Our story
Most people in Preston don’t know that Jesus is the hope of the world.
Our church exists to connect people with Jesus and the transformation only he can bring.
Hello! My name is Tim, and I’m the Vicar and Senior Leader of Preston Minster and St Matthew’s.
Over the past seven years, we’ve seen God do some remarkable things. What many thought was a closed church has become a growing community where people of all ages are worshipping Jesus, discovering faith, being discipled and serving our city.
We want to play our part in the evangelisation of the nation, the revitalisation of the Church and the transformation of society.
From Street Teams and Alpha, to planting churches, creating spaces of worship and encounter with God and investing in emerging generations, we’re want to see lives transformed about Jesus. We’re also home to Spear Preston, helping 16–24-year-olds overcome barriers to employment and discover their potential.
And we believe there is so much more to come. We long to see our church family grow beyond 400 people, with deeper discipleship, more baptisms, transformed lives, and thriving children’s and youth ministry.
Whether you’re new to faith or have followed Jesus for years, there’s a place for you here. We’d love you to join us in bringing the hope of Jesus to Preston.
Explore our website, discover more of our story in the timeline below, or get in touch at hello@prestonminster.org. We’d love to hear from you.
Love,
Tim
KEY MOMENTS IN OUR STORY
2019: A new congregation
A small team from Holy Trinity Brompton planted a new congregation into Preston Minster, supported by the Diocese of Blackburn and Strategic Development Fund for five years as we established and grew.
2020: Serving through COVID
When the pandemic hit, we opened the church as part of the city’s emergency response, becoming a foodbank and major food provider. More than 90,000 meals were served to people across Preston.
2021: Planting St Luke’s
A team from the Minster, led by Jason and Rachel Gardner, planted St Luke’s Blackburn, beginning a growing culture of church planting and multiplication across Lancashire.
2022: Spear Preston
As the city emerged from the pandemic, we saw a growing need around unemployment and we launched Spear Preston, coaching 16–24-year-olds overcome barriers to employment.
2023: A new season
Rev. Tim Roberts became Vicar of Preston Minster, beginning a new season of leadership. Our initial national funding also came to an end, meaning we needed to become increasingly financially sustainable ourselves.
2025: Planting St Matthew’s
A new city-centre parish was established serving around 24,000 people. We planted a new congregation into St Matthew’s, reaching the communities of New Hall Lane and Fishwick.
Today: More to come!
What began as a small church plant has become a growing city-centre parish. We believe God has more for us as we reach more people with the hope of Jesus, grow deeper in discipleship and continue to plant and multiply.