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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
*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.
