Our History

In the 1960s, Bethel Park was growing as a suburb, and many felt that another Presbyterian church was needed. So, on July 1, 1965, the Rev. Richard Davis began working for the Pittsburgh Presbytery as the organizing pastor for a new church there. Rev. Davis led an initial worship service in September 1965 in the William Penn Elementary School, with 118 attending. Our church was born!

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In late 1965, John McMillan Presbyterian Church was organized and construction on a building soon began on land acquired by the presbytery off Clifton Road. The new church was named for the Rev. Dr. John McMillan, an outstanding pioneer minister and educator of the Revolutionary War era. He founded two churches in Southwestern Pennsylvania and was the first president of Jefferson College which later merged with Washington College in 1865, to form W&J College. We have been making history ever since!

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Worship and education were held in the new building in February 1967. Many people, young and old, came to get to know the Lord. Rev. Davis left in 1968 and two clergymen, Rev. William Barker and Rev. Max Conley, served as interim pastors. In April 1969, the church called Rev. Arthur Webster as pastor, and he began growing the church. With new members came a building expansion, as well as the birth of our preschool in January 1973.

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In the summer of 1974, Rev. Webster left and Rev. Frank Penick became the interim. Then the congregation called Rev. James Eby, who served for ten years. The Rev. Carolyn Jones stepped in to act as interim when Rev. Eby left. At the close of this interim period in 1987, Rev. Dr. Dan Merry was called as pastor.

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Rev. Merry oversaw more church growth, as well as the creation of our current sanctuary and office space. The church called Rev. Deborah Evanovich as Associate Pastor in 1995. In October of 2000, Rev. Merry accepted a call to be an Associate Pastor for the Pittsburgh Presbytery. Rev. Evanovich led the church for six months until Rev. John Free and then the Rev. Dr. Beverly James served as interim pastors. This interim period resulted in the call of Rev. Charlie Berthoud as the next senior pastor. Louise Rogers became the Director of Christian Education and was elevated to Associate Pastor upon her graduation from seminary and ordination. Charlie and Louise worked well together and continued to focus upon great worship and family education in the early 2000s.

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In 2013, Charlie left for Madison, Wisconsin, and Rev. Doug Marshall became the interim. At the close of this interim period, Rev. Jeff Tindall, a former Pittsburgh attorney, was called as senior pastor. Jeff led the church for ten years, from October 2014 until January 2025, including through the difficult Covid 19 pandemic. Rev. Matt Fricker was the Associate Pastor from 2017 until 2021 and was much beloved by the youth.