The First Congregational Church of Peru was organized November 27th, 1837 as the Presbyterian church of Rockwell, Illinois. The founding members were Dixwell Lathrop, Esther Lathrop, Dr. Townsend Seeley, Frances Seeley, and Ira Kidder. The church's first minister was Reverend Nahum Gould.

The proximity of the settlement to the anticipated western terminus of the Illinois and Michigan Canal offered these settlers great hope of opportunity and prosperity. Yet in 1838, an epidemic of what is now believed to have been malaria and typhoid lingered in Rockwell, decimating the settlement, and forcing the surviving members of the church to nearby Peru.

In Peru, the congregation worshiped in Dr. Seeley's home as well as other locations until 1841, when they constructed a small stone church building on Second Street. During this time, "...the leaven of Congregationalism worked within the Presbyterian organization until the whole lump was leavened and the very usages had become Congregational." In 1853, as a congregational organization, the church built a new structure at the corner of Fourth and West Streets.

In the ensuing 155 years, the church witnessed incredible changes in our town and our nation, yet the church itself may still be described by Reverend Bascum's words penned in 1875: "It has stood & shone like a light in a dark place through all these years of change, coming & going, joy & sorrow, growth & sluggishness... This church, like the building in which we worship, stands high, is seen & marked by all. Take out of the history of Peru the influence & work of this church, & you make it altogether a different place. 'Hitherto the Lord has helped us! God help us farther!"