The Jonesboro Methodist congregation traces its history to the late 1860s, when early settlers of Jonesboro gathered for worship services in a combination church-school Masonic Lodge building. In 1871, W. L. Jones donated land for a Methodist church, and the congregation was formally organized that year. Its first building, completed in 1871, was later replaced by a succession of structures to meet the needs of the membership. Methodist congregations in the nearby communities of Ames, Pancake, and Turnersville later merged with the Jonesboro church.