Westminster Chapel is an

evangelical Evangelicalism (), also called evangelical Christianity or evangelical Protestantism, is a worldwide interdenominational movement within Protestant Christianity that affirms the centrality of being " born again", in which an individual expe ...

free church A free church is a Christian denomination that is intrinsically separate from government (as opposed to a state church). A free church does not define government policy, and a free church does not accept church theology or policy definitions fr ...

Westminster Westminster is an area of Central London, part of the wider City of Westminster. The area, which extends from the River Thames to Oxford Street, has many visitor attractions and historic landmarks, including the Palace of Westminster, B ...

, central

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...

. The church is in

Buckingham Gate Buckingham Gate is a street in Westminster, London, England, near Buckingham Palace. Location At the north-west end is a junction with Buckingham Palace Road and Birdcage Walk opposite Buckingham Palace. At the south-east end is a junction wi ...

, on the corner of Castle Lane and opposite the junction with Petty France. Buckingham Gate is just off Victoria Street and near Buckingham Palace. The church has had several notable pastors including the Revd Samuel Martin (1842–78), G. Campbell Morgan (1904–17, 1933–43), John Henry Jowett (1918–22),

Martyn Lloyd-Jones David Martyn Lloyd-Jones (1899–1981) was a Welsh Protestant minister and medical doctor who was influential in the Calvinist wing of the British evangelical movement in the 20th century. For almost 30 years, he was the minister of Westminste ...

(1939–68), R. T. Kendall (1977–2002) and Greg Haslam (2002–16).

History

The congregation was formed in 1840 and its original chapel building was completed in Buckingham Gate in 1841. The congregation outgrew that building, so construction of a new chapel was begun in 1864. This building is the present chapel. It opened on 6 July 1865 and has capacity to seat about 1,500 people. Westminster Chapel has had five particularly well-known pastors: the Revd Samuel Martin (1842–78), G. Campbell Morgan (1904–17, 1933–43), John Henry Jowett (1918–22),

(1939–68), R. T. Kendall (1977–2002) and Greg Haslam (2002–16). The chapel was founded as a Congregational church, but during the pastorate of D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones (1939–68) the church left the

Congregational Union Congregational churches (also Congregationalist churches or Congregationalism) are Protestant churches in the Calvinist tradition practising congregationalist church governance, in which each congregation independently and autonomously runs it ...

and joined the

Evangelical Fellowship of Congregational Churches The Evangelical Fellowship of Congregational Churches (EFCC) is an association of around 120 independent local churches in the United Kingdom, each practising congregationalist church governance. The EFCC was founded in 1967 by those evangelica ...

(founded 1967) and the

Fellowship of Independent Evangelical Churches The Fellowship of Independent Evangelical Churches (FIEC) is a network of 639 independent, evangelical churches mainly in the United Kingdom that preach an evangelical faith. History The FIEC was formed in 1922 under the name ''A Fellowship ...

. Prominent among the past deacons at Westminster Chapel have been Sir

Fred Catherwood Sir Henry Frederick Ross Catherwood (30 January 1925 – 30 November 2014) was a British politician and writer. Early life and education Catherwood was born at Castledawson, County Londonderry, Northern Ireland. He was educated at Shrewsbury Sch ...

(1925–2014; son-in-law to Lloyd-Jones) and MJ "Monty" Micklewright (1897–1994). The reformed theologian John Murray also delivered a notable lecture here titled "The Heavenly, Priestly Activity of Christ" in 1958. During R. T. Kendall's pastorate, he led the church to adopt many emphases and practices of the Charismatic movement, despite the concerns of other church officers that these were contrary to the church's accepted reformed teachings. The following pastor, Greg Haslam, was previously the pastor of Winchester Family Church, a

Newfrontiers Newfrontiers (previously New Frontiers International) is a neo-charismatic church network of evangelical, charismatic churches founded by Terry Virgo. It forms part of the British New Church Movement, which began in the late 1950s and 1960s co ...

church, and continued this trend, introducing many of Newfrontiers' core values to the church. In addition to the activities of the chapel's own worshipping community, the chapel is well known as a host venue for many Christian conferences and assemblies including, in the past, as a venue for the "May Meetings" of the Congregational Union of England and Wales.

Activities

Sundays

The church is

in its beliefs. Services include

worship Worship is an act of religious devotion usually directed towards a deity. It may involve one or more of activities such as veneration, adoration, praise, and praying. For many, worship is not about an emotion, it is more about a recogniti ...

, opportunities for

prophecies In religion, a prophecy is a message that has been communicated to a person (typically called a ''prophet'') by a supernatural entity. Prophecies are a feature of many cultures and belief systems and usually contain divine will or law, or prete ...

, and a biblical

sermon A sermon is a religious discourse or oration by a preacher, usually a member of clergy. Sermons address a scriptural, theological, or moral topic, usually expounding on a type of belief, law, or behavior within both past and present contexts. ...

. Westminster Chapel aims to be a prophetic voice to

, the UK and the nations. It recently issued a "''Mission, Vision, Values''" brochure, stating that the church would be

Spirit Spirit or spirits may refer to: Liquor and other volatile liquids * Spirits, a.k.a. liquor, distilled alcoholic drinks * Spirit or tincture, an extract of plant or animal material dissolved in ethanol * Volatile (especially flammable) liquids, ...

-led, prophetic, and be increasingly mission-minded. The church aims to be a family and open to all who may want to visit. Sunday services are at 11 am.

Life Groups

Groups called Life Groups meet in homes throughout London, usually on Tuesday and Wednesday nights. These include special groups for students. The church's website states that these are "the hub of friendship, discipleship and evangelism" at the chapel.

Alpha course

Westminster Chapel hosts a free Alpha course twice a year. Alpha is an opportunity to explore the meaning of life over dinner, and the chapel's course usually runs on a Monday night.

Westminster Foodbank

Westminster Chapel currently runs the Westminster Foodbank, as part of the Trussell Trust network of

food bank A food bank is a non-profit, charitable organization that distributes food to those who have difficulty purchasing enough to avoid hunger, usually through intermediaries like food pantries and soup kitchens. Some food banks distribute food direct ...

Student work

About 70 students and people in their twenties currently attend the chapel, and the church has a dedicated team who minister to this age group. There are events specifically aimed at students and twenties, as well as those that cater to the wider church family with which students can join in. Twice a year the chapel hosts a retreat for students and twenties.

Pastors

In August 2016 the church announced that an eldership team would be appointed, and Howard Satterthwaite would be appointed as Lead Elder. The full list of previous pastors is: * 1842–78 Revd Samuel Martin (helped by Henry Simon for the last two years of his pastorate) * 1876–87 Revd Henry Simon * 1887–94 no settled ministry * 1894–95 Revd W. Evans Hurndall * 1896–1902 Revd Richard Westrope * 1902–04 no settled ministry * 1904–17 Revd G. Campbell Morgan * 1904–07 Revd Albert Swift (co-pastor with Campbell Morgan) * 1918–22 Revd John Henry Jowett * 1923–25 Revd John Hutton * 1926–27 no settled ministry * 1928–33 Revd Hubert Simpson * 1933–43 Revd G. Campbell Morgan (associate minister for one year with Hubert Simpson) * 1939–68 Revd D.

(associate minister with Campbell Morgan until August 1943) * 1969–74 Revd J. Glyn Owen * 1974–76 no settled ministry * 1977–2002 Revd R. T. Kendall * 2002–16 Revd Greg Haslam

Architecture

Westminster Chapel down Castle Lane - geograph

The present chapel, completed in 1865, was designed by the architect William Ford Poulton (1822–1901) of

Reading, Berkshire Reading ( ) is a town and borough in Berkshire, Southeast England, southeast England. Located in the Thames Valley at the confluence of the rivers River Thames, Thames and River Kennet, Kennet, the Great Western Main Line railway and the M4 mot ...

in a Lombard

Romanesque Revival Romanesque Revival (or Neo-Romanesque) is a style of building employed beginning in the mid-19th century inspired by the 11th- and 12th-century Romanesque architecture. Unlike the historic Romanesque style, Romanesque Revival buildings tended to ...

style. It is built of

stock brick London stock brick is the type of handmade brick which was used for the majority of building work in London and South East England until the growth in the use of Flettons and other machine-made bricks in the early 20th century. Its distinctive y ...

with some red brick and stone dressings. The façade on Buckingham Gate is gabled and has a recessed triple-arched central porch, with graduated arcading above, all having decorative shafting. There is a tower to the right, with coupled arched windows. The top stage of the tower was added in the 20th century in a different style and colour. The auditorium, with seating capacity of about 1,500, is nearly oval, with two tiers of galleries and large open roof span. The galleries too are nearly oval, except that the 'circle' of the upper gallery is incomplete so as to accommodate the pipe organ. There is a high platform or daïs toward the front of the chapel, accommodating the Communion Table and chairs for the presiding minister and the serving deacons. This platform or daïs is about three feet above the floor level. Beyond this is a large (and even higher) platform or daïs, forming a very large preaching-station or pulpit. This feature is circular and surmounted by a balustrade. It may perhaps be one of the largest pulpits in any church building. The chapel is a

Grade II Listed building In the United Kingdom, a listed building or listed structure is one that has been placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Historic Environment Scotland in Scotland, in Wales, and the Northern Ir ...

Pipe organ

A four-manual pipe organ was built by the eminent organ-builder

Henry Willis Henry Willis (27 April 1821 – 11 February 1901), also known as "Father" Willis, was an English organ player and builder, who is regarded as the foremost organ builder of the Victorian era. His company Henry Willis & Sons remains in busin ...

(1821–1901; often known as "Father Willis") and restored and enlarged in the 1920s by Messrs Rushworth and Draper.

References

External links

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Sermon podcast
{{Churches in Westminster 1840 establishments in England Congregational churches in London Evangelical churches in London Fellowship of Independent Evangelical Churches Grade II listed churches in the City of Westminster