Although the village of Churchtown or Allen was originally settled by Scots-Irish, by 1775 German immigrants were the predominant group. Along with other aspects of their culture, they brought with them their religion. It is believed they began construction of a church around 1790, although a congregation appears not to have been formally organized quite that early. The village of Churchtown grew about this building, with the churchyard or cemetery occupying a corner of what might have been called the town square. It was from this Lutheran and Reformed gathering place that the community took its name.

The earliest known public record of the church is found in the Cumberland County Courthouse. That record is the deed of April 18, 1795 from Jacob Wise and Anna Wise, his wife, to "the German Lutheran and Calvin [Calvinist or Reformed] Church." The irregularly shaped lot was "one-half acre and two perches" in size. References in the deed confirm that the "meeting house" had already been built on the tract. The land was said to be located in "Allen Township," as Monroe Township was not erected until 1825.

Prior histories of Mt. Zion tell us that the oldest located parish register was a small book on the fly-leaf of which was written "Kirchen Buch Aup [Auf] Yohr [Yahr] Christa [Christi] 1795"--"Church Book from the Year 1795 A.D." The book contained one entry for that first year. The record of the baptism of a child, Rebecca Weber, on the twenty-fourth of October.

On July 24, 1796, Pastor F. D. Shaeffer presided at a communion service, where nineteen persons communed.

After this, there are no known records until 1802, when the baptism of seven infants is recorded. On September 19 of that year, Pastor Sheaffer again presided at a communion, in which thirty some persons partook of the sacrament.

Subsequent records from the early nineteenth century indicate a period of fairly rapid growth for the church. In April 1825 sixty-two members communed. Just six months later, on October 22, 1825, seventy-eight members communed, and thirty-eight were confirmed, making a total communicant list of 116. On November 10, 1833, the communicant list reached 128.

These early annals are often unclear as to the distinction between the Lutheran and Reformed groups that shared the building. Officers known as "settlers" (trustees) were typically appointed by the two groups on the same date. Often there was no designation of which "settler" was from which denomination. For example, on October 9, 1819, "George Beltzhoover and Jacob Strock where appointed Settlers of the Lutherian and Prespetarian Congregations." The same date it was noted that "said congregations is intept [in debt?] to Sundry Persons--$6.24. (The designation of the Lutherans' sister congregation varied interestingly over the years. In 1795 it was the "Calvin" or Calvinist Church. Through some later years it was called "Presbyterian" in various spellings. By 1847 it was the "Germin Reformnet Church." After that, the spelling changed, but its name remained basically the same.

The present sanctuary was built in 1849, after the trustees of both churches had paid the sum of $150 for the ground upon which it was constructed, adjacent to the earlier site of the meeting house and graveyard. The Rev. A. Babb, D.D., preached a sermon at the cornerstone laying, with the Rev. John Ulrich presiding. Neither of these pastors served exclusively at Churchtown. Instead, they came from Dillsburg to minister to the Monroe Township Christians. The Dillsburg alignment had begun in 1842, after a seventeen year period in which Churchtown depended upon the larger Lutheran Church in Carlisle for pastoral services. The yoking with Dillsburg continued until 1854, when a pastorate was established consisting of our Lutheran congregation and St. Stephen's, New Kingstown.

Between the erection of the brick church and the alignment with St. Stephen's. The Churchtown congregation was formally incorporated "Mount Zion Church." Before that, the Lutheran and Reformed groups had been known as "Christ's Church." The new incorporation was done by an act of the Pennsylvania State House and Senate, approved by Governor William Bigler on February 15, 1853.

On May 26, 1855, it was "resolved that a stone wall be erected around the two front sides of the graveyard [at the corner of present Old Stonehouse Road and Route 174], the wall to be four feet high, twenty-two inches thick at the bottom and eighteen inches at the top, with foundation eighteen inches deep and the roof to be of boards or shingles."

By September 1857 a bylaw had been adopted to have six trustees, three from each group. Both churches held this election on Ascension Day, the Thursday occurring forty days after Easter, a day which was often a nonworking holy day among the Pennsylvania Germans. This practice continued for many years. See, for example, the minutes of Thursday, May 12, 1904, when the time-honored tradition of electing three Reformed and three Lutheran trustees was carried out.

A major event occurred in 1859, with the establishment of a Sunday School. The Rev. William Kopp proposed this at a service on the 21st of May, and the matter was agreed upon at a meeting the next day. This Sunday School, which served both congregations, was organized on May 29, when a constitution written by Pastor Kopp was approved. The school opened on June 5, 1859, and closed on October 16 of the same year, with an average attendance of 32 students.

The joint Sunday School continued to operate until June 30, 1900, on which day the Reformed Congregation of Mt. Zion withdrew their support. It was reorganized as a Lutheran ministry and has remained so until the present time.

At the turn of present century, a series of renovations was begun on the church building. Following the recognition that "the church is badly in need of repairs," the two congregations agreed in 1900 to raise "by subscription or otherwise" a sum not to exceed $2,000. It was also decided "to have the entrance in the basement and stairs from the inside, to remove the gallery and to have aisles on each side of the center." A new slate roof was to be installed, and the chimneys were to be "raised to secure the proper draught."
The cellar was dug out, and a Sunday School room was built beneath the sanctuary. The sum of $200 was allocated for "the frescoing and cleaning walls and ceiling of the church." Apparently, this "frescoing" did not include the ornate center area now found in the ceiling of the nave, as minutes from a slightly later time, December 1913, indicate payment of $45.45 "for circle and chandelier in ceiling."

Also part of the 1900 refurbishing was the purchase of new windows. A check was issued to the treasurer of Emmanuel Reformed Church, Hanover, for $363.30 "for windows, window panes and sash, and freight."

Concurrently with the renovations, the Lutherans and Reformeds recorded in writing a new memorandum of their relationship in April 1900. The agreement was as follows:

Each congregation shall have the preference on alternate Sabbaths of the forenoon or afternoon and shall also be entitled to the evening on said alternate Sabbaths, except on communion occasions when the whole of the Sabbath shall belong to the worshipping congregation.

Each congregation shall have the full and free grant of the Church to worship God according to the distinctive doctrine and view of each without any molestation from the other.

New Lamps, which seem to have been kerosene, were purchased in 1911. Payment for kerosene continued to be noted until at least 1916. On December 30, 1916, $8.00 was paid to M. A. Goodhart for "electric lights and labor."

On November 1, 1932, "the reformed congregation of this part of the Union Church of Mt. Zion" disbanded. Thus, the Lutherans were left to pay for repairs and general upkeep of the building and grounds and to "hold worship as they see fit."

Our Lutheran congregation must have possessed adequate financial resources at the time of the Reformed withdrawal. On February 13, 1933, at a special meeting of the council it was agreed to start remodeling the church. The choir loft was raised, and new carpet was installed. In addition, a painting, "The Lost Sheep," was installed in the chancel. The total cost was approximately $750. A "Re-opening Service" was held in April 1933. Present for the occasion was the Rev. M. Roy Hamsher, D. D., the head of the Synod. At that time, his position was called "President," rather than "Bishop," and the Synod was known as "the West Pennsylvania Synod."

April 18, 1946, at a special meeting of the church council, the Friendly Circle and Loyal Daughters Sunday School Classes requested permission to place an altar in the church. Permission was granted, and after much delay the work was finally completed in the summer of 1949.

In 1964, the church facilities were greatly expanded with the building of a new wing for fellowship and educational activities. New pews and carpet were also provided for the nave. The cost was $65,000.

The following year, 1965, the parish alignment was St. Stephen's, New Kingstown, was dissolved. St. Stephen's made plans to call its first full-time pastor. Mt. Zion continued to be served by clergy and seminarians whose formal engagements were of a part-time nature.

By 1978, the numerical and financial strength of the congregation had increased to the point that the first full-time pastor was called.

In the early 1980's, our worship life was enriched by the provision for Holy Communion to be celebrated on the first and third (and fifth) Sundays of the month at the 10:15 service.

By God's grace, we have been entrusted with perhaps the most handsome setting in the Churchtown area. "Out of Zion, the perfection of beauty, God shines forth," says the Psalmist (Psalm 50.2). Elsewhere, we are told "Those who trust in the Lord are like Mount Zion, which cannot be moved, but abides forever." (Psalm 125:1).