In the split in the denomination before the American Civil War, this congregation became a member of the Methodist Episcopal Church, South.

The church has been led by notable clergy such as William Angie Smith, and James W. Moore.

In addition, many notable people have been associated with the church, including state politicians such as William Pike Hall Sr., Lonnie O. Aulds, and Barrow Peacock.

[4] At the time, it was served mainly by circuit riders, Methodist ministers who made rounds between different congregations.

[5] In 1845, the Methodists, Presbyterians, and Baptists pooled together to construct a shared meeting house, the city's first religious building.

He defended the civil rights of African Americans, and was subjected to a Ku Klux Klan cross burning in front of his house while meeting with black leaders.

One time, a man entered the church and threatened to shoot and kill him, but Dykes talked him out of it.

[7] In 1955, Dykes became a televangelist when he started broadcasting his sermons and First Methodist Church services on the KSLA television channel, a CBS affiliate in Shreveport.

In 1982, Dykes founded Alternate View Network, which included programming on religious, social, and political topics.

After installing a satellite dish near the church, the program was sent to three hundred cable systems and could reach four million homes.

While some aspects of Dykes' pastorship were well received, like the expansion of the church's media footprint, his theological views were more controversial.

In a video series released in 2000 examining his theological views, Dykes is quoted as saying that Jesus "did not see himself as the Son of God; he didn't see himself as anything special."