ABC originated with a group of local Christians who felt a need to separate from their local church homes because the churches were becoming liberal in theology and practice. Their dissatisfaction started in 1952 and grew during the following year.
In the summer of 1953, Rev. Dan Graham, a noted evangelist of Blountville, Tennessee, began a nine week revival in Abingdon, Virginia. Rev. Graham had recently broken a long term relationship with his denomination because of its "modernistic" trend. At the time, he was urging the formation of independent Bible believing churches.
At the close of one of the nightly services, several of the local concerned Christians came together under Graham's revival tent and there decided to form an independent Bible church.
Things moved rather quickly after that and Abingdon Bible Church was formally organized on November 2, 1953, with 85 charter members.
