Connect Church is a new expression with a significant heritage.

Though we launched as a brand new and distinct church in 2020, our history actually goes back more than 100 years.

On 13^th November 1920 a church service was held in an old YMCA building on Scunthorpe High Street and a new faith community was born. After a few moves and a temporary closure during the Second World War, the community known as Scunthorpe Baptist Church found its home on Ashby Road.

Almost exactly a century after that first service the members of the church made the audacious and bold decision to close and reopen as ‘Connect Church’; a new venture built from the ground up to meet the challenges and opportunities of the 21^st Century world.

So although Connect Church was founded in 2020 our roots go much deeper.

Connect Church began as one church meeting in two locations, Ashby Road and Crosby, and in February 2023 it was announced that we would be planting next in Brigg.

‘Making Disciples’ means that for us faith is not simply religious activity or a weekly event, but rather a life-giving and life-transforming relationship with Jesus, and our primary goal as disciples (followers of Jesus) is to be with Jesus, become like Jesus, and to do what Jesus did.

‘Building the Kingdom’ means that we are committed to playing our part as a church and as individuals in seeking the renewal of all things. We echo Jesus when he prayed ‘Your Kingdom come … on earth as it is in Heaven’, and we do this by serving the purposes of God in seeking justice, peace, reconciliation and the transformation of culture and society

There are five things that determine how we do what we do; deeply held values that govern our actions and reactions.

We depend on God for immeasurably more: we never want to think too small or play too safe when it comes to living for Jesus. God is already more gracious and loving than we deserve, and He has already done more for us than we can comprehend, but we are convinced that He is not done yet.

Everyone has value and adds value: everything we do is with, by and for people, and we are convinced that people are what matter most to God. The church is not a building but a body; each member unconditionally loved and valued by God. It is in the body that everyone is able to find their place and their purpose.

We seek the wellbeing of our community: we love our neighbours and we only want the very best for our villages, towns and wider area. We are champions of others who are making a difference, and we seek to partner with other churches and organisations in seeing lives changed and communities transformed.

We don’t maintain we multiply: where there is life there is growth and life with Jesus is full of richness and abundance. Whilst we are committed to being good stewards of all that God has given to us, we want to faithfully invest our time, talent and treasure in such a way as to see growth in every area and at every level.

We are joyfully all in: our default answer to Jesus is ‘yes’. We know that we are called to be contributors and not consumers, and we believe that nothing is more fun than serving God with people you love.  Our attitude is that we get to not that we have to and that it is better to give than to receive, so we strive to do everything with generosity and joy