Welcome to the Family (Winter 2024/25)
It is great to see seven independent churches join our Fellowship, and to recognise one new church plant.
We continue to be encouraged by the number of churches that are joining FIEC because they share our vision to be ‘Independent churches working together to reach Britain for Christ.’
All the churches that join FIEC affirm our Doctrinal Basis and Ethos Statements on Women in Ministry, Gospel Unity, and Same-Sex Marriage. They will have been visited by a senior member of staff and we will have received references on their behalf from other local churches.
We are catching up on reporting the churches that have joined in the last twelve months. These are the seven churches that joined at the end of 2024.
New affiliations
Seven churches joined FIEC over the winter of 2024/25
Alexandra Road Congregational Church
Hemel Hempstead
Alexandra Road Congregational Church is a long-established Congregational Church in the Hertfordshire town of Hemel Hempstead. It was founded in 1818 and, in more recent years, was pastored by John Marshall, a well-known trustee of the Banner of Truth.
It has over 90 regular attenders and has seen more than 10 people baptised on profession of faith in the last couple of years. The church has two pastors: Rev Chris Bennett and Rev John Goodman.
As a historic Congregational Church, they are paedobaptist by conviction, which is welcome within FIEC as we are not an exclusively Baptist fellowship. The church is also a member of EFCC (Evangelical Fellowship of Congregational Churches), having chosen not to join the liberal URC in the 1970s.
They have recently seen an influx of new attenders including migrants and asylum seekers as well as those living nearby who have begun attending. There is a joint Sunday School with children from a Cantonese speaking church which meets in their building.
Their reasons for joining FIEC were:
“To express ministry with other good churches, to access more help (conferences etc.), and to put ourselves more on the Christian map.”
Cornerstone Church
Bristol
Cornerstone Church was birthed as a house church in 1986 after a departure from the Seventh Day Adventist movement. By God's grace, under the leadership of pastors Mike Ogborne and Alex George, it moved theologically into independent evangelicalism.
Today, they have a congregation of over 60 and own a former combined Methodist/Baptist building. They have a mix of nationalities and saw three professions of faith and five baptisms within the last year. They are also members of the Evangelical Alliance.
Their reasons for joining FIEC were:
“We are drawn to a common identity & purpose with like-minded churches throughout the country and would like a closer support network for our pastor and wider leadership team.
“We are excited to partner with FIEC and believe, through it, God will help us to be faithful & missional in Bristol, and beyond.”
Grace Church Beckenham
South London
Grace Church Beckenham launched in 2021 as the successor to an original church plant from Christ Church Bromley. While fully independent, it maintains good gospel partnership with Christ Church and with the Co:Mission church planting network.
It has a regular congregation of around 80, about a quarter of whom are from an ethnic minority group. They are led by five elders, two of whom are staff, and have seen five baptisms since last year.
About joining the FIEC, they say:
“We're really glad to have launched as an FIEC recognised church plan and now to have fully affiliated to the FIEC. We value the FIEC's desire for us to be independent churches works together to reach the UK for Christ.
“We pray partnership with FIEC helps our independent church grow in its dependency on Christ and express our need of each other in our life and witness. We're grateful for the chance to partner and express our unity with other churches with the same core convictions; be part of something that is seeking to reach the UK with the gospel; and to have a level of national representation.”
Grace Church
Doncaster
Grace Church was a 2007 church plant from Bessacarr Evangelical Church and, until recently, operated as a separate congregation of that church. They are led by Pastor Alastair Gooderham and have a regular congregation of around 55 adults and children.
They meet in Auckley, very near to Doncaster Sheffield Airport, at the Hayfield Lane Primary School. In the last year they saw one conversion and baptism.
Their reasons for joining FIEC were:
“It seems a natural place to fellowship with others and stand together on the Bible in the face of growing hostility in our culture. We already have experienced benefits from Medhurst Minsitires, but wish to play our part in gospel partnership with the wider church.”
Grace Community Church Leeds North
Leeds
Grace Community Church Leeds North was planted in 2009 to reach the communities of Cookridge and Holt Park, Holt Park being a local and unchurched council estate. The church came out from Emmanuel Baptist Church, another FIEC church.
The church now has around 80-100 regular attenders, including children, and this number is made up of people from a broad range of backgrounds and life experiences.
They are led by pastor Jonathan Parkinson (who is also the CEO for Caring For Life, a Christian ministry sharing the love and gospel of Jesus with vulnerable and at risk men and women across the city of Leeds).
The church is also led by another elder, and five deacons. They run multiple activities for adults and children throughout the week from a local Village Hall where they also meet for Sunday worship services.
The church was initially part of the Grace Baptist Association but wanted to be in fellowship with similar thinking churches in their region.
Their reasons for joining FIEC were:
“We want to be in closer fellowship with like-minded churches and desire to be a blessing to them as we hope they will be to us. We also feel it would be good for us to be associated with a national body, so that when people see us, they know what type of church we are and where we might stand on certain issues. We believe it will be a healthy thing for us to be part of FIEC, having the support and wisdom of FIEC.”
They are also part of Medhurst Ministries because of a desire to take the gospel to the poorer parts of Leeds. They are also a member of the Yorkshire Gospel Partnership.
Little Mill Baptist Church
Pontypool
Little Mill Church was founded in 1908, and is located in the small village of Little Mill in Monmouthshire, three miles northeast of Pontypool. The village population is about 600, and the church has a regular congregation of 36 people.
They are led by Pastor Peter Hilder and are very active in the community, running a community café, monthly lunch, children’s club, and service in a care home, as well as the usual Sunday services and mid-week meetings. They have close fellowship with other local churches, including joint meetings for mutual encouragement.
Their reasons for joining FIEC were|:
“We believe it will be beneficial to connect more widely, hopefully raise our profile, and also make it clear where our affiliation lies. We wish to add our support to the distinctive voice FIEC presents.”
They are also members of the AECW (Association of Evangelical Churches of Wales).
Tawe Valley Church
Swansea
Tawe Valley Church was founded in 2020 and is led by Pastor Stuart Dainty. They meet at the Calon Lan Centre and the Mercure Hotel. They have a regular congregation of just under 40 people.
The church was founded in 2020 and is led by Pastor Stuart Dainty. After meeting in the Calon Lan Centre and Mercure Hotel for a number of years, the church purchased their own building this year in the Ynysforgan area of the city.
Their reasons for joining FIEC were:
“Fellowship with like-minded churches; to add our voice to an organisation speaking or Christ in our society; training/fellowship for our pastors/leaders; share resources/abilities in our area of South Wales as well as further abroad; someone to turn to if/when we need help.”
Church plants
One new church plant was recognised by FIEC
Hope Church Chichester
Alongside affiliating these churches, we also recognised Hope Church Chichester as an FIEC church plant.
This is a new church led by Chris Fry, planted by the Reach South network of FIEC churches connected with Christchurch Southampton. It meets in the Chichester College Conference Hall.
We were saddened to hear that Cradley Baptist Church in Halesowen and Bideford Town Mission have closed.
Hope Church Halifax also resigned from FIEC because it could no longer affirm our doctrinal basis, having adopted Eastern Orthodox convictions and rejected substitutionary atonement.
If your church would like join FIEC, or find out more about what this would involve, you can find details on our affiliation page.
Please do contact us in the FIEC office and we would love to talk with you.
