About Us
Cornerstone is an evangelical, Bible-based church, which is part of ‘Baptists Together’ and the Yorkshire Baptist Association. Our purpose statement is ‘passion for God, love for people, heart for mission’. The church has a set of core values and is committed to evangelism and social action in North and West Leeds and beyond.
The present formal membership stands at around 250 and covers a wide age-range. There is a total estimated church community of between 400-500 people. .
Cornerstone’s meets on two sites, Cragg Hill in Horsforth and Headingley. There are currently three Gatherings: Headingley, Cragg and The Lantern, which is a partnership with Leeds Vineyard. We are able to engage passionately in local mission in ways appropriate for some quite different contexts, and we have the resources of a larger church to support this.
Finding Out More
Most people initially find a place of belonging by turning up at our main Gatherings. Details of venues and times are on our Gatherings page.
The majority of people find it helpful to belong to small groups which meet midweek across the city and many also develop strong friendship links through becoming involved in one of our mission projects.
Pastoral support for each other mainly comes through the small groups. The church is led by an eldership, although, like all Baptist churches, ultimate responsibility for the life of the church lies with the church members who meet together formally at regular intervals to discern the mind of Christ. Financial support for our work comes from within through church members and regular attendees.
Affiliations
Our History
The church’s history goes back to 1779 when sixteen ‘hardy souls’ were baptised in the River Aire and formed the first Baptist Church in Leeds. From this beginning, the church grew and in 1825 a new building in South Parade near the centre of the city was built. Over the years it planted other churches with the parent church moving to Headingley in 1909.
In 2020, South Parade Baptist Church became Cornerstone Baptist Church to better reflect the inclusive nature of its mission and ministry in North West Leeds.