长沙市城南堂前身是基督教中华内地会的教堂--福音堂,始建于1907年（清光绪三十三年）。

      内地会系中华基督教的一个教派，创始人为英国人戴德生牧师。戴于1865年在英国创立基督教内地会，正式加入组织负责会务的成员中有中、英、美、德、挪威等15国的传教士。

      1898年, 内地会美籍葛荫华博士来到长沙,在学院街组织小规模的布道工作，1902年,在学院街租房创建长沙内地会；1907年，德国博士何伦卫、顾蒙恩在长沙社坛街购地建内地会福音堂及住宅三栋。1905年6月1日，戴德生牧师来长沙内地会视察，2日，登南门城墙，远眺麓山湘水，近望长沙全城，心潮起伏，感慨丛生；6月3日上午讲道，下午参加茶会，返家上楼卧床休息、阅书信，无疾而终，归主怀中。

      1909年,美、德两个内地会协商，将学院街内地会与社坛街德国内地会合并；1923年，由差会派德籍安德医生来长沙创办医院，遂将学院街房屋全部作为医院之用，改名为德生医院，以纪念内地会创始人戴德生。教堂曾两次被捣毁，1910年长沙“抢米风潮”中教堂房屋焚毁,同年修复；1930年长沙内地会的房屋又被战火焚毁，当年即修复，直到1949年。
1958年，为了打破宗派界限，长沙市十几个不同宗派的教会实行联合礼拜，社坛街内地会福音堂更名为中华基督教城南堂，为长沙市城南地区基督徒聚会礼拜的场所。1966年，受“文化大革命”的冲击，教会停办。城南堂的房屋被某些单位作为仓库或车间使用。1982年，经长沙市人民政府同意，城南堂作为宗教活动场所重新开放，经过认真落实党的宗教政策，市房产局于1985年将教堂交还给长沙市基督教三自爱国运动委员会管理，但由于长久失修，教堂房屋已成危房。市基督教两会自筹人民币20多万元对之进行重建，经过两年的努力，于1987年底竣工，1988年元月1日正式举行复堂典礼。

      Changsha South Church was found in 1907 from the Chinese Inland Mission Gospel Church (the 33rd year of Qin Emperor GuanXu).

      The Chinese Inland Mission Church is a branch founded by a British pastor, Hudson Taylor, and was established in the UK in 1865. The Missionaries involved in the church’s formation came from 15 countries including: China, The United Kingdom, The United States of America, Germany, and Norway.
      In 1898, American Pastor Dr. GeYinHua who was a member of the Chinese Inland Mission, came to Changsha and organized a small scaled work in XueYuan Street. Dr. GeYinHua rented a house to establish Changsha’s Inland Mission congregation in 1902.

      In 1907, German Pastor Dr. HeLunWei and GuMeng purchased a land in SheTan Street and established a Gospel Church, which included three apartments.

      Pastor Hudson Taylor came to Changsha’s Inland Mission congregation on June 1st 1905. The next day, he went to the South Gate of the City Wall to view YueLu mountain, the XiangJiang river, and to pray for the City and its people. On June 3rd he preached in the morning and attended a Tea Ceremony in the afternoon. Afterwards, returning home to rest and read letters, he died peacefully and entered to God’s arms.

      In 1909, the Gospel Church in SheTan Street and Inland Mission Congregation in XueYuan Street combined to form the Chinese Inland Mission Gospel Church. In 1923, an International Christian group sent German Dr. AnDe to Changsha to establish a hospital. He renovated all the apartments in XueYuan Street for hospital usages and named it in memory of Hudson Taylor.

      The church was damaged by fire twice: firstly in 1910 during the Rice Revolution, but was restored that summer, and then in 1930, when the Church was burned during the war, but was again restored and suffered no further damage during war time until 1949.

      In 1958 the Chinese Inland Mission Gospel Church, in order to break the boundaries of different denominations, combined with more than ten different Christian fellowships and changed its name to the Chinese Christian South Church. This became the place for Christians in the south of Changsha to worship God. In 1966, the church closed its doors due to The Culture Revolution and the building was occupied by some companies and used as warehouses or garages.

      In 1982, by government approval, South Church reopened as a religious meeting place. After the establishment of the Communist Party’s religious policy in 1985, management was transferred to Changsha Three-Self Patriotic Movement Committee by the City Real Estate department. However, the church building hadn’t repair for many years and became desolated. Changsha Christian Board raised over 200,000RMB to restore the church and after two years’ of hard work the building was finally completed at the end of 1987. The building was officially re-opened on January 1st 1988.