Frequently Asked Questions

We are a mainstream church part of the Assemblies of God ‘Pentecostal’ movement. In fact, this movement is one of the largest and fastest-growing branches of Christianity in the world. What this means is that we follow in the central traditions of the Christian Church, valuing the authority and truth of what the Bible teaches and preserving the nature of the Christian life as a relationship with God made possible because of what Jesus accomplished on the cross. ‘Pentecostal’ churches teach that the life and power of the Holy Spirit that came at Pentecost (see Acts 1-4) is available and necessary for the church today.

In the book of Hebrews we are encouraged to not neglect meeting together, but rather to gather to encourage and challenge one another to explore and live out our faith in community, and in the wider community. Christianity is not a religion of the individual, but rather a faith that thrives in community with other believers. If you have a belief in Christ and want to enjoy the fullness of what it means to be a Christian, we believe you will discover this most when you share your ‘journey’ of life with others. Find a church where you can belong and play your part; the church, the body of Jesus Christ, is one institution that will last forever.

In our first service on a Sunday we start with all-age worship, but in the second service children and youth are in their groups from the beginning. This is to help accommodate both children and adults as we’ve grow in size! We do however have regular all age service throughout the year.

Our Kids and Youth Teams are available to help you and your children settle in to their group and make the most out of their time with us. All activities and events are run in accordance with our Safeguarding Policy. You can find our Safeguarding Policy at the bottom of this page

Often the adult teaching slot lasts for 30–40 minutes. We believe that it is important to ‘get our teeth in’ to the Word of God and spend sufficient time studying it together in age-appropriate groups. Though we live in a ‘fast-food’ culture, we believe that thorough and stimulating Bible study is like eating a good meal – it takes time to eat it, and even longer to digest. During this time the kids and youth normally have their own activities, with creative teaching, craft and games, praise and worship, led by a dedicated team of experienced leaders.

For a start, the raising of hands is not something everyone has to do, okay? It is simply a natural response for many people as part of praise and worship. You see a similar reaction when a football team scores a goal, or at a music concert. It’s the same as that, except what people are celebrating is the person and work of Jesus Christ, the joy of knowing we are loved, and as we lift our hands we are showing physically that we are submitted to God. Simple, eh?

As for praying in different languages, some people pray in their ‘mother tongue’ - the language they grew up speaking, still others will pray in a way that the Holy Spirit enables them to that is like a special prayer language. It’s something people in the Christian Church have been doing for over 2000 years, since the day of Pentecost. It’s pretty amazing, and if you want to explore this more please ask one of our team.

For the last 800 years there has been a church in Watford, with St Mary’s being established in the 1200s A.D. Since then many different groups of Christians have been established reflecting the changing and growing traditions within the church, each ‘stream’ emphasising different aspects of Christian teaching and experience. Now there are over 40 different congregations in Watford, each with distinct ‘flavour’, areas of ministry and in different neighbourhoods. We believe, however, that God sees one Church in Watford, and that we must work together with other congregations with a spirit of humility and unity.