Westview Baptist Church

The Westview Story (in brief)

This community of believers had two beginnings: one was with the open-air Sunday Schools in the early 60’s conducted by Harold English, who later donated the land where our building now stands; and the other was the Baptist fellowship which began in August 1978 in the home of Allan and Sue Hollyock, in Joseph Banks Drive, Kings Langley, with a group of about 30 adults and children, and which became Kings Langley Baptist Church.

In 1989, the Baptist Union was considering closing down the Doonside church, which had dwindled to a handful of faithful members, and as an alternative an approach was made to the Kings Langley church – which already had a second congregation in Quakers Hill – to see if its members would consider a merger. After a year of careful discussion between the two groups, this merger took place in December of 1989, and a collective name was adopted at that time: Westview – a Vision for the West.

For six years, the three Westview congregations – Doonside, Kings Langley, Quakers Hill – continued meeting separately on Sundays, but followed the same teaching program and sharing all other events, leaders and teachers, so functioning as one church.

Around 1995 the Quakers Hill congregation closed, as another Baptist church had been planted in that area, so our members went back into the other two Westview congregations until 2005. In that year it was decided to bring these two groups together as one congregation, meeting in the Doonside Centre, an arrangement which continues to the present time.

The church has enjoyed the blessing of God since the outset – usually counted from 1978 – a Bible-based community, seeking to be a working model of the Kingdom of God, with a plural leadership team, making decisions by consensus, and encouraging all members to use their gifts as always ‘on mission’, announcing the Lordship of Jesus Christ, the King of Creation and soon-coming Judge of all humankind, and the opportunity He offers freely, right now, to acknowledge His Lordship, receive His mercy and forgiveness, and come under His saving Rule in a community of His people.