In early pioneer time, they only had a few churches. If pioneers had schools or stores, then sometimes services were held there. Pioneers sometimes went to the nearest town just to go to a church service. Religion was important for the early settlers.

The preachers were very busy during the day. They would preach at their own church in the morning. In the afternoon, they might have to go to another town to preach. Then at night, they might still have to go to another town for services. This preacher was called a circuit preacher because he made the circuit doing all the services in the nearby towns.

When villages grew bigger, the first public buildings built were the churches. A lot of villages had at least two churches. They were simple buildings. The pews were hard wood benches. Many people attended services because it provided them a chance to visit with their neighbors.