Church of the Foothills is the oldest Protestant church in Ventura County. The church was established as the First Congregational Church of San Buenaventura and Santa Clara Valley in 1867. Church services took place in a tent from 1867 to 1870. Originally, it consisted of two churches: the First Congregational Church of San Buenaventura and the Saticoy Community Church (Congregational). The Saticoy church merged with the Ventura church in 1971 and is now called Church of the Foothills.

Prior to the church's formal organization, several preliminary developments took place. The Union Sabbath School was established in 1862, with George S. Gilbert as superintendent. There was no other Protestant church present in the county at the time, so the American Home Missionary Society (AHMS) sent Rev. M.B. Starr to preach in Ventura in the autumn of 1867. The first meeting for the church organization took place in January 1868. Congregational minister Rev. S. Bristol began to preach in Ventura, alternating with Rev. Starr. He left after one year and was succeeded by Rev. Bristol. Bristol became the central influence in the church's development. Bristol Road is named for the reverend. He was a Yale graduate, an abolitionist, and had served pastorates in Wisconsin before settling in. Although the church was served by various pastors, Bristol would consistently fill in any gaps in leadership and was a guiding influence. Bristol was an advocate for inclusive church communities, and in the 1870s Bristol welcomes Chinese immigrants as members of the church and set up schools for them to learn English.

The church has had various locations over the years, and the Community Church was built in 1928 after the religious community federated with the Presbyterians. The church then “un-federated” in 1960 and started a meeting of Congregationalists at the Poinsettia Pavilion. The churches former building is now called Community Presbyterian Church. The church eventually moved to the site it now occupies on Foothill Road. The church currently identifies as an LGBTQ+ affirming community.

The church belongs to the United Church of Christ (UCC). This is a mainline Protestant denomination formed in 1958 from the English Congregational/Christian Church tradition and the German Evangelical Reformed Church. It also has roots in Calvinist, Lutheran, and Anabaptist traditions. The UCC is known for an emphasis on interfaith and ecumenical work.

(Portions of this history are based on the Church of the Foothills website.)