Kensington Temple facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Kensington Temple
Kensington Temple
Location	Notting Hill, London, England
Country	United Kingdom
Denomination	Elim Pentecostal Church, Evangelical Pentecostal
Membership	7,000 (2020)
Website	[1]
History
Founded	1930
Founder(s)	George Jeffreys

Kensington Temple is a large Pentecostal church located in the Notting Hill area of London, England. It is led by Reverend Mark Ryan. This church is the biggest one in its group, called the Elim Pentecostal Church.

History of Kensington Temple

The building where Kensington Temple stands today was first known as Horbury Chapel. It was used by the Hornton Street Congregational church in Notting Hill, starting in 1849.

How the Church Began

In 1930, a man named George Jeffreys bought the building. It then became known as the Bible-Pattern Church Fellowship. In 1935, it changed its name to Kensington Temple, Church of the Foursquare Gospel.

Growth and Changes

The building became part of the Elim Church again in the early 1960s. The church as we know it today was officially started in 1965 by Rev. Eldin Corsie. Under his leadership, the church grew to 600 members by the 1970s.

Later, in the 1980s, Rev. Wynne Lewis helped the church grow even more. The number of members increased to several thousand. Members of the church often call it 'KT' for short.

Planting New Churches

Since the 1980s, Kensington Temple has helped start many new churches. They have planted about 150 churches across London. Today, the wider Kensington Temple London City Church Network includes 26 churches all over Greater London. Some of these churches have become independent over time.

Modern Developments

In 2000, Kensington Temple started to become a "cell church". This means it has hundreds of small groups, called cell groups, that meet every week across London. In the same year, KT moved its offices to Monarch House in North Acton. In 2005, the offices moved again to Summit House.

Over the years, Kensington Temple has held big events at famous places in London. These include the Royal Albert Hall and Wembley Arena.

Current Activities

In 2020, Kensington Temple had 7,000 members. The church still holds services in Notting Hill. It also runs a Bible School and offers online learning. They have rooms to rent, a bookshop, and a publishing company called Dovewell Communications.

What Kensington Temple Believes

Kensington Temple follows a Pentecostal way of thinking about faith. This means they believe strongly in the work of the Holy Spirit. They believe the Holy Spirit helps both the church and individuals in their daily lives.

Helping People Grow in Faith

A main goal at Kensington Temple is to help all Christians follow Jesus Christ. They want people to grow and become more like him. Much of this learning happens through their cell groups. These are small groups that meet throughout the city during the week.

Cell groups offer care, support, and training for church members. The main goal of Kensington Temple is to share their faith across London and the rest of the world.