About Sladebrook Church

Who we are

We are an independent evangelical church located on the south side of Bath in England. Our mission is to obey the command of our Lord Jesus by making disciples, and the church exists to help its members to grow in faith and to spread the good news.

Sladebrook has always been a friendly local church, trying to serve the neighbourhood through its members. We still hold to the original principles of faith, since we believe that the Bible is God's Word and is still relevant for today. We are a fellowship of ordinary local people who seek to worship and serve God, believing that He is ready to hear the prayers of all who call on him.

Our leadership team share the responsibility for guiding the church under God. Many members of the fellowship are involved in different activities within the church, using their gifts to serve one another and the Lord.

You can also follow us on Facebook and Instagram!

We have wheelchair access via a ramp at the front of the church, and also an accessible toilet.

There is an induction loop system for those who have hearing aids.

What we believe

We believe that for people today, true hope and peace can come only through a personal faith in Jesus Christ.

We believe that the Bible is God's word, and is therefore the authority for our faith and conduct. The Bible teaches that:

There is only one eternal God, who is Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
God has revealed himself through Jesus Christ, his Son.
We are not able to have a close relationship with God because of our sin: the wrong things we think, say and do.
The Lord Jesus Christ lived a perfect life, died on the cross, and rose again.
Through his death, our sins can be forgiven and we can be reconciled to God.

We meet each Sunday to worship God and learn from the Bible.

We regularly celebrate communion to remember the death and resurrection of the Lord Jesus.

We follow the New Testament practice of baptising believers by immersion.

We are members of the national Evangelical Alliance.

Leadership

Sladebrook is led by a group of elders. There is no single "leader"; they all work together and are responsible for the spiritual direction and general running of the church.

Chris Martin

Chris is married to Sally; they have two grown-up children and a granddaughter. He has lived in Bath for most of his life, but he and the family spent 3 years living in Idaho, USA. Chris often leads the worship on Sunday mornings, hiding behind a guitar...

John Martin

John is the church secretary, and is responsible for arranging visiting speakers, dealing with church correspondence, and generally keeping things running smoothly. He is married to Jean, and they have three grown-up children.

Paul Brind

Paul is married to Sue. They have two grown-up children and four grandchildren who constantly delight them whilst ensuring they are kept challenged and quite active! Paul is involved with the church music and Sue hosts ‘Refresh’ on Friday mornings.

Church history

The church started in 1904 in Mount Road, a short distance from our current site; and in those days it was called Sladebrook Gospel Hall. The main driver behind this venture was Mr F S Bryant, and such was his dedication to the task that he constructed all the woodwork in the building himself! The church was a small independent fellowship of Christians who took their direction from the Bible under the guidance of God.

After the second World War, the expanding church membership became too large for the original small hall. The current building in Englishcombe Lane was therefore constructed to accommodate the fellowship; and soon after moving in 1958, the name was changed to Sladebrook Evangelical Church.

Further growth led to the addition of an upstairs room in the early 1970's, providing additional space for the Sunday School and other activities.

In 2004 we celebrated our centenary with a weekend of activities, including a packed church on the Saturday afternoon for a service of thanksgiving to God. Visitors came from far and wide to join in the fun!

In October 2008 we celebrated 50 years in our current building. As well as an "open house" with memorabilia and group photographs, we held a special family service on Sunday 19th October. You can listen again to the Jubilee talk.

In January 2020 we changed our name from Sladebrook Evangelical Church to Sladebrook Church. We are still evangelical in belief and practice! But the meaning attached to the word evangelical has changed in modern culture to the point where it was becoming unhelpful.