The church was founded by Rev. John McMillan, the first Presbyterian missionary west of the Allegheny Mountains, during his third missionary trip. The origins of the Bethel Presbyterian Church date to November 5, 1776, when McMillan preached and baptized 5 children at Peter's Creek. Early services were held at a log house owned by Oliver Miller. The Peter's Creek congregation grew and later split into an Eastern Division and the Western Division. In 1785 or 1786, the Eastern Division was renamed Lebanon and the Western Division was renamed Bethel. In 1808, Oliver Miller's son James added a stone section to the right of his father's log house and in 1830 he and his son Oliver replaced the log house with a new stone section , now known as the Oliver Miller Homestead.