The Urbandale United Methodist Church was organized in 1891 with 31 members and by 1973 had grown to more than 400, but the church at 65 Bedford Road would soon serve more congregants after a fire extensively damaged the nearby Calvary United Methodist Church. Merger talks had already been contemplated before the fire, as the smaller Calvary Church had begun to face financial troubles two years earlier. The congregations would vote in October 1973 to reorganize as Christ United Methodist Church, remaining at the Bedford Road location.