The Reverend T.M. Munhall was sent to Ashland in 1869 as the first ordained minister to preach in the area. Originally, churchgoers shared a space on alternating Sundays with area Baptists until a misunderstanding ended the agreement and they found themselves looking to build a church. In 1870, the Reverend Charles Manson found himself appointed to Ashland with nowhere to hold services, nor a place to live. He built a house and held services there for a while until the plan to build a church came to fruition at the summer. The first church erected in Saunders County was located just north of the present parsonage on North 18th Street but due to difficult economic times, the church wasn't dedicated until 1884. In 1903 the church was expanded and rededicated by Dr T.C. Iliff. A new parsonage was built in 1907. 

The present-day church of brick and stone at the corner of 15th and Adams began construction in the fall of 1928 and the cornerstone was laid on December 14, 1928 by officials of the Grand Masonic Lodge of Nebraska. Reverend W.N. Wallis, pastor from 1923 to 1933, held the first service in the new church on May 18, 1930. Dedication was delayed due to economic times once again but under the leadership of Reverend H.A. Taylor, the church was dedicated on July 4, 1943 by Bishop William C. Martin. An initial merger of three related denominations in 1939 changed the title for Methodist Episcopal to the Methodist Church which then evolved through another merger in 1968 with the Evangelical United Brethren Church to become the Ashland United Methodist Church. In September 2022, we merged with the newly formed Global Methodist Church to continue to follow Christ and solid Biblical teachings as the Ashland Methodist Church. 

If you wish to learn more about the church, we invite you to visit in person or you may wish to contact the Ashland Historical Society.