Cumberland Presbyterian Center is the denominational headquarters of the

Cumberland Presbyterian Church The Cumberland Presbyterian Church is a Presbyterian denomination spawned by the Second Great Awakening.Matthew H. Gore, The History of the Cumberland Presbyterian Church in Kentucky to 1988, (Memphis, Tennessee: Joint Heritage Committee, 2000). ...

, located in

Memphis, Tennessee Memphis is a city in the U.S. state of Tennessee. It is the seat of Shelby County in the southwest part of the state; it is situated along the Mississippi River. With a population of 633,104 at the 2020 U.S. census, Memphis is the second-mos ...

Original building

The original center was located at 1978 Union Avenue in Memphis, Tennessee, from 1951 to 2008. Funded through a denomination wide campaign in the late-1940s, the original building was an impressive and architecturally interesting

neo-gothic Gothic Revival (also referred to as Victorian Gothic, neo-Gothic, or Gothick) is an architectural movement that began in the late 1740s in England. The movement gained momentum and expanded in the first half of the 19th century, as increasingly ...

structure. The

Cumberland Presbyterian The Cumberland Presbyterian Church is a Presbyterian denomination spawned by the Second Great Awakening.Matthew H. Gore, The History of the Cumberland Presbyterian Church in Kentucky to 1988, (Memphis, Tennessee: Joint Heritage Committee, 2000). ...

denomination's seminary,

Memphis Theological Seminary Memphis Theological Seminary is an ecumenical seminary of the Cumberland Presbyterian Church in Memphis, Tennessee. Although it is affiliated with the Cumberland Presbyterian Church, it accepts and trains ministerial candidates from other denomi ...

, was located less than a mile away. The construction of the center, and the consolidation of board and agency offices in Memphis, marked the end of a long period of recovery for the

denomination after a contentious period of a partial union with the

Presbyterian Church (USA) The Presbyterian Church (USA), abbreviated PC(USA), is a mainline Protestant denomination in the United States. It is the largest Presbyterian denomination in the US, and known for its liberal stance on doctrine and its ordaining of women and ...

since 1906.

A new denominational headquarters

At the meetings of their General Assemblies in 2005 and 2006, Cumberland Presbyterians voted to either build, purchase, or lease a new denominational headquarters. The decision was not without opposition. Factions within the denomination were divided over the deposition of the historic midtown

Memphis Memphis most commonly refers to: * Memphis, Egypt, a former capital of ancient Egypt * Memphis, Tennessee, a major American city Memphis may also refer to: Places United States * Memphis, Alabama * Memphis, Florida * Memphis, Indiana * Memp ...

structure that had served since 1951. Some Cumberland Presbyterians felt that the denomination would be better served by remodeling the existing structure. Arguments against renovation included the fear that

asbestos Asbestos () is a naturally occurring fibrous silicate mineral. There are six types, all of which are composed of long and thin fibrous crystals, each fibre being composed of many microscopic "fibrils" that can be released into the atmosphere b ...

employed in the original construction was a potential health risk to the occupants and that the structure was no longer in a desirable location. The majority of the denominational boards and agencies housed at the property were strongly in favor of renovation and that the Memphis firm, Chandler Demolition Company, Inc. (later hired by

Chick-fil-A Chick-fil-A ( , a Word play, play on the American English pronunciation of "wikt:filet#Pronunciation, filet") is an American fast food restaurant chain which is the country's largest which specializes in chicken sandwiches. Headquartered in Coll ...

to demolish the building), did not consider the asbestos to be a health risk. The General Assembly appointed a task force to raise funds for construction, and to select a site for a new denominational headquarters. At the same time, the assembly affirmed its support for a centralized denominational staff. On February 22, 2008, a site for the new Cumberland Presbyterian Center campus comprising two partially constructed buildings, a grassy area, and a portion of Rock Creek, was purchased near the intersection of

Interstate 40 Interstate 40 (I-40) is a major east–west Interstate Highway running through the south-central portion of the United States. At a length of , it is the third-longest Interstate Highway in the country, after I-90 and I-80. From west to ea ...

and Germantown Road in Memphis. Denominational offices were able to move to the new site, at 8207 Traditional Place, in September 2008.

Demolition of the historic building

Chick-fil-A purchased the original property with the intention of developing a restaurant on the site. However, a general outcry from local media, neighborhood residents, and Memphis area historic preservationists persuaded the restaurant chain to agree to preserve at least a portion of the historic building. By mid-May 2009, the structure had been demolished, with the exception of the south wall along Union Avenue and a portion of the west wall along Rembert Street.Minutes of the General Assembly of the Cumberland Presbyterian Church, 2006-2008.

Boards, Agencies, and Departments housed at the Cumberland Presbyterian Center

* Discipleship Ministry Team * Missions Ministry Team * Board of Stewardship * Pastoral Development Ministry Team * Ministry Council * Historical Foundation of the Cumberland Presbyterian Church and the Cumberland Presbyterian Church in America (denominational library and archives) * Office of the General Assembly

References

External links

Photo of facade of old Cumberland Presbyterian Center and adjacent Chick-fil-A
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