Ozark Presbyterian Church began as a Cumberland Presbyterian church in 1872. This church met in member’s homes. In 1908 Rev. W.B. Hicks organized Cumberland Presbyterian and others to form one church. Mrs. Mary Yoachum funded a new church building, which was dedicated in September of 1908 as the Yoachum Memorial Presbyterian Church. In 1913 Mrs. Yoachum endowed $2,000 to the church to provide interest income to pay the salary of the minister.

In 1930 the United Presbyterian Church and the Methodist Church merged congregations and met in the Yoachum Memorial Presbyterian Church building. The Presbyterians traded church buildings with the Methodists in 1941 and relocated just off the Ozark square on Church Street. It was renamed the Mary F. Yoachum Memorial Presbyterian Church.

By 1970 the congregation felt the need to grow into a larger and newer building. They bought property next to the Ozark High School (now the Ozark Jr. High) with the intention to build there. They began the process of raising the funds to build. In 1982 Estel and Caroline Campbell pledged to match the money raised by church members, with the condition that construction would not begin until all necessary funding was in place. In 1985 the school district wanted to purchase the land we had bought, so it was sold to them and property was donated where we are now by Bob and Faith Yarbrough. Combined funds now totaled $440,000 and construction began.

Thanks to generous donations from the congregation, it was possible to move the old stained-glass windows to the new church and the round stained-glass window which is in the front of the sanctuary was given as well as a new organ and piano. All the pews, tables and chairs were bought by various members of the church. The first Sunday service in the new church building was July 6, 1986.

With the reunification of the northern and southern Presbyterian Churches in 1988, we became the Ozark Presbyterian Church.

In 2020 an agreement was signed with St. Matthew’s Episcopal Church to share space in the church building, and in 2021 construction was completed on a new basement level parking lot and a 2,000 sq. ft. pavilion was donated and erected behind the building.

In 2022 we paused to celebrate 150 years of worship and ministry in Ozark, Mo. We are looking forward to the next 150 years!