Our History
The People’s Bible Church was originally the English department of Toa Payoh Bible Church, which was established by CNEC (Christian Nationals’ Evangelism Commission) in the 1960s in a shophouse at Toa Payoh East. In 1970, a local missionary was invited by CNEC to start the English work, and he gathered seven tertiary level students for Bible study and training. Through this small group, the English work of TPBC was formed. Through a strategy of active evangelism (mainly door-to-door in the Toa Payoh neighborhood) and nurturing of new believers, a group of about 20 youths were gathered to form the first English-speaking congregation of the Church (which already had a Chinese congregation).
The first 10 years saw rapid growth. By 1981, the membership stood at 250 with five different services. Because of space constraint, and also to cater to the needs of different age groups, the various services were formed: Sunday Worship Service, Youth Fellowship and Evening Worship Service. A Junior Sunday School was also formed to cater to about 100 children from the neighborhood.
In 1987 the Church moved to larger premises belonging to CNEC at Braddell Road, leaving the Junior Sunday School and a smaller group to continue at Toa Payoh. This resulted in the merger of 3 adult services. In 1983, we had our first Bible college graduate, who became the first pastor of the English congregation. Today, we have a staff consisting of a pastoral team, ministry staff, and an administrative team.
The growth of the ministry led us to look for a church building, and by the grace and providence of God, this dream was fulfilled in 1990 when we moved into our present building at Lorong Ah Soo (jointly financed with Logos Christian Church – formerly the Chinese Congregation of TPBC). With the relocation, the name of the Church was changed to The People’s Bible Church. The cell group structure was adopted in 1988 to provide the environment for growth and ministry. Today, the cell structure is more established, and the needs of individual members and families are being ministered to by the various cell groups.
Many people have come through the doors of the Church, many have been baptized and nurtured, and many have gone out to serve in other areas. Today, we have a membership of around 500, comprising both young and old. This is neither a small nor a big Church, and we are looking forward to fulfilling greater things for God as we expect great things from Him; all to His praise and glory.
From basically a youth group, the Church now comprises both young families and a growing population of seniors. As God blesses us with more people, may He also grant to us the wisdom, the spirit, and the resources to fulfill His purpose for us, both in Singapore and the regions beyond, until the Great Commission is fulfilled. Amen.
Our Mission
Through the power of the Holy Spirit, we seek to glorify God and extend His Kingdom in Singapore and regions beyond by faithfully winning the lost, passionately growing in Christ, and lovingly serving Him & one another in ministry.
Our Vision
Every Member
The Church is the Body of Christ, and each and every believer is a vital member of this Body. We believe each and every individual can and should play an important role in the growth of the Body. Our desire is to see each and every member owning the vision, and being involved in making the vision become a reality.
Passionate for Christ
Our love for Christ is the foundation and motivation of all that we desire and do for Him – both individually and together as a church. We seek to enthrone Christ as our Lord, giving Him the pre-eminence in all things. Growing in love and passion for Christ is our constant pursuit and preoccupation because everything else flows from such a relationship.
& Touching Lives
T.O.U.C.H means Transforming Others Under Christ’s Hand. When lives are touched by Christ, they will also touch (impact) other lives for Christ. Both the individual lives and the group of people touched by Christ will naturally and supernaturally become His instruments in transforming other lives under His mighty Hand. The impacting (or touching) of lives happen both on a personal basis and as a group, as love of Christ is shown through acts of love by the community of God’s people.
Our Values
Discipleship & Christlikeness | Growth & Ministry
When we think of people, what comes to our mind?
Discipleship: A disciple is one who knows and follows Jesus and thus becoming like Him in life and character, and helping others to do the same. As believers, we want to know & follow Jesus, and helping others to do the same as well. This will ultimately result in Christlikeness in our lives, which is the goal of discipleship.
Growth: This growth is not just about numbers. Numbers alone does not indicate the health of the church. What we want to see is spiritual growth. As disciples of our Lord, we must keep on growing in spiritual maturity and not remain as spiritual babes. As we grow in maturity, it should also result in our desire to want to be involved in the ministry of serving others and reaching out as well. Hence as we growth and reach out to others, increase in numbers may happen as the Lord adds to our fold. Growth and Ministry go together as well.
Truth & Grace
When we think of the Bible, we think of truth—the Bible is the Word of God, it is the Truth that has been revealed to us mankind. We value God’s truth as revealed in the Holy Scriptures. We hope our members can take the Bible seriously and be diligent workmen, being able to handle the Word of Truth. However, Truth & Grace should be properly balanced as each of us are still in this redemptive journey, being sanctified by the Holy Spirit daily. We cannot imagine a church with truth but no grace. All of us need God’s grace as we seek to live by His truth.
Unity & Humility
Finally, when we think of church, what comes to our mind is a gathering of people who are all very different. We are gifted differently and our personalities are all different. God has made all of us differently and yet we are to be united in the Body as such is His design. There is one Body and one Lord. It pleases God to put us together in this spiritual body. So no matter how different we are, we must be united because this is the Body of Christ. To be united, we must put on the humility of Christ. There can be no unity unless in humility, we submit to one another out of reverence for Christ and consider each other’s interest above our own. Hence, Unity & Humility go together as well.
Community
Finally, all the above core values cannot take place,
...unless we are in a community.
We cannot grow in Discipleship and Christlikeness
...unless we surround ourselves with fellow believers who can support, encourage, and hold us accountable in our journey of faith.
We cannot grow in Spiritual Maturity & Ministry
...unless we are connected to God and a small group community where we can grow together, be equipped and challenged for ministry.
We cannot practice God’s Truth in Grace
...without a community where we learn to live out God’s truth and forgive one another graciously when we stumbled.
We cannot have Unity without Humility
...if we cannot humble ourselves and learn to relate with a diverse community whom God has created for His glory.
So all our core values are to be lived out in a community. We want to urge all of us who have yet to have a community, to get into one, because the Bible has said that it is not good for men (and women) to be alone. We need one another in this redemptive journey.
Statements of Faith
At TPBC, our Statement of Faith serves as the cornerstone of our community. It articulates the fundamental beliefs that unite us and inspire our worship, service, and fellowship.
What this means for you.
What does this mean for you? Most importantly, you're always welcome at The People’s Bible Church. We're saving a seat for you. Wherever you're at in your faith, you'll always be welcome as part of the TPBC family as we all walk together in obedience to Christ. Beyond that, if you're ready to plan your first visit, click here.
Or if you'd simply like to get in touch with a person on our lead team directly, click the button below.
