The 1860's saw the first white settlers in the Ojai, and by the 1870's the pioneers were meeting for worship in the little wooden schoolhouse at the foot of the grade to the Upper Valley. There was no settled pastor at that time, but different ministers came and preached occasionally.

In 1877, the people of the community decided that they must organize a church and asked the Reverend Taylor to become their pastor. He preached three or four times a month and was paid a yearly salary of $600. This arrangement continued until 1883, when he was succeeded by the Reverend Eugene R. Mills.

It was during Mills' pastorate that the building which was to serve the Presbyterian church for 47 years was built on the south side of Ojai Avenue west of Gridley Road. Mr. and Mrs. Charles Nordhoff made a generous monetary donation and also retained an eastern architect, at their expense, who drew up plans for the church building. C.E. Sowles (the family later changed the spelling of their name to Soule) sold an acre lot to the church for $ 1.00. Construction continued through 188 3 and the building was dedicated on January 6, 1884. The beautiful new church had a belfry, but no
bell. It wasn't until 1889 that a bell arrived as a gift to the congregation from a Church of  Scotland congregation in a town named Biggar.

In 1899, the Presbyterian Church merged with the Congregational Church, then situated on the corner of Ojai Avenue and Ventura Street (now occupied by the Ojai Library). A lot was purchased on the corner of Ojai Avenue and
Montgomery Street for $600, and the two church buildings were then moved to this lot; the Presbyterian building becoming the church proper, and the Congregational building a Sunday School.

On May 25, 1925, a committee of 15 was empowered to raise funds to build a new church, and in June of 1927 the property on the corner of Foothill and Aliso was purchased. Construction began in March of 1930, and the first meeting of the trustees in their new church was held in July of that same year. Although the church was completed and in use by  1930, the old church building on Ojai Avenue remained idle for the next five years. At one time a group of Spanish-speaking Christians worshiped in it, but most of the time it was vacant and deteriorating. In April, 1935, the members of the Nazarene Church asked if they could use it. This plan was very satisfactory to both churches, for the Nazarenes kept the old building in good order and, because it was occupied, the insurance rates went down. The Presbyterian Church was glad to allow the Nazarenes use of the facility and, when the lot
was eventually sold, the Nazarenes moved it to the corner of Montgomery and Aliso, where it now stands vacant. As the Presbyterian Church expanded, new additions were built in 1939, 1949 and 1960.