The New Testament Church of God is one of the largest Black Majority Churches in the UK. Dr O. A. Lyseight, its founder, served in the capacity of the first Administrative Bishop for the denomination in England and Wales from 1953 to 1978. On reflection, a senior leader of the church, Dr. Clinton Ryan states that:
“The New Testament Church of God in England and Wales was born at a time when an immigrant people were experiencing disappointment, disillusionment and racism. These three things helped to shape it into an institution of liberation and survival for African-Caribbean people.”
Another senior leader, Bishop Louis McLeod says:
“When the Church started… it had no assets, buildings and personnel… just a few dedicated members and a great leader who had purpose, conviction, vision, passion, inspiration and influence. With these qualities, Dr Lyseight laid the foundation for the spiritual and corporate success we see today enabling us to have 128 local branches and a following of over 30,000.”
As we grow and develop our aim is to reflect the diversity of our communities. We are gathering resources produced by, for and about the black majority church history and ministry in the UK to aid our learning from our history.
The Heritage Centre presents a record of our humble beginnings as pioneers of the denomination in England and Wales and offers opportunities amongst ourselves as well as in dialogue with interested others to:
- critically reflect on and interpret our past
- use the past to shape our present
- learn from our past to create a better future
- deepen our understanding about our Pentecostal beliefs, pilgrimage and practice of ministry
- strengthen our commitment and resolution to faithful witness through our mission and ministry
- celebrate our Pentecostal tradition
- create a viable learning resource on the Black Majority Churches in Britain for our members and interested others
- contribute to the conversations, reviews and analysis of NTCG as part of the global Pentecostal movement on the British religious landscape.
Our Mission
The Heritage Centre gathers, preserves and makes accessible to members and interested others information, learning resources, exhibition and research material on the history of the NTCG in England and Wales from the early 50s. Our story is told with reference to our denomination’s heritage ministries in collaboration with the Dixon Pentecostal Research Center , the emergence of Black Majority Churches in the UK as embodied in the work of Rev Dr Roswith Gerloff and the wider Pentecostal movement.
We are committed to making these resources accessible to our members and the wider community in the interest of inter-generational learning and the value of learning from history.
Our Vision
Identifying, preserving and interpreting our Pentecostal heritage and making it accessible to others within and beyond our denomination.
Roswith Gerloff Collection – Endowed with History…
We are also the custodian of the Roswith Gerloff collection of research material on the Black Majority Churches in England spanning 1972 – 2013. The collection was donated by Dr Gerloff who has written extensively on Black Pentecostalism in Britain and has produced some influential work on the social, cultural and missiological significance of the African Caribbean Diaspora contribution to the Christian faith.
We are committed to making these resources accessible to our leaders and members and the wider community in the interest of inter-generational learning and the value of learning from history.
Getting involved in this project
- Donate your personal or family papers (letters, diaries, un/published writings, audible and visible records)
- Donate Church programmes, significant sermons, newsletters;
- Offer a copy of your thesis/publications
- Monetary donations
- Volunteer your time and skills eg. research, oral history, archiving, fundraising
- Donate your personal or family papers (letters, diaries, un/published writings, audible and visible records)
- Participate in a collaborative Distance learning course at the University of Leicester.
Heritage Ministries in the Church of God
The Church of God is blessed to have various ministries preserving and passing on our Pentecostal heritage. The earliest of these was the Church of God Evangel. Begun in 1910, the Evangel regularly publishes articles related to our heritage including the popular column ‘Church of God Chronicles’ featuring interesting stories from our past. A substantial collection of the Church of God in its global context including Pentecostal and charismatic documents, records, photographs and literature are located in the Dixon Pentecostal Research Center.
Heritage Centre Reference Group Members Profile
Rev Dr Carver Anderson is a pastor, practical theologian, researcher and a social scientist with a significant record of work within the youth sector. He is an Executive Director and one of the founders of the Bringing Hope Charity in Birmingham, working to support individuals and families, both perpetrators and victims impacted by crime and violence, with particular focus on black young men.
He is interested to work with the Black Majority Churches to develop a practical Pentecostal theology and offer fresh and contextual approaches to individuals/institutions to positively address these challenging concerns.
Rev Dr Anderson sees a link between the aims of the Heritage Centre and his passion to equip the black Pentecostal churches and the wider church community, with resources to minister to the needs of black young men and their families effectively.
P
at Ferguson – has over 36 years of experienced as a trainer and facilitator in the field of child care. She is an active member of the Brooks Barr NTCG in Manchester. She serves in the capacity of Pastoral Care and Spiritual Development which includes Safeguarding Training for the NTCG in the region as well as for the wider community in Greater Manchester.
From 2018 – 2019, Pat worked as Heritage Officer at Cheetham Hill. This brought Pat into contact with a rich and diverse range of people including local school teachers and children. The project enabled the church membership and the local community to engage with each other in intergeneration learning about the rich church history and heritage in the area. As the church has a War Memorial within its ground, Pat took the opportunity to invite local schools into the church for Remembrance Day. One of the local schools engaged the children in laying wreaths made at the school giving consideration to the impact of war on the community and the world. Pat will draw on her experience to assist the efforts of the Heritage Centre in its goal to make its learning resources appealing and educational to children and young people.
Pat is married to Gilroy. They have 4 adult children and are doting grandparents to five grandchildren.
Rev Donovan Haslam is one of the youngest Pastors within the New Testament Church of God and has been the Senior Pastor at the Stafford Church since 2013. This is his first pastorate. He also works as a Housing officer within a large social housing provider. He is extremely passionate about the narrative of the pioneers of the Black majority church congregations and keen to ensure that this is captured and preserved for posterity. In addition to his contribution to the NTCG Heritage Centre, he serves as mastermind and joint administrator for a large repository of historical artefacts that are showcased through social media. The Facebook Page can be found at https://www.facebook.com/groups/1726602107557368/?ref=share The popular social media page has an international reach and can be described as a most immersive experience, allowing members to dialogue and contribute to the existing gallery. He has been married to Rachel Haslam for 8 years and they have two children Abigail and Josiah.
Reverend Delroy Henry has been the National Director of Education at the Leadership Training Centre (LTC) for the New Testament Church of God (NTCG) since 2018 . He engages with and leads in strategic conversations concerning the discovery, development, and meaningful involvement of emerging church leaders.
Reverend Henry’s leadership and theological education include extensive study and practice in operational and strategic management, curriculum development, teaching, and marketing. His experience spans over 30 years in various teaching and leadership roles within education, which includes positions where he was Tutor-In-Charge at an adult education institute, Deputy Chair of School Governors and Principal of Immanuel Theological College, in partnership with the University of Wales Lampeter. His ministry engagement has also been consistent, including lead positions as Sunday School Superintendent, District and Local Youth Christian Education Director and one of three Assistant Pastors at Lee NTCG.
Reverend Henry continues to enhance and develop his knowledge by working within a range of ecumenical settings, in addition to building partnerships with the voluntary, faith, and statutory sectors, where he draws and applies insights. With this variety of involvement, Reverend Henry’s experience supports and assists in taking the Heritage Centre’s agenda forward for the interest of its global impact, success, and sustainability.
Newton Lyseight attends the Wolverhampton NTCG. He is currently retired after being in Property and Estates Management in the Health Service and Local Authority for forty years of his employment. He was a member of an Academy School Senior Management Team during the latter fifteen years at work. As a volunteer at the Heritage Centre, Newton utilizes his management skills and experience to further the development of the Centre and maximise the planned benefits of the Centre as a learning resource to the members of the NTCG and the wider community.
Dr David Muir is a political scientist and a theologian. He is currently a senior lecturer in Ministerial Theology and Professional Development at Roehampton University focusing on Pentecostal history and spirituality, political theology, ministry formation and systematic theology.
David is the Academic Guardian of the Roswith Gerloff Collection and Archives. The Heritage Centre Reference Group gains much from his extensive knowledge and expertise in the field. He has researched , and written prolifically on the history, mission and ministry of the Black Majority Churches (BMCs). He lectures and facilitates strategic conversations/dialogue on Pentecostalism and the contribution of the BMCs to the Pentecostal movement and the wider society.
He founded Faith in Britain to promote citizenship and public policy engagement. He is a member of the Kirby Laing Institute for Christian Ethics (Cambridge University) and a UK board member of the Transatlantic Roundtable on Religion and Race (TRRR).
Bishop Winston Taylor is currently Senior Pastor of the New Testament Church of God in Sheffield and the District Overseer for the Sheffield District of churches. He also co-ordinates the Calling and Ministry Studies [CAMS] programme. CAMS is the formative education and training component of the licensure programme for candidates at the first rank of the NTCG credentialed ministry. It includes the CIMS course ‘Knowing Your Church’ which he facilitates and which has specific links to the Heritage Centre. He is therefore particularly interested in the development of this project as a learning resource for this group of the NTCG constituency.
Rev Phyllis Thompson is a Pentecostal educator. She has a background in development education and Pastoral ministry in the UK. She served as the National Education Director for the New Testament Church of God in England and Wales from 2007-2018. She is the pioneer and co-ordinator of the New Testament Church of God Heritage Centre and the Oliver Lyseight Lectures.
Phyllis is currently a member of the leadership team of her local Church in Northampton, England, and a member of the European Pentecostal Theological Association [EPTA]Executive Committee. She sits on the Church of a God International Education Board and is a member of the Church of God International Historical Commission.
She has written on topics to do with Black Majority Churches, and women in Christian leadership. Recent publications include her contribution to Faith of our Fathers (Pathway Press 2009),Challenges of Black Pentecostal Leadership in the 21st Century (SPCK 2013) and Challenges of Pentecostal Theology in the 21st Century (SPCK 2020) the latter two for which she is the editor.
Louis Wright has a background in business and administration. He works at the New Testament Church of God national office and is actively involved in communications and administration at the local church. He represents the valuable contribution of volunteers to this initiative. He volunteers his time and first-rate IT skills to the purposes of the Heritage Centre.