Our Story

In 2014, HTB Church in London were invited to plant St Swithun’s in Bournemouth, led by Tim and Debi Matthews.

Their task was an experiment: could a new church serve the city, especially younger people who didn’t consider themselves church-goers?

A small team moved into the empty building at St Swithun’s and began to meet…

The church quickly grew through informal contemporary Sunday services, the Alpha course, opened a homeless shelter, and looked to empower people through courses on marriage and addiction.

Two and a half years in, St Swithun’s joined with St Clement’s in Boscombe to relaunch their site for similar mission in the local area, partnering with its two church schools.

For the full story, check out our book