St Helen's Bishopsgate - City lunchtime talks

What St Helen's Bishopsgate - City lunchtime talks does

St Helen's Bishopsgate is a Church of England congregation and registered charity (No. 1131501) located near Liverpool Street station in the City of London financial district. Its City ministry operates regular lunchtime talks (Tuesday 1:10–1:40pm in person and via livestream; Thursday 12:15–12:50pm in person), weekday Bible study groups at St Helen's and at St Andrew's Undershaft, and prayer meetings targeted at Christian professionals working in Central London and at individuals exploring Christianity. The organization runs language-specific ministries — Italian-language Bible study at St Andrew's Undershaft and an online Mandarin Bible study (IGG) with outreach events — alongside the Foundations course for inquirers and the annual week-long City Summer School held over two July sessions. A reciprocal referral partnership with Gospel at Work extends lunchtime talk coverage across Central London.

The core technology footprint is a church website (churchsuite login, calendar, resources), livestreaming for Tuesday talks, and the Bible Matters mobile application distributed on Google Play, Apple App Store, and Apple TV. No APIs, integrations, or proprietary ML systems are disclosed. Distribution is primarily in-person at the two London sites, supplemented by the livestream, the Bible Matters app, and the Gospel at Work distributed-talk network for workers more than a 10-minute walk from St Helen's.

The business model is that of a UK-registered charity. Income is derived predominantly from voluntary donations from congregation members and attendees (via the website "Give" section), supplemented by modest event fees: City Summer School at £10 per person (£5 concessions) and the May Talks series at £10 per person (£5 concessions). The approximately 10-person team, led by Wes Illingsworth as Team Leader City with Claire O'Donoghue (Women's Worker), Paul Williams (Men's Worker), and several associates, delivers programs that are largely free at the point of attendance. Marketing is conducted through word-of-mouth, the Gospel at Work referral network, the website, social media (Instagram, Facebook, Twitter), and the Bible Matters app. No parent company, subsidiaries, acquisitions, or external funding rounds are disclosed.

Name

St Helen's Bishopsgate - City lunchtime talks

Legal name

St Helen's Bishopsgate

Website

https://city.st-helens.org.uk

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

St Helen's Bishopsgate is a Church of England registered charity in the City of London that delivers lunchtime talks, Bible study, and prayer groups to Christian and exploring professionals in Central London's financial district, supported by the Bible Matters app and partnerships with Italian and Mandarin ministries and Gospel at Work.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Religious Community Services

NAICS

Religious Organizations (8131), Religious Organizations (813110), Religious, Grantmaking, Civic, Professional, and Similar Organizations (813)

akta.pro primary industry

Faith-Based Missions & Evangelism Organizations (Domestic & International) (BPAGAJAE)

Keywords

• Christian ministry services
• Bible study groups
• Workplace Christian outreach
• Church community programs
• Bible teaching events

Headquarters

HQ city

London

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Donations and Giving: As a registered charity (No. 1131501), the organization relies on voluntary donations from congregation members and attendees. The 'Give' section on the website indicates regular giving programs.
2. Event Fees: Paid events such as City Summer School (£10, £5 concessions) and special talk series (£10, £5 concessions) generate some revenue.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

St Helen's Bishopsgate runs a Christian ministry program for City workers in Central London, offering weekly lunchtime talks, Bible study groups, and prayer meetings at the church and partner locations. It also provides language-specific ministries (Italian and Mandarin), an annual City Summer School, and the Foundations course for those exploring Christianity, supported by the Bible Matters mobile app.

Product overview

St Helen's Bishopsgate offers a portfolio of Christian ministry programs for City workers, centered around lunchtime talks and Bible study groups. The core offerings include in-person and livestreamed lunchtime talks (Tuesdays and Thursdays), City Bible Study Groups (Partnership Groups and RML Groups), Prayer Groups, a Foundations Course for investigating Christian faith, and the annual City Summer School. Language-specific ministries serve Italian and Mandarin-speaking workers. The Bible Matters mobile app provides on-the-go access to resources.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Lunchtime Talks at St Helen's
• City Bible Study Groups
• City Summer School
• Foundations Course
• Prayer Groups
• Italian City Workers Bible Study
• Mandarin City Ministry (IGG)
• Bible Matters App
• May Talks Series (God, how can I know...)

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Gospel at WorkcoreGTM or Marketing PartnerGospel at Work runs public lunchtime talks, small groups, prayer meetings, and one-to-one Bible explorations across Central London. They support the church's mission to reach city workers with the gospel, and the church directs workers more than 10 minutes away to find nearer talks via Gospel at Work. This is a reciprocal partnership extending gospel outreach throughout the City.
• St Andrew's UndershaftminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerWednesday evening RML groups and Italian language Bible study group meet at St Andrew's Undershaft church. Dinner is served at 6:15pm and studies start at 7pm. This is a venue partnership for Bible study and community gatherings.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• London Institute for Contemporary Christianity (LICC): UK charity equipping Christians to live out their faith in the workplace, with particular focus on London professionals. Directly aligned with St Helen's mission of supporting city workers in gospel witness at work.
• Holy Trinity Brompton (HTB): Major evangelical Anglican church in London known for the Alpha course and extensive central-London ministry. Operates multiple services and weekday programmes overlapping with St Helen's church-based ministry model.
• London City Mission: Long-established London Christian outreach charity sharing the gospel across the capital through evangelists and church partnerships. Comparable as a London-focused evangelistic organisation though broader in scope than a single church.
• St Martin-in-the-Fields: Historic Church of England church in central London (Trafalgar Square) with active weekday programmes, public talks, and outreach to city workers and visitors. Comparable as a London CofE church serving a professional audience.
• All Souls Langham Place: Central London evangelical Church of England congregation with a similar professional, intellectual audience and weekday teaching programmes. Closely comparable in denomination, theology, and city-worker demographic.

Others

• The Good Book Company: Christian publisher producing Bible study resources used by churches including St Helen's for courses and small groups. Acts as a content supplier to comparable ministries rather than a direct competitor.
• Alpha International: Global evangelistic course originated at Holy Trinity Brompton, widely used by churches including those serving workplace audiences. Functions as an enabling resource for introductory Christianity courses rather than a direct competitor.

Broad incumbents

• Ridley Hall, Cambridge: Anglican theological college training clergy and ministry leaders, with overlapping evangelical tradition and connection to Church of England ministry pipelines. Broader incumbent in theological education rather than local church ministry.

Emerging players

• UCCF (Universities and Colleges Christian Fellowship): UK Christian charity supporting students and graduates in gospel witness, with overlap into early-career professionals who may transition into St Helen's young workers' prayer groups. Adjacent mission targeting the next stage of the same audience.
• Christianity Explored: Christian evangelistic course (similar in concept to St Helen's Foundations course) running group studies in churches across the UK and internationally. Overlaps in offering introductory Christianity exploration courses.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/sthelenschurch
• Facebookfacebook.com/sthelensbishopsgate
• Instagraminstagram.com/sthelensbishopsgate
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/st-helen-s-bishopsgate-city-ministry

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles10 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about St Helen's Bishopsgate - City lunchtime talks