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History

  • A black ink pen sketch of a chapel. The buidling is angular with gothic style arched windows. The door is in two parts and made from wood.

    Canterbury Baptist Church was formed in 1823 and was known by the place in which it was situated, ‘The Round House’ in King Street.

  • In 1864 we relocated to the present-day premises in St Georges Place, with the halls being added in 1915. The church was growing. God was moving.

    (View of church circa 1900 before the side hall and right hand tower were built)

  • We opened a chapel in Tyler Hill in 1885—with vision and faith from the Gammon family.

  • Later, in 1928, we helped plant Aylesham Baptist Free Church. We still walk closely with them today.

  • Hospitality has always been offered at CBC (something we’re still proud of today!) and this was especially so in the World Wars when care was given to members of the forces. In the late 1940s, Phyllis Hooker was the first woman to be elected to the office of deacon, now women and men serve equally in many spheres.

    (Canterbury Baptist Church circa 1920)

  • The history of the church includes sending missionaries to China and Africa, particularly the Congo. Canterbury Baptist Church has a number of overseas mission partners and many of our members have been involved in short term missionary service in a variety of ways.

  • The church has known times of large congregations, but in the early 1990s the fellowship faced a declining membership, particularly as young people moved away to study and work. Today however Canterbury Baptist Church has a growing, vibrant congregation, as students and young adults, having been cared for during their time in Canterbury and become involved in the worship, have stayed to obtain jobs in Canterbury and take on responsibilities in the life of the church.

  • At the turn of the millennium the church, under the new leadership of Rev Dave Stedman, felt it important to commit to improving the buildings at St George’s Place. This project over the decade took on many different shapes and forms until in 2011 the decision was made to completely refurbish St George’s Place and turn the church hall into a Community Hub. To facilitate the work, Tyler Hill Chapel, which had seen its attendance decline to a mere few, was sold, as was a second property in Long Meadow Way. The sale of these properties allowed for a £1million refurbishment of the premises to take place.

    This brought disabled access to the premises which there had not been before, as well as comfortable seating, and state of the art audio/visual technology. The church now has multi-purpose spaces, made available to be let by other churches, local charities and more. By becoming a more modern and practical facility, CBC has had opportunity to reach out to the community like never before. A sacred space made useful for the city.

    (Rev Dave Stedman at the reopening celebration following the redevelopment project, January 2014)

  • Following Rev Dave Stedman’s move to serve as CEO of African Pastors Fellowship in 2014, Rev Andrew Fitzgerald was called back to CBC to serve as Minister in 2015, having been our Student Worker and Training Minister in previous years. His call was specifically concerned with the development of our Community Hub vision, which led to a large scale community conversation in partnership with ROC (Redeeming our Communities) and multiple opportunities since to serve with others in addressing various needs in Canterbury.

  • Since then, we have developed a Parish Nursing ministry and a community cafe on site. The coronavirus pandemic also presented the opportunity to offer food parcels and work more closely with local churches to serve those suffering debt and poverty.

  • With the introduction of our Hub Manager, Stephen Flower, the church premises have been become a ‘go to’ place for churches, community groups and agencies to meet.

  • In 2023, Rev Luke A Barrs was called to lead. With him came an emphasis upon slowing down and returning to basics. God’s Word opened. The Holy Spirit active. The Gospel preached, and new Christians baptised. The community prioritising a lived faith through being with Jesus, becoming like Him, and doing what He did.

  • Since January 2023 the church has over doubled in size, has seen more than thirty baptisms, and has welcomed many students and Internationals into the community. Together, the church looks to the future, to the training and sending of new leaders, to partnering with other churches for Gospel expansion, and to serve the community wherever God calls us.

  • To be continued…We are not finished!