The roots of the Bertram Church of Christ are established in the old San Gabriel Church of Christ, which met in the schoolhouse of that old community, which was the predecessor of the town of Bertram.
Although some smattering of members of the Church of Christ were to found in Bertram, no organized congregation was there in the early 1900s. Gospel meetings were conducted there, however, under either tents or brush arbors. In 1908-9 Ernest Christian and Dave Black, gospel evangelists, held meeting there. Black held another meeting in 1912 and J. B. Nelson in 1921. Mrs. Kate Davidson Allen was baptized by Ernest Christian in one of these meetings, and the late Mike Gilcrease and the late Grover Davidson were other converts baptized by Black.
When the late J. M. (Milt) Davidson moved to Bertram in 1920 from Granger, no congregation was meeting in Bertram. After traveling to Liberty Hill or Burnet for worship for a time, the Davidson families, along with others “of like precious faith”, rented the Christian Church building for an afternoon place of assembly and the church met there for a time.
In 1922 J. B. Nelson was secured to preach in a gospel meeting, which began in the Christian Church building but concluded in the Bertram school auditorium, such a move necessitated by overflow attendance. It was during this meeting that Mrs. Claud (Eula Fry) Daniel was baptized.
Land was purchased May 30, 1922, at the corner of West and Elm Streets from the T. D. Vaughan Estates, and the building was begun in June with J. M. Davidson and his son-in-law, J. E. Allen, digging the post holes for the foundation. Construction continued throughout the remainder of the summer and fall, the labor being done by the men of the congregation and only $ 12.00 being expended for outside labor to Allen Spencer.
The building was finished in November, 1922, and was opened with a gospel meeting in which Horace W. Busby preached and J. W. Acuff led singing. Among those baptized in this meeting were T. W. Lehman, Charlie Wills, Jim McClish.
Among the charter members were the following: the Jim Coxes, Andy Rawlings, R. T. Lewises, Miles Stewarts, Milt Davidsons, Ollie Davidsons, Ol Fergusons, Bob Bostics, John Carneses, J. E. Allens, Mrs. EulaFry Daniel, Mrs. Jess Jackson, and Mrs. Jo Ross.
Until 1951 the Bertram church did not have a located preacher, but conducted gospel meeting during the year and was served by appointment preaching. Among those preaching by appointment were Silas Howell, Horace Harrison, L. V. Nobles, N. C. Forester, Archie Smith, Milton Pogue, Rat Fullerton, Kenneth Mars, Fred Parker, George H. Thomas, Tom Atkinson, M. A. Sharp, L. Q. Robinson, Hood Wilkins, Marvin Powell, Roy E. Powell, J. Marvin Porterfield, Keith Parker, and Jon Crow.
Beginning in 1951 local preachers have included John McClish Jr., Martin Crass, Ira Williams, J. A. Woolley, Frank Downes, Darrell Debo, Jimmy P. Moore, Ray Billings, W. L. Breitschopt, Gary Blankney, and Paul Lakey.
A preacher’s home was purchased (on the same block as the church building) from R. T. Lewis in 1954. A new brick home was erected in the fall of 1964 and remodeled in 2016. The first Vacation Bible School was conducted in June 1959.
The old wooden building was demolished in 1974 and a brick structure was begun in June 1974 with occupancy achieved by 1975. An education building was added to the auditorium and classrooms and completed in 1979. The “Fellowship Building “ was constructed and completed in 1989. An addition to the auditorium building was completed in 2009.