The roots of Fountain Street Church date to 1824 when the region's original Baptist mission established itself to convert the Ottawa Native Americans.

Over his ten-year ministry, Randall effectively converted Fountain Street Baptist Church from "traditional" to "progressive," reflecting the spirit of the Divinity School that is still known for its liberal approach to religious studies.

Wishart's career was marked by three significant events: 1) The 1911 furniture workers' strike; 2) the rebuilding of the church following destruction by fire in 1917; and 3) the use of FSC as a public venue for international debates and lectures.

Coming early in Wishart's career at FSC, the furniture workers' strike began as an effort to organize the furniture-making factories then critical to Grand Rapids.

When the union's demands for a nine-hour day, pay by the hour, and a ten percent raise of the average wage were denied, Wishart and others intervened to try to prevent a strike with a commission whose report supported management.

In 1928, three years after his notable defense of John Scopes, Clarence Darrow came to FSC to debate Wishart on the subject of whether a "belief in a general purpose of the universe is rational and justified."

Other notables had appeared before at the church, but this particular debate, conducted in the still-new auditorium, marked the beginning of FSC's inviting national and world figures to Grand Rapids to share their opinions.

Following his departure, Fountain Street Baptist Church found itself at its lowest ebb since 1869: The mortgage took up nearly half of the annual budget and the Great Depression made each year more challenging than the last.

Weekly worship attendance was barely above 100, and it was clear that a different and daring direction had to be pursued in order for Fountain Street Church to survive.

Many major bands of the era performed there under so-called "Fountain Club" sponsorship, including The Mothers of Invention, The Moody Blues, and Alice Cooper.

Littlefair himself had by then changed his clergy affiliation to the UUA; despite his suggestions that FSC should join the denomination, he ultimately preferred that the church remain independent and non-denominational.

During that time, Rankin penned "Ten Things Commonly Believed Among Us", which continues to be widely used by the Unitarian Universalist Association as well as Fountain Street Church.

Rankin was also a regular contributor to American Rabbi magazine and well known in Unitarian circles, serving major churches in San Francisco and Indianapolis prior to coming to Grand Rapids.

Duncan Littlefair, meanwhile, remained active in the congregation, helping to choose Rankin's successor, Brent Smith, who, during his brief tenure, adapted FSC to the Internet age and rebuilt the church's organ.

He also continued the tradition of senior clergy who are from or connected to Unitarian Universalism, serving 11 years at the UU Congregational Society in Brooklyn New York, following service in Texas and Massachusetts.

Wishart envisioned a basilica that “encompassed the refinements of art, the inspiration of character, and the techniques of science” and spoke of a church with “majestic architectural lines, color, form and shape in its tapestries, wood carvings, stonework, intricate mosaics, light, and glass”—all which were to be “symbols born of high purpose with a social point of view.” Among the artwork which pervades the entire church building are Byzantine-styled oil-painted effigies, murals, coffered walnut and mosaic ceilings, Mercer-tiled floors, Romanesque stone columns and arcades, numerous mosaics (including Raphael’s “Madonna of the Chair”, reproduced by Salviati of Venice), rare furniture artifacts, painted glass, and an Alden B. Dow-designed chapel.

A memorial tower room situated between the narthex and the main lobby is dedicated to soldiers who lost their lives in World War I and features a mosaic and gold-leaf domed-ceiling which portrays four guardian angels symbolizing “Justice, Liberty, Peace and Fraternity.” Modeled after the Gothic cathedrals of France, particularly Chartres, FSC's 19 stained glass windows were installed in its new sanctuary in 1924.

Along the west side of the sanctuary are contrasting images that profile “wisdom, service, and freedom.” From Plato to Leonardo da Vinci, Desiderius Erasmus, Louis Pasteur, Charles Darwin, Roger Williams, George Washington, Thomas Jefferson and Abraham Lincoln, these windows reflect “liberty and justice for all.” A Youth Window in the northeast corner of the sanctuary affirms the church's development and nurture of children.

Fountain Street Church has served as a platform for a variety of performers since 1928 when senior minister Alfred Wesley Wishart debated Clarence Darrow over the topic “Is There a General Purpose in the Universe?” Winston Churchill, Eleanor Roosevelt, Amelia Earhart, Robert Frost, Malcolm X, Paul Tillich, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., Kweisi Mfume, Irshad Manji, and Jim Wallis have all appeared at the church's behest.

In addition, notable musicians who have performed in the Sanctuary include Dave Brubeck, Stan Kenton, Ella Fitzgerald, Duke Ellington, Frank Zappa, MC5, Alison Krauss, Richie Havens, U2,[5] Arlo Guthrie and B.B.