Our history
The ancient city of Exeter is the county seat of Devon. It was established in the first century by Emperor (then commander) Vespasian as the base for his 5,000 Roman soldiers.
Situated on the River Exe, the city is home to an impressive medieval cathedral and a number of key organisations including Devon County Council, the Royal Devon Hospital, and the Met Office. Around 40,000 people now commute into our city every day.
Exeter’s population is also growing rapidly. Currently ≈160,000 people live within a 20-minute car journey from its centre. Indeed the population is increasing twice as fast as the UK average. Moreover, from 2011-2021 there was a 21% increase in those aged 15-24 years old. This figure is partly owed to the University of Exeter – an ever-expanding academic institution ranked in the Top 10 universities in the UK (Leiden Ranking). There are currently over 30,000 students at the University of Exeter. Over 7,000 of these students are internationals who arrive from all over the world.
Exeter is also a city that has seen rapid expansion in the last few years and is thriving financially. Exeter is predicted to have one of the fastest growing economies in the country in the coming years. A number of new housing developments have cropped up all across the city. Benefitting from its large railway station and airport, Exeter is also very much considered the gateway to the south-west.
Consequently, the need for more Gospel preaching churches is pronounced. A number of Christian leaders in the UK have indicated an enormous need for more churches in the south-west that: treasure the Gospel, are committed to preaching His Word, and model a healthy Biblical ecclesiology. One local pastor in Exeter put it to us plainly: “I rejoice that you are coming to central Exeter. Exeter is a very needy, growing city and, although it has a number of Evangelical churches already, there are plenty of [lost] souls here.”
As a result, in 2024 Emmanuel Baptist Church was formed. We hope and pray that we might be a real blessing to the city of Exeter, as we hold out the wonderful hope of Jesus Christ with other churches that are faithful to the Gospel.
