First United Methodist Church traces its origins to 1842, before Madison County was organized, when circuit-riding preacher Henderson Palmer from the Galveston District of the Methodist Episcopal Church, South, served the area. In the following years, circuit riders from the Washington, Rutersville, and Huntsville Districts ministered to the congregation. In 1856, the church became a separate charge under the pastorate of the Rev. Joseph H.D. Moore. Members built a one-room church building in 1892, located diagonally across from the present educational building on Trinity Street. In 1904, they constructed a larger building to accommodate the growing congregation, and additions were made over the years before it was razed in 1951, when the present sanctuary was erected. In 1968, the congregation changed its name from First Methodist Church to First United Methodist Church. The congregation has long been involved in the community by providing necessities and assistance to the needy, serving neglected and mistreated women and children, supporting local and foreign missions, and becoming a hub for regional Methodist congregations and interchurch ministry. A number of young men from the church have entered full-time ministry, and the church continues to be a benevolent and generous leader in the Madisonville community.