Tabernacle Church in Salem, Massachusetts, traces its historical roots back to 1629, with the founding of First Church of Salem. In 1735, First Church pastor Samuel Fisk was dismissed from his position by ecclesiastical council. A group of parishioners followed Fisk from First Church, built a new meeting house, and met under the name First Church until 1762, when they were compelled by the colonial legislature to change their name to "Third Church of Christ in Salem." In 1774, the great fire of Salem burned the Third Church meetinghouse to the ground. A replacement meetinghouse was built in 1777; it was copied from the Tabernacle in Moorfields (London) made famous by its association with George Whitefield, leading to the nickname "Tabernacle Church."

It was during the building of this meetinghouse that strife drove a portion of the Third Church congregation to split and form South Church of Salem in 1775. Originally also referring to themselves as "Third Church," the split church later rejoined Tabernacle Church in 1924.

In 1781 the proprietors of Third Church were reincorporated as "The proprietors of the meetinghouse and Land where the Reverend Doctor Nathaniel Whitaker now preaches." Reverend Whitaker was removed from office in 1784 by ecclesiastical council. Another split occurred in 1802 when a portion of Tabernacle Church left to form a Presbyterian church.

In 1812, the first six Congregational missionaries from the American Board of Commissioners of Foreign Missions were commissioned from the Tabernacle Church. In 1834 the proprietors of the church were once again reincorporated, this time as "The Proprietors of the Tabernacle Church." Today, the Tabernacle Congregational Church can be found at 50 Washington Street, Salem, Massachusetts.

Third Church Succession of Ministers

Samuel Fisk 1736-1745

Dudley Leavitt 1745-1762

John Huntington 1763-1766

Nathaniel Whittaker 1769-1774

Daniel Hopkins 1778-1814

Brown Emerson 1805-1872

Tabernacle Church Succession of Ministers (partial list)

Nathaniel Whittaker 1774-1784

Joshua Spaulding 1785-1802

Samuel Worcester 1803-1821

Elias Cornelius 1819-1826

Samuel M. Worcester 1834-1860