Sanctus 1 is a Christian community with an emerging church tradition that explores faith in an urban cultural context.

What do we believe?

We are an inclusive Christian community and believe that God is not defined by theology. As a Christian community, Sanctus 1 is made up of people who are either committed to, or are exploring a journey into, a relationship with God through Jesus Christ and with one another. We recognise God's indefinable presence in music, film, arts and other key areas of contemporary culture. We welcome all equally regardless of race, creed, gender, economic status, cultural background or sexual orientation.

As a community we have shared values: Welcoming, Serving, Rooted and Missional.

Our vision is of a church where...

We are missional.
We want to form relationships
We offer services that provide a different way to worship.
We would like to grow.
For more detail about what these visionary ideas involve please click here.

What is our history?

In some ways, we started as remnants of that ancient tradition of Alternative Worship from the late '80s / early '90s. We were also inspired by Dave Tomlinson's Post-Evangelical.

We held our first public act of worship at Manchester Cathedral in January 2002. We have met at the cathedral, at Sacred Trinity in Salford and at various city centre venues (usually ones that serve beer). We met at Nexus Art Cafe, below Manchester Central Hall, for several years until Dec 2024.

Nexus Art Cafe closed during Covid and did not re-open, but we have still used some of the space for meetings.  In Autumn 2024 we decided to move out of the basement that had been our home and look else where.  Please click here to find out what is happening.