The Great Seattle Church Schism: Denny’s Deed vs. The Pastor’s Pew
A bitter power struggle at the First Christian Church has erupted into physical confrontation, with trustees seizing the building from Rev. Rufus Moss and his loyalists in a dispute over leadership and property rights.
The story, cleaned up
A cleaned-up reading of the newspaper page: spelling and layout repaired, one story lifted off a crowded page. It follows the original closely but it is not a transcription. The original page is below; read it if a detail matters.
There is quite a tempest in the congregation of the First Christian Church of this city, over which Rev. Rufus Moss has presided for the past few years. The congregation have worshipped at a little church on Seventh Street, between Third and Fourth streets.
A member of the congregation was seen yesterday, and gave the following recital of the trouble:
"The trouble has had its beginning and ending in the unpopularity of the pastor, Rev. Rufus Moss. He is the scorching sort of gentleman, is a poor preacher, and is generally an indifferent sort of man. Ninety of the members of the church do not want him, while about 10 are made up of his own family.
In December last such pressure was brought to bear on him that he resigned, but owing to influence brought to bear by the pastor and adherents he was reinstated.
The title to the church and the lot on which it is located is vested in Mr. Denny. On or about December 27 Mr. Denny, at the instance and request of a majority of the congregation, put up a notice forbidding any persons from entering the building. The pastor and his followers broke into the building and took possession.
Until recently the majority allowed them to keep possession. How, however, we have incorporated the Christian Church of Seattle, and propose to forever get rid of Rev. Rufus Moss. The trustees are: Henry Denny, H. O. Bluey, John Farr, H. K. Walker, A. A. Osborn, B. I. Chase, and M. L. Baer. The object is the worship of God and the dissemination of the doctrines of the Christian religion. We have taken possession of the church and do not propose to give it up to anyone.
Action would have been taken sooner, but the matter was referred to the general missionary board. The secretary of this board resides at Washington. They promised to investigate the matter, but have failed to do so up to date. We were tired of waiting, and so took the decisive step in the matter.
Rev. Mr. Moss came here from Oregon two years ago. He claims that he was not hired for a year or two, but was to remain as long as he gave satisfaction. Mr. Denny will deed the church property to the church as soon as its affairs are settled to the satisfaction of the majority."
This 1889 conflict over the First Christian Church highlights how early Seattle’s civic institutions were deeply entangled with personal wealth and land ownership, specifically through figures like Henry Denny. The struggle between a disgruntled majority congregation and an entrenched pastor mirrors modern disputes over church property rights, leadership accountability, and the use of legal mechanisms to seize control of community spaces.
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