Richard Baxter's Kidderminster

Richard Baxter was the lecturer and then the minister of St. Mary's at Kidderminster beginning in 1641. It was said of the residents of Kidderminster that they were 'reckless, ungodly, and hoped to remain that way.' There are numerous parallels between Kidderminster of the seventeenth century and Los Angeles of today.

Although Richard Baxter held to the error of Amyraldism, he was described as a prince among English puritans. The Lord caused the church at Kidderminster to prosper wonderfully during those years from a small congregation with only one professing family to a church of several hundred professing communicants. Contemporary witnesses spoke of the city as having become a colony of Heaven under the ministry of Richard Baxter.

This lecture is a hopeful account of the Lord's dealings with a flawed church and a flawed minister. Application is drawn for the local church in Los Angeles, California. The Lord who builds His church will continue to prosper His people through faithful ministry.

This lecture was the focal point of our recent Church Ministry Day gathering.