The First Presbyterian Church is the oldest church in Newark. The original settlers came from Branford and Milford, Connecticut. The City of Newark was founded by this congregation with its laws based on the Scripture and with full citizenship granted to only church members. It was the last attempt in the United States to establish a theocracy.
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The church was Newark's first public building. After its completion, Young Joseph Johnson beat the drum to call families to worship. First Presbyterian Church. For the next forty years all affairs of the town were held in the church. It was the meeting-house was the scene of worship, town-meetings, and military proceedings.

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The 1600s

The first reverend, Abraham Pierson, was born in Yorkshire, England. He graduated in 1632 from Cambridge University. On March 4, 1672 Abraham Pierson Jr. joined his father in a co-pastorate. The elder Pierson died on August 9, 1678. Abraham Pierson Jr. became the sole reverend with the death of his father and remained here until the spring of 1692.  It was during his pastorate that many of the original settlers of Newark, "one by one, crept silently to rest". Their places were filled by their children and by new settlers from abroad. It was these new settlers that were inclined to be less rigid in church politics and favored Presbyterian government. Reverend Pierson also leaned toward Presbyterianism. It was this controversy that is assumed to have caused the removal of the Reverend. After his resignation he sold his house and lands and moved back to Connecticut.
The third reverend was John Prudden. His pastorate began on August 23, 1692. His salary was 50 pounds a year and firewood. John Prudden was born in Milford on November 9, 1645. He graduated Harvard in 1668 and in the spring of 1670 he began preaching in Jamaica, Long Island. During his pastorate the church was repaired with new shingles and the church lands of 200 acres were confirmed through a deed. He resigned on June 9, 1699 and lived in Newark until his death on December 11, 1725.

The 1700s

Newark's next pastor was Jabez Wakeman. He was born around 1678 and graduated from Harvard in 1697. His pastorate began on April 15, 1700. Rev. Wakeman was only 21 years old at the time. He died from dysentery on October 8, 1704. The "retired" Rev. John Prudden supplied the pulpit until a minister could be found. Nathaniel Bowers became the fifth pastor on June 16, 1709.  During this time the seeds of Presbyterianism were being sown. Also the second church was built. A bell was introduced in the steeple. After 1791 it served as a Court House. The sixth pastor, Joseph Webb, remained for 18 years. It was during this time the Congregational Church became a Presbyterian Church. The seventh pastor was the Rev. Aaron Burr from December, 1736 until the fall of 1755. Aaron Burr he was born in Fairfield Connecticut on January 4, 1716. He graduated from Yale College in 1735. It was during his tenure that the Great Schism in the Presbyterian Church of America occurred. ​Producing the New Jersey College, which is now Princeton University.  The original site of the College was Elizabethtown (Elizabeth) and after four months it moved to Newark. Rev. Burr resigned his pastorate in 1755 and remained the president of the college, which moved to Princeton in 1756. He died on September 24, 1757. In 1758, The Great Schism ended and the church fell under the new Synod of New York and Philadelphia. Immediately after the resignation of Rev. Burr, the Rev. John Brained preached he stayed until May of 1759. The Rev. Alexander MacWhorter succeeded him. He was born at New Castle, Delaware on July 15, 1734 and graduated from the College of New Jersey in 1757. He served in Newark for 46 years until his death on July 20, 1807. During his pastorate he became a chaplain in the patriot army and the third church building was opened for worship on January 1, 1791, when the church was nicknamed "Old First Church". 

The 1800s

The Rev. Edward Dorr Griffin was installed as a colleague pastor with Rev. MacWhorter on October 20, 1801 and succeeded him in the pastorate. Rev Griffin was born at East Haddam, Connecticut on January 6, 1770 and graduated Yale in 1790. During his pastorate a parsonage was built for him on the west side of Mulberry Street. His pastorate ended on April 27, 1809.
The Rev. James Richards became pastor upon Rev. Griffin's resignation. He was born at New Canaan, Connecticut on October 29, 1767 and received a Master of Arts in 1794. Rev. Richards remained until the fall of 1823. During his pastorate the first Sunday School in Newark was started (1814).
July 27, 1824 brought the installation of the Rev. William T. Hamilton. His pastorate lasted 10 years to October 22, 1834. A division over his hiring brought about the Third Presbyterian Church. 
The Rev. Ansel D. Eddy began his pastorate on August 11, 1835 until February 22, 1848. He was a graduate of Union collage 1817.
Rev. Jonathan P. Stearns was installed as pastor on December 13, 1849. A graduate of Harvard in 1830, he then studied theology at Andover. He remained pastor until February 21, 1883 when he was made pastor emeritus.
The Rev. David R. Frazer was installed on February 21, 1883. He preached until June 16, 1909. He was a graduate of Princeton University and Union Theological Seminary. It was during his pastorate that the First Presbyterian Church took a prominent part in the development of church extension work, giving liberally and establishing missions.

The 1900s

This was an era of education and evangelism. During this time, the church renewed its Christian covenant and conducted outreach to the surrounding community and the tri-state area. Its motto became, "Many members. One Body...Christ the head." During World Wars 1 & 2,  noonday services were held to support our troops. The Charter that established the church was presented to the Synod of New Jersey in 1903. Musical concerts were held in tribute to Martin Luther King, Jr. and Robert F. Kennedy in the 1960s.  Revival mass meetings were held on a regular basis and a 250-year celebration was held. Trustee Gilbert Brown, known for his compassion for others, forged a bond of friendship with St. James AME Church and the growing "colored” population in Newark.  First Presbyterian Church in Newark sponsored “Interracial Day” and joined the Urban League and the NAACP. We sponsored a forum on "The Negro in America." In 1967, after the civil unrest in Newark, there was a tremendous decline in the church's membership. A small number of faithful remained. 

The 2000s

In the 2000s, Old First Church has had very gifted pastors, most recently Rev. Thomas Patton (Designated Pastor, 1992 – 2009), Rev. Dr. Glen C. Misick (Installed Pastor, 2013 – 2016), Rev. Dr. J. Perry Wootten (Transitional Pastor, 2016 – 2017) and Rev. Dr Betty J. Tom (August 2018 to 2022), and Rev. Dr. Carol Lynn Patterson (November 2024-Present).

Currently, First Church is focused on ministry (Ephesians 4:13) and mission (Matthew 28:19). We are growing and going with God!