summer of 1844 many Olivet residents came down with malaria.  John Shipherd, who had been in poor health for several years, succumbed and died in September of that year.  About ½ of the party became discouraged and returned to Oberlin.  Those that stayed became determined to bring the old and new residents of Olivet together in a formal church setting.  On March 20, 1845, three months after the first classes were held at Olivet College, a council of 17 men and women met in the unfinished home of George Andrus along with ministers and laymen from Marshall, Vermontville, Dundee and Union City.  That day they formally organized the Olivet Congregational Church.

The first permanent college building was a two-story wood framed building in what is now the college square.  It was to serve as both classroom and church.

In 1846, the first constitution of the Ladies’ Benevolent Society was adopted. This society generated support for many church and mission projects over the years.  Today this group goes by the name of the Women’s Fellowship.

Also, in 1846 the church voted a collection to plow a burial ground that is now the City of Olivet Cemetery.

The two story building in the College Square served both the college and the church until 1852 when a one story wooden chapel was constructed near where Dole Hall stands today.

  In 1893 the cornerstone of the new church was laid.  The architectural firm of Starbuck and Rose, of Milwaukee designed the building in the Richardson Romanesque style.  Wm. Sullivan and Son, of Lansing, was the general contractor.  The final cost of the building was $30,535 for the building, $1,000 for the stained glass windows and $395 for the 2,000 pound bell.  The clock was donated by Roland Mather of Hartford, Conn.  On June 10, 1894 the last service was held in the old church and on June 20 the dedication for the new church was held with Dr. James Brand, pastor of the Oberlin Church, as guest minister.

In 1907, a major fire did $1,230 damage to the church.  After the fire it was decided that the church should connect to the college heating system.  By the time of World War I the church and the college were in serious financial trouble.  During this time, the pastor of the church, Rev. Theodore Wilson, became the president of the college and for a time, the college even closed.  Since the church could not be heated while the college was closed winter services were held at the Grange Hall.In 1920 the college reopened and the church was once again used for cold weather services.

In 1930, Rev. Mark Inghram became the first pastor to move into the new parsonage on East St.  During the 1930s the Ladies’ Benevolent Society organized into three circles named for outstanding women who had served the church, Fannie Quick, Amy Storr and Emma Jo (for Emma Reynolds and Jo Winegar).  These circles have since merged into the Women’s Fellowship.

1942, our current organ was donated to the church and Olivet College by the children of Dexter Ferry in memory of their father, the donor of the church’s original organ.  The organ was dedicated on Feb. 22, 1942.

In 1948 a series of events that began as infighting at Olivet College over its policies and the views of the college faculty turned into a long list of firings and resignations.  In protest, students from the college and elsewhere staged picket lines in front of the college buildings and threatened to disrupt college functions.  Since many of those involved on both sides were members of the church and neighbors and friends, the church and the town were deeply affected.  All of these actions brought national media attention.  By 1950, half of the college faculty was gone and the enrollment of the college went from 425 in 1948 to 125 in 1950.

In 1950 the church sanctuary was refurbished at a cost of $14,500, including lighting, plastering, painting and carpeting.  In 1952, Olivet College graduate, Rev. Charles Hastie became pastor.  In this year, the Ladies’ Benevolent Society held their first turkey supper, an event that has been held every year with the exception of 1997 and 2004.  In 1953 the congregation gave money to power the clock in the tower with electricity in memory of Frank Storr.  In 1959 the Ladies Benevolent Society revised its constitution and formally changed its name to Women’s Fellowship.

On April 9, 1961, the congregation voted to approve the constitution of the United Church of Christ, thereby signifying a desire to be a part of the United Church of Christ. On January 11, 1968, the church formally changed its name to Olivet Congregational Church, United Church of Christ.

In the 1980s a bequest from the estate of Gula Quick Powers allowed extensive repair work to be initiated at the church.  During this time, the entire roof was replaced.  Another bequest from Evelyn Sexton stipulated that her home would be used as the church parsonage.  As a result, the parsonage on East St. was sold and the current parsonage on Green St. was renovated

In 1986, Rev. Clark Hock moved to Olivet when he was hired as the pastor of the church.  Rev. Hock would serve as pastor until June 2000.

In October of 1996 a steam pipe coming from the college heating plant sprang a leak outside the church and saturated the sanctuary of the church with steam for 24 – 48 hours.  Virtually everything in the sanctuary was damaged or destroyed.  In December, an engineering firm recommended evacuation of the church because of the fears of structural damage.  The congregation moved all of the worship material to the Upton Conservatory of Music on the college campus where services were held for the next two years.

Due to conflicts with the insurance company over the steam damage, its extent and how to best repair it, church repairs were delayed until January 1998.  At this time Building Restoration, Inc. began the process of repairing and restoring the sanctuary.  Steel beams were installed to supplement the original structure.  All historic wood (including paneling and pews) and stained glass windows were individually removed, cleaned and replaced.  The lighting and sound systems were completely redesigned.  The congregation moved back to the church on the first Sunday of October 1998 and held its rededication service on November 15, 1998.  The claim with the insurance company was not finalized until the summer of 2000.

On April 2, 2000 the congregation voted to become a part of the NACCC.

Rev. Henry "Jack" Brown answered the call to serve as pastor in 2005.