On 10 May 1767, at a barn in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, a Mennonite pastor named Martin Boehm (30 November 1725-23 March 1812) told his dramatic conversion story to an audience of German-speaking colonists. When he finished speaking, a German Reformed pastor named Philip William Otterbein (1726-1813) stood up, embraced him, and exclaimed, “Wir sind Brüder!” meaning “We are brethren”, a phrase which contributed to the name of the new Christian denomination started by those gathered in the barn in 1767.

By 1800, the United Brethren had spread to Pennsylvania, Maryland, Virginia, and Ohio, drawing from the German Reformed groups already established, and there was a need for organization and common standards among new churches. The denomination officially organized in 1800, adopting the name Church of the United Brethren in Christ (hereafter, United Brethren). Boehm and Otterbein were elected the first bishops. In 1815, the United Brethren adopted a Confession of Faith written by Otterbein, and in 1841, they adopted a constitution by which to organize their churches. In 1834, they established a publishing house in Dayton, Ohio for printing hymnals, denominational reports, and other books.

The United Brethren focused on an emotionalized, new-birth experience that led to a strong desire to evangelize and inner assurance of salvation. Theologically, they were Arminian, believing that it was man's choice to accept God's gift of salvation. In church structure, they were episcopal, all churches submitting to the authority of elected bishops, of which they had six. They condemned drinking, smoking, gambling, secret societies, and slavery.

In 1889, five of the six bishops sought to amend the constitution, and the remaining bishop, Milton Wright (17 November 1828-3 April 1917), dissented. In response to the constitutional changes, the lay people split into radical (Old Constitution) and liberal (New Constitution) divisions. Bishop Milton Wright led the small radical division from Dayton, Ohio, to Huntington, Indiana, where they established new headquarters, a new publishing house and current-day Huntington University. For several decades, both divisions were named United Brethren Church until the liberal division merged with the Evangelical Church in 1946 to become the Evangelical United Brethren Church, which then merged with the Methodist Church in 1968 to become the United Methodist Church.

In 1858, William Cokeley (31 December 1813-12 February 1888) built a log cabin for a United Brethren church southeast of Harrisville, West Virginia, naming it Mount Zion Church of the United Brethren in Christ. The small church was composed of close-knit families, many of whom are buried in the church graveyard. Significant members include members of the Cokeley, Duckworth, Hardbarger, Mitchell, and the Radcliffe families. When the church split occurred in 1889, the Mount Zion congregation agreed with the liberal division, and later joined the Evangelical Church, but not the Methodist. In 1894, the church building was rebuilt by Salem Duckworth (15 February 1836-26 July 1913), the son-in-law of William Cokeley. When the church burned in 1932, the congregation rebuilt it again. By 1978, the church membership had dwindled to 16 members. The church and cemetery are on County Road 24/3, one mile off the Chevaux-De-Frise Road in Union District, West Virginia.