Kansas Wesleyan University was founded by the Northwest Kansas Conference of The Methodist Episcopal Church in 1886. By 1909, a congregation of about 80 students, faculty, and staff had outgrown the chapel at Lockwood Hall they had been meeting in, and the Reverend James M. Newton was the first to be appointed to serve the growing congregation.

While a parsonage for the appointed pastor was completed in the fall of that same year, it was not until 1917 that construction of the church building began. The outbreak of World War I slowed down construction as it became difficult to obtain materials and skilled labor. But so dedicated to their church, members of the church who were faculty and staff at the university gave portions of their salary until its completion. Finally finished, the church was dedicated in March 1918—over 21 years after the formal organization of the church.

In September 1959, the three-level education wing was completed. In 1973, the original organ was rebuilt. And in 1978, the Sanctuary and front entrances were remodeled. The Sanctuary was again remodeled in 2014 as it stands today.

University United Methodist Church is home to Boy Scout Troop #5, one of the largest and oldest troops in Salina.