View source for Holy Trinity Brompton

{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2022}}
{{Infobox church
| name             = Holy Trinity Brompton
| fullname         =

| image            = Holy Trinity Brompton-2.jpg
| imagesize        = 
| caption          = Holy Trinity, Brompton Road

| denomination     = [[Church of England]]
| churchmanship    = [[Charismatic Movement|Charismatic]] [[evangelical Anglican]]<ref>{{cite news | url = https://www.theguardian.com/uk/2012/nov/10/justin-welby-archbishop-canterbury-holy-trinity-brompton | title = Holy Trinity Brompton, the evangelical HQ that claims the new primate as one of its own | last = Stanford | first = Peter | date = 2012-11-10 | website = [[The Guardian]] | access-date = 2024-04-09}}</ref>
| diocese          = [[Diocese of London|London]]
| episcopalarea    = [[Bishop of Kensington|Kensington]]
| archdeaconry     = Middlesex
| deanery          = Chelsea
| parish           =
| division         =
| subdivision      =
| founded date     =
| founder          =
| architect        = [[Thomas Leverton Donaldson]]
| style            = [[Gothic Revival architecture|Gothic Revival]]
| years built      = 1826–1829
| dedicated date   = 1829
| closed date      =
| demolished date  =
| bishop           =
| priest           =
| archdeacon       =
| dean             =
| provost          =
| rector           =
| canon            =
| prebendary       =
| curate           = Katherine Chow<br>([[Priest in charge|associate vicar]])
| chaplain         =
| vicar            = Archie Coates
| deacon           =
| abbot            =
| minister         =
| seniorpastor     =
| pastor           =
| location         = [[Knightsbridge]]
| coordinates      = {{Coord|51.4978|-0.1700|type:landmark_region:GB-KEC|display=inline,title}}
| country          = England
| website          = {{official URL}}
}}

'''Holy Trinity Brompton with St Paul's Onslow Square and St Augustine's South Kensington''', often referred to simply as '''HTB''', is an [[Anglican]] [[Church (building)|church]] in [[London]], England.

The church consists of six sites: HTB Brompton Road, HTB Onslow Square (''formerly'' [[St Paul's, Onslow Square]]), HTB Queen's Gate (''formerly'' [[St Augustine's, Queen's Gate|St Augustine's, South Kensington]]), HTB Courtfield Gardens (''formerly'' [[St Jude's Church, Kensington]] – officially in the parish of St Mary of the Bolton's but part of HTB). It is also the home of the [[St Paul's Theological Centre]], HTB St Francis Dalgarno Way, and [[St Luke's Church, Redcliffe Gardens|St Luke's Earls Court]]. It is where the [[Alpha Course]] was first developed.<ref name="Pent. Dict.">{{Cite book |last=Hocken |first=P. D. |title=The new international dictionary of Pentecostal and charismatic movements |publisher=Zondervan Pub. House |year=2002 |isbn=0310224810 |editor-last=Burgess |editor-first=Stanley M. |edition=rev. and expanded |location=Grand Rapids, Mich. |page=312 |chapter=Alpha Course}}</ref>

The church buildings accommodate courses, conferences, meetings, and ten services each Sunday. HTB's stated aims are to "play our part in the evangelization of the nations, the revitalization of the church and the transformation of society."<ref>{{cite web |url = https://www.htb.org/vision-2015#accordion-1 |title = Vision {{!}} 2015 |website = www.htb.org |access-date = 2016-07-14 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20160827222328/https://www.htb.org/vision-2015#accordion-1 |archive-date = 2016-08-27 |url-status = dead }}</ref>

Bishop [[Sandy Millar]] was succeeded in July 2005 by [[Nicky Gumbel]] as [[vicar]] of HTB, followed by [[St Peter's Church, Brighton#HTB church plant|Archie Coates]] in September 2022.<ref>[https://www.london.anglican.org/articles/new-vicar-chosen-for-holy-trinity-brompton/ www.london.anglican.org]</ref> HTB's [[Priest in charge|associate vicar]] is Katherine Chow, who succeeded [[Nicky Lee (priest)|Nicky Lee]] and [[Martyn Layzell]].<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |title=London |url=https://london.diocesedirectory.org/places/42609 |access-date=2024-05-02 |website=london.diocesedirectory.org}}</ref>

==History==
[[File:Holy Trinity, Brompton.jpg|thumb|left|Holy Trinity Brompton's driveway]]

===Holy Trinity Church===
Prior to the construction of Holy Trinity Brompton, the present site was a part of the large [[parish]] of [[Kensington]], which was served only by the nearby [[St Mary Abbots]] Church. In the early 1820s, the area was in the midst of a substantial population increase, so a decision was taken to purchase the land and construct a new church.

The church was a [[Commissioners' church]], receiving a grant from the Church Building Commission towards its cost.  The full cost of the church was £10,407 ({{Inflation|UK|10407|1827|r=-4|fmt=eq|cursign=£}}),{{Inflation-fn|UK}} towards which the Commission paid £7,407. The architect was [[Thomas Leverton Donaldson]].<ref>{{Cite book | last = Port| first = M. H. | year = 2006| title = 600 New Churches: The Church Building Commission 1818–1856 | edition = 2nd| publication-place = Reading| publisher = Spire Books| page = 327| isbn = 978-1-904965-08-4}}</ref> Holy Trinity is a Grade II [[listed building]].<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://historicengland.org.uk/listing/the-list/list-entry/1189293 |title=Images of England: Church of the Holy Trinity, Brompton Road|publisher=[[English Heritage]] | access-date= 9 May 2010}}</ref>

After three years of construction, the church was consecrated on 6 June 1829 by the Bishop of London.<ref>{{cite news |author=<!--Staff writer(s); no by-line.--> |title=Brompton New Church |url=http://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0000174/18290608/028/0003 |newspaper=Morning Post |location=London |date=8 June 1829 |access-date=9 September 2015 }}</ref> The same building stands today, although it has been considerably modified. In 1852 a portion of Holy Trinity Brompton's land was sold to the [[Catholic Church|Roman Catholic Church]] to build the [[Church of the Immaculate Heart of Mary|Brompton Oratory]].<ref name=Oratory>[http://www.bromptonoratory.co.uk/church-tours#history-of-the-church "Church of the Immaculate Heart of Mary"] (London Oratory)</ref> This created the long driveway from Brompton Road to the relative tranquil of HTB.

The most recent major modification was during the 1980s when HTB's [[crypt]] was rebuilt to provide meeting rooms and space for a bookshop. Also during this time, the [[pew]]s were removed and replaced with chairs to allow greater flexibility in seating arrangements.<ref>[https://shop.alpha.org/c/16?pageNumber=1 www.alpha.org]</ref>

In 2023, leaders of HTB including its vicar, Archie Coates, and former vicar [[Nicky Gumbel]], were among 27 signatories to a letter arguing against blessings for same-sex couples, known as ''Prayers of Love and Faith''.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Martin |first=Francis |date=2023-07-05 |title=Church organisations urge Bishops not to commend blessings for same-sex couples |url=https://www.churchtimes.co.uk/articles/2023/7-july/news/uk/church-organisations-urge-bishops-not-to-commend-blessings-for-same-sex-couples |archive-url=https://archive.today/20230705175257/https://www.churchtimes.co.uk/articles/2023/7-july/news/uk/church-organisations-urge-bishops-not-to-commend-blessings-for-same-sex-couples |archive-date=2023-07-05 |access-date=2025-03-12 |website=[[Church Times]]}}</ref> Some worshippers at HTB Queen's Gate expressed "extreme disquiet" at the letter, from which they wished to "strongly disassociate" themselves, calling the letter a "cleverly worded delaying tactic" to "prolong discrimination".<ref>{{Cite web |last=Martin |first=Francis |date=2023-07-26 |title=HTB Vicar upbraided for stance on blessings for same-sex couples |url=https://www.churchtimes.co.uk/articles/2023/28-july/news/uk/htb-vicar-upbraided-for-stance-on-blessings-for-same-sex-couples |archive-url=https://archive.today/20230726181730/https://www.churchtimes.co.uk/articles/2023/28-july/news/uk/htb-vicar-upbraided-for-stance-on-blessings-for-same-sex-couples |archive-date=2023-07-26 |access-date=2025-03-12 |website=[[Church Times]]}}</ref> A priest at one HTB 'church-plant' said that many of the plants unhappy with this stance are "keeping quiet out of fear of repercussions".<ref>{{Cite web |last=Davies |first=Madeleine |date=2024-01-12 |title=HTB’s allies alarmed by bid to resist same-sex blessings |url=https://www.churchtimes.co.uk/articles/2024/12-january/news/uk/htb-s-allies-alarmed-by-bid-to-resist-same-sex-blessings |archive-url=https://archive.today/20240112185525/https://www.churchtimes.co.uk/articles/2024/12-january/news/uk/htb-s-allies-alarmed-by-bid-to-resist-same-sex-blessings |archive-date=2024-01-12 |access-date=2025-03-12 |website=[[Church Times]]}}</ref>

====List of vicars====
Source:<ref name=":0" />
{{columns-list|colwidth=22em|
*[[Joseph Pott|Joseph Holden Pott]] 1829–1840
*Percival Frye 1829–1835
*[[Robert Battiscombe|Robert Samuel Battiscombe]] 1835–1840
*[[William Josiah Irons]] 1840–1870
*Thomas Fraser Stooks 1870–1872
*Arthur Brook 1872–1877
*William Covington 1877–1899
*Alfred William Gough 1899–1931
*[[William Selwyn (bishop)|William Marshall Selwyn]] 1931–1938
*[[Bryan Green (priest)|Bryan Stuart Westmacott Green]] 1938–1948
*Patrick Nevile Gilliat 1949–1969
*Raymond John Walton Morris 1969–1975
*Raymond Hilton Turvey 1975–1980
*[[John T. C. B. Collins (priest)|John Theodore Cameron Bucke Collins]] 1980–1985
*[[Sandy Millar|John Alexander Kirkpatrick Millar]] 1985–2005
*[[Nicky Gumbel|Nicholas Glyn Paul Gumbel]] 2005–2022
*Archie Coates 2022–<ref>[https://bishopoflondon.org/news/bishop-sarah-welcomes-archie-coates-as-htb-vicar/ www.bishopoflondon.org]</ref>
}}

===St Paul's Onslow Square===
{{main|St Paul's, Onslow Square}}
[[St Paul's, Onslow Square|St Paul's Church]] in [[Onslow Square]] was opened in 1860.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.htb.org.uk/history |publisher=Holy Trinity Brompton |title=Holy Trinity Brompton History |date=2009-12-24 |access-date=2009-12-24 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100323063149/http://www.htb.org.uk/history |archive-date=2010-03-23 |url-status=dead }}</ref> In the late 1970s, the parish of Holy Trinity Brompton merged with the neighbouring parish of St Paul's [[Onslow Square]]. St Paul's was declared [[Redundant church|redundant]]. An attempt by the diocese to sell the building for private redevelopment was thwarted in the early 1980s when local residents joined with churchgoers to save the church. In the late 1980s, the Parochial Church Council requested that the redundancy be overturned which allowed curate Nicky Lee and his wife Sila to "plant" a congregation there as well as undertake some building structural maintenance work. At its peak in the 1990s, this congregation had grown to several hundred.

In 1997, the congregation at St Paul's divided into three, with some going with curate Stuart Lees to plant a church in [[Fulham]];<ref>[https://www.jesusministry.life/25/Stuart-Lees www.jesusministry.life]</ref> others returning to Holy Trinity with [[Nicky Lee (priest)|Prebendary Nicky Lee]] and his wife, Sila; and others forming the St Paul's Anglican Fellowship and remaining based at St Paul's with [[St Mary's, Bryanston Square|John Peters]]. This last group left in 2002 to plant into St Mary's, Bryanston Square.

During 2007, after plans by HTB to rebuild the 1960s offices were withdrawn following difficulty in getting support from local residents, HTB decided to undertake some renovations and to resume services in the church. St Paul's launched 9:00{{nbsp}}a.m. and 6:00{{nbsp}}p.m. services in September 2007<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.htb.org.uk/news/sunday-worship-resumes-st-pauls |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080820160311/http://www.htb.org.uk/news/sunday-worship-resumes-st-pauls |url-status=dead |archive-date=2008-08-20 |publisher=Holy Trinity Brompton |title=Sunday worship resumes at St. Paul's |date=2007-07-12 }}</ref> and followed with an 11{{nbsp}}a.m. service on 20 January 2008<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.htb.org.uk/news/st-pauls-gets-ready-11am-service |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080820160530/http://www.htb.org.uk/news/st-pauls-gets-ready-11am-service |url-status=dead |archive-date=2008-08-20 |publisher=Holy Trinity Brompton |title=St Paul's gets ready for 11am service |date=2008-01-18 }}</ref> and a 4{{nbsp}}p.m. service on 28 September 2009.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.htb.org.uk/media/htb-news/2009-09|publisher=Holy Trinity Brompton|title=4pm service launched at St Pauls|date=2009-12-24|access-date=2009-12-24|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100110051124/http://www.htb.org.uk/media/htb-news/2009-09|archive-date=2010-01-10|url-status=dead}}</ref> In December 2009 the upstairs balcony was recommissioned for worship, having previously been used for administrative offices (the office occupants having moved to HTB's nearby office building purchased in 2008).<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.htb.org.uk/news/article/alpha-charity-buys-london-office-building |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131109214632/http://www.htb.org.uk/news/article/alpha-charity-buys-london-office-building |url-status=dead |archive-date=2013-11-09 |publisher=Holy Trinity Brompton |title=Alpha Charity Buys London Office Building |date=2012-02-29 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.alphafriends.org/news/builders-move-new-offices-cromwell-road|publisher=Alphafriends|title=Builders move in to new offices on Cromwell Road|date=2012-02-29|access-date=29 February 2012|archive-date=31 December 2009|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091231030740/http://www.alphafriends.org/news/builders-move-new-offices-cromwell-road|url-status=dead}}</ref>

=== St Augustine's Church ===
{{main|St Augustine's, Queen's Gate}}
Services at [[St Augustine's, Queen's Gate]], began to be administered from Holy Trinity Brompton following an invitation by the Bishop of Kensington in 2010, where Nicky Gumbel was appointed [[priest-in-charge]]. In March 2011, St Augustine's was formally merged into the parish of HTB.<ref name="Research Report">{{cite web|title=Research Report: Holy Trinity Brompton Churches|url=https://www.rbkc.gov.uk/idoxWAM/doc/Other-1435507.pdf?extension=.pdf&id=1435507&location=volume2&contentType=application/pdf&pageCount=1|website=The Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea|accessdate=31 January 2017|format=pdf|date=February 2015}}</ref>

===Church plants===
{{main|HTB network}}

Since the 1980s, HTB has been involved in [[planting churches]]. This has resulted in a large number of churches that can be linked back to HTB either as a result of being directly planted by the church (so-called daughter churches), or by being the plants of churches planted by HTB (so called granddaughter churches). This web of churches form the [[HTB network]].

'''Church Plants Overseas:'''
* [https://www.htbb.org/ Holy Trinity Bukit Bintang], Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
* [https://www.htkchurch.org/ Holy Trinity Kuching], Kuching, Malaysia

==Alpha and HTB==
The Alpha course was founded by [[clergy]] at HTB who, over a period of twenty years, kept adapting the programme in accordance with feedback until in the early 1990s, when the Alpha course started gaining worldwide attention. As Alpha grew it became the main focus for HTB as it sought to support Alpha's spread and growth.

Today, this involves the production of advertising material and course material such as videos, books and tapes for each Alpha session and leader training material. Alpha is now run as a separate enterprise with separate fundraising and accounting, but it remains closely tied to HTB, with most of Alpha's staff being accommodated in HTB's offices. The clergy of HTB also share Alpha duties such as overseeing Alpha conferences and training events in the UK and overseas.

Since the mid-1990s, the Alpha course programme has remained largely unchanged allowing the energy of the church to develop other initiatives which fit with the Alpha course such as creating courses on marriage preparation, parenting teenagers, bereavement and recovering from divorce, as well as publishing new books.

HTB itself runs [[Alpha course]]s three times a year, and with these attracting 300–400 guests during each course, they require all of the available space in the church buildings.<ref>[https://alpha.org/about/ www.alpha.org]</ref>

==Pastoral care==
In order to address the problem of how to give [[pastoral care]] to such a large congregation as well as provide a means for new people to join the church, HTB uses the 'Pastorate' model.<ref>[https://www.churchtimes.co.uk/articles/2022/1-april/features/interviews/interview-pippa-cramer-pastoral-care-and-seniors-minister www.churchtimes.co.uk]</ref>

Pastorates consist of 20–50 people who, through meeting at least once a fortnight, can form strong friendships and support each other in care as well as developing individual gifts and ministries.

HTB has quite a transient congregation caused in part by its location in [[London]], a city which itself has a transient population, in particular a large student population who only reside in London during their studies, and that HTB is able to attract; and also in part by the fact that the Alpha course brings in a number of people to HTB who are either visiting the home of Alpha or have completed the course and then quickly move on to other [[Parish church|church]]es or [[Christian ministry|ministries]].

==Services==
HTB conducts ten services each Sunday across the six sites. The family services include items aimed at children. The formal services feature traditional Church of England [[liturgy]] and a professional choir. The informal services centre on a longer period of [[contemporary worship]] with a longer talk and close in a reflective prayer mood which extends beyond the end of the service.

Some services reuse the same talk and song list from a service earlier in the day.<ref>[https://htb.org/online www.htb.org]</ref>

==Other activities==
Another activity of HTB is its yearly church camp, named "Focus". This takes place over five days in July where typically 7,000 people attend and involve themselves in the many seminars, workshops and recreational activities. The size also attracts some prominent speakers to speak on issues affecting the church and society.

Since 1985, HTB has been actively involved in a process called [[church planting]] whereby struggling [[parish church|church]]es are boosted by scores – sometimes hundreds – of people committing to move from HTB to the identified church for at least a year. This also involves at least one member of HTB's clergy similarly moving to the new church to help lead worship, form pastorates and run local Alpha courses. Over the years, multiple churches have been planted in this way, including [[St Gabriel's, Cricklewood]], with some of these churches going on to make church plants of their own.

HTB also has thriving children's, youth and student ministries. Other activities HTB undertakes are services twice a year involving the large HTB choir – at [[Easter]] and [[Christmas]] – and several free classical concerts that utilise the church's pipe organ, refurbished in 2004, as well as drawing on the talent of the nearby music colleges.

In September 2005 HTB started providing the talks given at the Sunday services as free downloads from its website and through their [[iTunes]], YouTube and SoundCloud account. These downloads, which HTB has termed ''HTB Podcasts'', have proved popular and, more recently, other talks specifically provided for the HTB Podcast community have also been offered, including answers to questions sent in by listeners. Each month the total download count from this catalogue of talks is over 40,000, with some talks making it into the top ten in the "Religion and Spirituality" section for iTunes.

In 2011 HTB formed the William Wilberforce Trust<ref>{{citation|url=http://new.thebiggive.org.uk/charity/view/8452/aims|title=About the William Wilberforce Trust|publisher=theBigGive.org.uk| access-date= 29 Feb 2012}}</ref> to bring together various social action projects that were linked with HTB. These projects include work in deprived neighbourhoods, addressing homelessness and providing practical support for people with addictions.

HTB is also home to:
* [[St Paul's Theological Centre]]
* The [[Alpha course|Alpha Course]]

==See also==
* [[Brompton Oratory]]
* [[List of Commissioners' churches in London]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}
{{Portal|Christianity|Evangelical Christianity|London}}

==External links==
{{Commons category|Holy Trinity Brompton Church}}
* [https://www.htb.org/ Official website]
* Mystery Worshipper reports at the [[Ship of Fools (website)|Ship of Fools]] website: [https://web.archive.org/web/20080411220616/http://www.shipoffools.com/mystery/specials/london_05/reports/1045.html 2005], [http://www.shipoffools.com/mystery-worshipper/holy-trinity-brompton-london/ 2007], [http://www.shipoffools.com/mystery-worshipper/htb-brompton-road-london/ 2013], [http://www.shipoffools.com/mystery-worshipper/holy-trinity-brompton-road-london/ 2015]
* [http://www.sflgroup.co.uk/news-item.aspx?id=86 HTB Sound Design – A Story of Excellent Sound] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190521010330/http://www.sflgroup.co.uk/news-item.aspx?id=86 |date=21 May 2019 }}
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20120123164143/http://www.williamwilberforcetrust.org.uk/ William Wilberforce Trust]

{{Churches in Kensington and Chelsea}}
[[Category:Holy Trinity Brompton| ]]
[[Category:Churches completed in 1829]]
[[Category:Brompton, London|Holy Trinity Brompton]]
[[Category:19th-century Church of England church buildings]]
[[Category:Religious organizations established in 1829]]
[[Category:1829 establishments in England]]
[[Category:Commissioners' church buildings|London, Holy Trinity Brompton]]
[[Category:Diocese of London]]
[[Category:Church of England church buildings in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea|Brompton]]
[[Category:Evangelicalism in the Church of England]]