Who is Knaphill Baptist Church?

The Family of the Church

Knaphill Baptist Church can be described as a small, but growing church and our membership comes from all walks of life, and all ages. We share one common bond, the fact that together we make our church.

We know how hard that first visit to a new place can be, for the seasoned Christian looking for somewhere new to worship it’s not easy, but for the first time visitor taking those early steps it can seem monumental. Our prayer is that you will find us open and accepting, no matter who you are or where you have come from.

As a Baptist church we are part of the local association of Baptist Churches, the South Eastern Baptist Association, a member of the Baptist Union of Great Britain and we work closely with the Anglican, Methodist and Catholic churches in the village.

Our Minister

Pieter Lalleman

Pieter Lalleman has been the church’s minister since February 2021. Before then he was a tutor at Spurgeon’s College in London, teaching biblical studies. Pieter [pronounced Peter] has been an ordained Baptist minister since 1993. His hobbies are teaching, classical music, modern public transport, history and Sudoku.

Community Pastor

Hetty Lalleman

Hetty is the part-time community pastor of the church. Whilst living in London, she developed many warm relationships in the local area and she is working on the same in Knaphill. Hetty holds a PhD in theology and her specialism is the Old Testament, which she taught for almost 40 years. 

Deacons

Along with the minister, deacons take the primary responsibility for day to day management of the church, spiritually, financially and practically. In Knaphill, they’re closer to the role introduced in Acts 6 where “Stephen, a man full of faith and of the Holy Spirit; also Philip, Procorus, Nicanor, Timon, Parmenas, and Nicolas from Antioch” were selected to look after the practical matters of the fledgling church. They are elected from the members of the church to serve for three years, two are further elected to serve in the key roles of Secretary / administrator and of Treasurer.

Sohan has responsibility for communications, and relishes the challenges that come from trying to run his own business on Christian Principles. Sohan is our Church Secretary.

Eric has been treasurer for more years than he cares to remember, and has been in the church since moving to Knaphill in 1989 with his wife, Ruth; his son Stephen is rapidly taking after his Dad with piano, computers and money.

Susan leads youth outreach for the diaconate, including running the Junior church group (JIGSAW) each Sunday. Sue also leads bible studies from her home. In her spare time Susan is an expert crafter, never more happy than with a crochet needle in hand while watching Star Trek.