Ferris was laid out by the Houston & Texas Central Railway in 1874, and that year the Reverend John S. Davis and the Reverend George W. Owens became the first of a series of circuit-riding ministers to serve the town, establishing a small Methodist congregation. In 1885 the Methodist Episcopal Church, South, received two town lots from the railroad and erected its first building there, and a parsonage followed in 1895. Circuit riders continued to serve the congregation until the late 1890s, and in 1899 Ferris became part of the Waxahachie District, Northwest Texas Conference, of the Methodist Episcopal Church, South. At the beginning of the 20th century, Ferris had a population of 311 and included a post office, railroad depot, express office, about 20 business and mercantile establishments, cotton gins, hotels, a school serving children from primary grades through high school, and several churches. In 1910 the Ferris church and the rest of the Waxahachie District became part of the newly formed Central Texas Conference of the Methodist Episcopal Church, South. As needs changed, new facilities were erected; for much of 1924 the congregation met at Ferris High School and in the First Presbyterian Church, and in 1925 the Presbyterian congregation met in the new Methodist facilities while awaiting completion of its own new structure. In 1964 a more modern facility was constructed for the Methodists, and the congregation continues a strong tradition of worship, community outreach, service, and mission programs.