Before the Methodist E. Church emerged in Lexington, it’s roots were developed in small pioneer settlements in surrounding areas.  For all practical purposes, these settlements, as visited by circuit riders Stephen Biggs, William Crissey, and Henry Maynard as early as the 1830’s, were located on water banks.  The Patton settlement was located on the Mackinaw River at Pleasant Hill, Smith’s Gove was located on Money Creek near Towanda, and another small group was located on Henline Creek.  The earliest built “Church House”, as it was called, was built in 1845 by the Patton settlement on Pleasant Hill.  This was recognized as the first church body organized in McLean County.  The structure was crudely built of native black walnut.  The siding, shingles, floor, and window frames were all hand-sawn and hewn at a local sawmill.  Dressed base wood planks served as pews where men and women were seated separately.  The pulpit, also made of walnut, was enclosed within wooden hinged gates with steps leading up to it.

It had been in use four years, when the Rock River Conference appointed Rev. Nimrod H. Gregg pastor.  His enthusiasm and zeal rapidly spread into the Lexington area, too, where he gained adequate support to establish a “Methodist Society”.  The group met in houses, a school building on the square, and in the United Brethren Church.  By 1855, under Gregg’s influence, a frame building measuring 45 feet by 65 feet and costing $2700 was erected on the same sight as the present First United Methodist Church.  In contrast, the present title is brief, compared to the legal charter given in 1856, which read “The First Society in Lexington, McLean County, Illinois of the Methodist Episcopal Church of the United States of America”.  From the beginning, the congregation grew and the same pastors served at both Pleasant Hill and Lexington until 1858.

On two occasions, the Lexington Church had the distinguished privilege of hosting the Central Illinois Conference Meeting, first in 1866 and again in 1882.  The later meeting came one year after the brick auditorium of the present church structure was built at a cost of $5361.

In 1907, the addition of classrooms to the north of the sanctuary proved an area large enough to accommodate the needs of a growing congregation.  At the same time, the beautiful chandelier which still hangs in the sanctuary and the pope organ were installed.  Traditionally, the congregational singing was conducted by qualified leaders and a mere tuning fork from early beginnings until the organ was introduced.  In the 1930's, an orchestra was developed and many beautiful musical programs were given.  During the same decade, a basement and kitchen area was excavated under the original brick structure.  It became necessary to replace the pipe organ in 1970 with an electric organ.

For its 100th birthday in 1955, the church spread even further to the north gaining an education wing of 8 classrooms and a full basement.

In the year 1975, a repetition of history was evident.  Once again, the church body was sharing a pastor with another church.  This time it was the Evangelical United Methodist Church.