Identity & purpose
St James is a vibrant international English-speaking Anglican church serving the Leiden area, offering a spiritual home to people of all ages and from all over the world. We are rooted in the generous orthodoxy of the Anglican tradition, but people from many other Christian denominations have also found their spiritual home with us.
St James began as a ‘church-plant’ from the Church of St John and St. Philip in The Hague when the British School in The Netherlands (BSN) opened its new senior school in Voorschoten in April 1979. In January 1996, it became an independent church.
St James exists to worship God and to share the good news of Jesus Christ. We are intentional about growing in spiritual maturity and reaching out to others in mission. Reflecting the words of the apostle James (2:17), we aim to embody faith and action working together. Our desire is to be a loving, welcoming and diverse community that is faithful to the word of God, empowered by his Holy Spirit, and relevant to contemporary society.
As part of our 40th Anniversary celebrations, we have produced a Jubilee Journal, which you can read here:
40th Anniversary Jubilee Journal. You may also want to read our 25th Anniversary Jubilee Journal (from 2004).
St James began as a ‘church-plant’ from the Church of St John and St. Philip in The Hague when the British School in The Netherlands (BSN) opened its new senior school in Voorschoten in April 1979. In January 1996, it became an independent church.
St James exists to worship God and to share the good news of Jesus Christ. We are intentional about growing in spiritual maturity and reaching out to others in mission. Reflecting the words of the apostle James (2:17), we aim to embody faith and action working together. Our desire is to be a loving, welcoming and diverse community that is faithful to the word of God, empowered by his Holy Spirit, and relevant to contemporary society.
As part of our 40th Anniversary celebrations, we have produced a Jubilee Journal, which you can read here:
40th Anniversary Jubilee Journal. You may also want to read our 25th Anniversary Jubilee Journal (from 2004).
We belong to the Diocese in Europe in the Church of England, and our patron is the Intercontinental Church Society.
