The congregation meets in the village of Callanish, and those who attend are drawn from the surrounding villages. The church was built on the site of what was originally a schoolhouse built by Lady Seaforth in 1831 and designed to accommodate up to 100 children. Up until 1844 the people of the area belonged to the vast district congregation of Uig. 

With the formation of the newly sanctioned charge of Carloway, which initially stretched from Lochganvich to Shawbost, the focal point for local ministry changed, although the new congregation did not have its first minister until 1858. It was not until 1971 that Callanish was disjoined from Carloway congregation and with the permission of the General Assembly, it became a congregation in its own right. 

The first minister, inducted in 1973, was Rev Norman Macleod who served until his retirement in 1988. Following him was Rev Neil Shaw from 1988 to 1999. The present minister is Rev Malcolm Macdonald who has served the congregation since 2001.

While the same Gospel is still preached to the present day, the community exists in the shadow of a long forgotten religious tradition dating back to pre – Christian days, no one quite knows when. The world famous “Callanish Stones” draws a steady stream of visitors, some of whom occasionally join the congregation for worship and are always made to feel very welcome.