The Christian Union was organized at the Deshler Hotel in Columbus, Ohio, on February 3, 1864 (though groupings of churches that later joined with the Christian Union point to earlier dates and movements as their origin[REF]).
By 1870 there were 48 churches, 4,920 members, and 97 preachers in the Christian Union, and in 1898 there were 149 churches, 7,884 members, 105 preachers.