List of Figures
Foreword by Mark Dever
Introduction

Chapter 1: “What Shall the Harvest Be?” 1867–1878
Chapter 2: “A Helper of the Downtrodden and Lowly” 1878–1882
Chapter 3: “With Conscience Void of Offence toward God and Man” 1882–1884
Chapter 4: “We Do Our Own Thinking in This Church” 1885–1889
Chapter 5: “We Have a Leader of National Reputation” 1890–1895
Chapter 6: “The Future Is Bright with Promise” 1896–1912
Chapter 7: “War, Fuel Famine, and Influenza Epidemics” 1913–1918
Chapter 8: “No Modernism Will Be Tolerated at All in This Church” 1919–1943
Chapter 9: “Holding Forth the Word of Life” 1944–1955
Chapter 10: “A Beachhead for Evangelical Christianity” 1956–1960
Chapter 11: “Jesus Doesn’t Need a Parking Lot” 1961–1980
Chapter 12: “When a Christian Leader Falls” 1981–1993
Chapter 13: “Preach, Pray, Love, and Stay” 1994–2000
Chapter 14: “Doing Nothing and Church Planting” 2001–Present

Conclusion
Afterword
Acknowledgments
General Index
Scripture Index 

“Every Christian congregation has a history and a story to tell. In A Light on the Hill, Caleb Morell tells the story of Capitol Hill Baptist Church in Washington, DC. You can take for granted that any church located in the heart of the federal government of America’s capital city is going to have a particularly interesting story. But this is no ordinary history. It is one of the most compelling histories of a church that I have ever read. It is really well done and tells the incredible story of a congregation that started with a vision of ministry to the nation’s capital but now reaches to the ends of the earth with its witness and influence. This is an honest and moving story of faithful believers who, in season and out of season, kept a congregation alive. Above all, it is a story of God’s faithfulness to Christ’s church.”
R. Albert Mohler Jr., President, The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary

“This beautifully written, well-researched book tells the story of a faithful, Bible-believing, gospel-preaching church in our nation’s capital. It provides a fascinating and instructive picture of God’s providence in the life of a congregation. Those who are called to shepherd the flock will find meaningful encouragement, useful perspective, and sobering warning in this history of the Capitol Hill Baptist Church in Washington, DC. Christ loves his bride, and histories of his people gathered into congregations afford us the opportunity to reflect on God’s faithfulness to use his ordinary means of grace to accomplish his purposes and build up the church. I sat in the pews of this church when I was a teenager serving as a US Senate page. More recently, I have followed the ministry of this congregation for the last thirty years because it is pastored by my dear friend Mark Dever. But I had no idea that the history of this church was so interesting and important. Caleb Morell has now remedied that, and delightfully so. I’m so thankful for his diligence in mining the past and presenting it in such an enjoyable and edifying way.”
Ligon Duncan, Chancellor and CEO, Reformed Theological Seminary

“Many books on American religious history offer surprisingly little information about the everyday life of churches, the institutions that define Christian faith for the average believer. Caleb Morell’s A Light on the Hill offers a major corrective to this deficiency with a riveting account of how one evangelical congregation changed and matured over time. Not only does Morell brilliantly tell the story of Capitol Hill Baptist Church, but he also places the church and its people in a rich cultural and theological context.”
Thomas S. Kidd, Yeats Endowed Chair of Baptist Studies, Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary

“I love the church, I love churches, and I love books about churches. I’ve always loved reading biographies of specific churches, and this is among the best I’ve ever read. Based on years of archival research, and with a good flare for the dramatic, Morell tells the fascinating 150-year story of Capitol Hill Baptist Church in Washington, DC. Morell’s approach is edifying without being pedantic, honest without being censorious, and rich in detail without getting lost in the weeds. The result is a book that deserves a wider audience than local church histories usually enjoy.”
Kevin DeYoung, Senior Pastor, Christ Covenant Church, Matthews, North Carolina; Associate Professor of Systematic Theology, Reformed Theological Seminary, Charlotte

“Through meticulous research and the lives of vivid characters, Caleb Morell tells the story of one of the most significant evangelical churches in America. He relates times of grim struggle as well as joyous success—because both shed light on the broader history of Washington, DC, and American Protestantism and both offer thought-provoking lessons for Christians today.”
Molly Worthen, Associate Professor of History, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

“The summer after September 11, 2001, I headed to Washington, DC, to help Congress bolster homeland security. I didn’t know what I wanted to do with my career. A ministry recommended that I check out Capitol Hill Baptist Church. My life and ministry have never been the same. In the more than twenty years since that summer, I have never known a more influential church. I have met leaders around the world who were raised up and sent out by this congregation. Thanks to Caleb Morell we now have a history of God’s remarkable work among the saints on Capitol Hill. What an engaging and often inspiring story.”
Collin Hansen, Vice President for Content and Editor in Chief, The Gospel Coalition; Host, Gospelbound podcast

“The history of Washington’s Capitol Hill Baptist Church is an instance of luminous particularity—in this case how the story of a singular church sheds light on the entire landscape of evangelical Christianity in America. From the aftermath of the Civil War to the era of Donald Trump, this one strategically located church has borne witness to the faithfulness of God and continues to do so still. Well researched and well written, this is an irrepressible story and a great read!”
Timothy George, Distinguished Professor of Divinity, Beeson Divinity School, Samford University; General Editor, Reformation Commentary on Scripture

“The history of American Christianity is in many ways the history of local churches. The community of disciples now called Capitol Hill Baptist Church has long been a local church that gathers in one of the most significant and strategic locales in the United States. In A Light on the Hill, Caleb Morell offers a model for writing local church history. Morell’s book is well-researched but sympathetic and edifying. He contextualizes the church’s history but acknowledges throughout that God is the one who has worked in and through the church. He draws upon the stories of key members (some quite famous!) and signals events (both good and bad) to illumine the church’s unique story. And he reminds readers that decline never has to mean demise. The Lord delights in revitalizing local churches, through godly leaders committed to scriptural means, for his glory and the sake of the kingdom. Highly recommended.”
Nathan A. Finn, Professor of Faith and Culture and Executive Director of the Institute for Transformational Leadership, North Greenville University

“Alongside the United States Capitol, the Supreme Court, and the Library of Congress, Capitol Hill hosts another crucial institution—Capitol Hill Baptist Church. Founded in 1867, the church has taken a stand for the historic Christian gospel and for a polity rooted in the Bible, making it a model for others. This carefully researched volume shows how that has been achieved.”
David Bebbington, Emeritus Professor of History, University of Stirling