Our story
With nearly seven decades of experience serving the UK Church, Kingdom Bank has a rich heritage of providing churches with financial solutions to support their ministry and mission.
From helping congregations purchase their first buildings to resourcing major redevelopments and housing for ministry leaders, we’ve walked alongside churches through seasons of growth, change and gospel opportunity.
Our deep understanding of Christian ministry shapes every product and service we offer, enabling us to partner with churches across the UK as they seek to serve their communities and proclaim the good news of Jesus.
1950s The beginning
Our story began in the early 1950s when George Oldershaw, a pastor in the Assemblies of God fellowship, identified a need for newly planted congregations to have the means to purchase their own premises. Facing hesitancy from High Street banks to lend to churches, Oldershaw came up with an innovative solution: the Assemblies of God Property Trust.
1960s-2000s Early growth
The Trust provided a way for congregations who were better established to deposit money which could then be lent to newer fellowships. Over the decades, the organisation continued to grow and fulfil its mission of funding church growth across the UK. It was authorised by the Bank of England – and, subsequently, the Financial Services Authority – in the 1980s.
2005 FSA authorisation
Wanting to widen its services to the whole of the UK Church, Kingdom Bank was launched as a wholly owned subsidiary of the Charity on 1 January 2005, authorised and regulated by the Financial Services Authority.
2020 New ownership
In 2020, Kingdom Bank entered a new chapter and was acquired by a group of Christian investors, including UK charity Stewardship and a consortium of individuals. With a shared passion to see churches, charities and Christian workers thrive, this new, shared ownership, has positioned the Bank towards growth and to lend more than ever before.
Stewardship, the largest investor in Kingdom Bank, has been working with generous Christians and the ministries they support for over a century.
Today, they help over 30,000 donors discover the joy of generosity as they give around £110 million every year to over 12,000 church, charity and individual partners. Their professional services also equip, grow and strengthen those partners so they can create more and more impact for God’s Kingdom.
Together, the teams at Stewardship and Kingdom Bank will be happy to provide an introduction to their counterparts where there are opportunities to serve more effectively.
Although the largest shareholder, Stewardship does not have control over Kingdom Bank and therefore the Bank’s accounts are not consolidated into Stewardship’s financial statements.