History

Richmond is a London borough with a long history. A Royal Palace was built here in 1125, remnants of which remain to this day.

It was in Richmond that many great events of English history were planned and overseen, monarchs lived and died and great literary figures such as Charles Dickens and Virginia Woolf wrote some of their finest works.

The Duke Street Legacy

Like the town, Duke Street Church has a long history. There has been a gospel witness on this site since the middle of the nineteenth century. The Church began when CH Spurgeon – the great ‘Prince of Preachers’ – sent one of his students, FB Meyer, to began a long line of ‘famous’ servants, including Alan Redpath and Stephen Olford. Since its earliest days, Duke Street has faithfully maintained its witness to the message of Jesus Christ – in days of spiritual decline and of revival. The Church has had a history of innovation and experimentation when it comes to getting the Christian message out to the community and the world.

The Duke Street Vision

Ask the average Duke Streeter today about our Church and they are more likely to talk about the future than the past. We are a metropolitan Church that draws its people from a wide area of South West London. We have a vision of building a community of believers who are devoted to the making and maturing of fully committed followers of Jesus Christ, in the power of the Spirit, to the glory of God the Father.

Our vision can be summarised as follows:

First, we aim to fulfil our vision through words of grace. We believe that both believers and unbelievers need to hear the Bible’s message that salvation is by grace alone. Our preaching is therefore bible-based and Christ-centred.

Second, we aim to fulfil our vision through deeds of mercy. Our Lord set us the example of cheerful and sacrificial service to others and we want to copy Him. So we have ministries that are specifically designed to serve the community, whether the homeless or young mums or carers. We believe that deeds of mercy make the gospel plausible.

Third, we aim to fulfil our vision through relationship networks. Living in a large city can be a lonely experience since the world of work – often driven by technical excellence, management technique and slick professionalism – can leave the individual undervalued. Many people are therefore seeking authenticity and community. Through our growing network of small groups we are trying to provide a context in which quality friendship can develop and personal issues can be shared and resolved.