The New Testament Church of God, Charlton started in the 1960s as an offspring of the Sunday School meetings that began in the home of Brother & Sister Letts on Felday Road, Catford in Southeast London. The church, soon after inception, was formally organised and moved to Greenwich where services were held in a hall used for dances.
The church services moved to an Anglican Church on Kemsing Road, Greenwich and members paid one shilling per year as rental charges. The church offered to buy the property when the Anglican Church was being closed down, but was unsuccessful. Under the leadership of Pastor Fergurson, the first known Pastor of the Church, they purchased and moved into 74 Charlton Church Lane. In the 1990’s, under the leadership of Bishop Deverton Douglas, 76 Charlton Lane was purchased, making the address 74/76 Charlton Church Lane. The church has had a few name changes over the years. It’s been known as Charlton Baptist Church, NTCG Charlton, NTCG Charlton Praise & Worship Centre, NTCG Charlton Tabernacle. Today, it has adopted the formal name of NTCG Charlton, keeping in line with uniformity procedures of the National Office.
Over the decades, the church has experienced a fluctuation in the size of its membership and at one stage it peaked to over 120. As the church on the hill, it has continued to thrive during difficult times, boasting several thriving ministries including Youth, Women, Men, Children, Food Bank, involvement in various social and community projects such as London Citizens, and other community outreach programmes. Today, the Church has 54 members on roll and, since 2023, have embarked on a mission to build, undergirded by the vision of “Building Strong Ministries, Membership, and Community, on sound Theology.”
In August 2022 when the New Testament Church of God, England & Wales was on the cusp of a change in leadership at the national level, Charlton was also to have a change in leadership with the untimely passing of its serving Pastor, Rev Rohan E Anderson. This experience rocked the church to its core because it was so sudden, but the church weathered the storm of bereavement and is now beginning to build again.
The NTCG Charlton has seen its fair share of pastoral changes over the years and individuals who have served in the pastorate have later become District Bishops and one moving on to become the Administrative Bishop for England & Wales. Following is a list of the Pastors known to have served the congregation:
1. Pastor Fergurson
2. Pastor Shepherd (the first and only female to have served as Pastor)
3. Pastor Johnson
4. Bishop Eric Brown (later became the Administrative Bishop of England and Wales)
5. Bishop Deverton Douglas
6. Pastor Wayne Brown
7. Rev. Desmond Williams
8. Rev. Rohan Anderson (deceased)
9. Bishop Richard Young (currently serving since March 2023)
The people of Charlton church are a force to be reckoned with as they continue working with their new Pastor and his family to build up God’s kingdom in their community. With a heavy emphasis on structure, the move of the Holy Spirit, sound biblical preaching and teaching, and spirit-led worship, the Church continues to grow, and its church services are flourishing, with regular visitors and numerous adherents.