OUR BELIEFS

The following are common Baptist Church beliefs.

The Lordship of Christ

We declare that Jesus is Lord. He is Lord over our individual lives, the life of each Church, and the life of the whole world. This video describes who Jesus was, why he came to earth and what this means for us.

The authority of the Bible

We affirm that the Bible is the Word of God because its writers were inspired by God’s Spirit. As such, it has authority to guide both what we believe and how we live our lives.

Baptism for believers

From the example of the New Testament, we recognise that baptism is for those who believe and are prepared to declare that Jesus is Lord. As a symbol of Jesus’ claim on our lives, baptism by immersion is practiced, representing a desire to die to self and to live for Christ. More about Baptism.

A believers’ church

We understand the Church to be a community of believers gathered in the name of Jesus Christ for worship, teaching, witness and service. There is no set Baptist liturgy. Prayer and praise, listening and reflecting on Scripture, and sharing Communion will always be central.

The priesthood of all believers

We believe that everyone who attends has a role to play and can use their God-given skills and talents for the good of the Church and the community. These gifts include teaching, evangelism, social action, pastoral care, prayer, healing, taking part in worship, administration and hospitality.

Church membership

Church members are called to prayerfully discern God’s will for their shared life. Final authority does not rest with the ministers, deacons or any other local, national or international body, but with the members’ meeting together under God’s guidance. Church meetings make significant appointments, including ministers, and agree financial policy and mission. More about Church Membership.

Interdependence

We do not live in isolation from other churches but rather we are inter-dependent. PBC plays an active role in Churches Together in Purley & Kenley as well as being linked to others Baptist Churches via our membership of the national Baptists Together organisation.

Sharing the faith

Baptists believe that each Christian has a duty to share their faith with others. We recognise that mission is not just evangelism, but also includes promoting justice, social welfare, healing, education and peace in the world.

A formal statement of our beliefs is in our Articles of Faith, part of our Memorandum and Articles of Association. We hold to the UK Baptists Together Declaration of Principle.

To find out more about our beliefs then please do contact Tim, one of our ministers: tim.allen@purleybaptist.org.

LEADERSHIP TEAM

The Leadership Team has spiritual and legal responsibility for the church family and oversees all aspects of PBC's work and life. This includes setting our vision and priorities for mission and the responsibility to maintain high standards of governance. Other major decisions are taken by the church membership at a church meeting.

Tim Allen	James Collins
Danny Morris	David Clarke
Jenny Giles	Linda Davies
Ben Quartey-Papafio	Helen Harris
Olumide Lala

STAFF

Here is an introduction to our pastoral and support teams.

Ministers
James Collins, Senior Minister James is deeply interested in people and, alongside his academic passion for theology, is committed to showing how Christianity speaks into everyday life. Whether through running marathons, reading widely, or enjoying a good comedy show, he values the ways faith connects with real human experience and seeks to make that connection clear in his ministry. For latest news from James and his Pastor's Blog, click here.
Tim Allen, Associate Minister Tim has certainly been bred (even if he wasn’t born) in Croydon. He is passionate about whole life discipleship and particularly working with Young Adults. He enjoys drinking well-bodied coffee, cycling and playing the guitar, although not all at the same time. You’ll often find Tim with his head in a book
Danny Morris, Assistant Minister Danny Morris is the Executive Director of International Needs UK, a Christian charity dedicated to transforming lives through local partnerships in countries such as Burkina Faso and Uganda. He is passionate about outreach and evangelism, ensuring that the church’s message and Gods love are clearly demonstrated in both word and action.
Youth & Children's Team
Michael Oggudah, Children's & Families Leader Michael is passionate about health, fitness and children’s ministry, inspired by the impact of his own teachers. He believes in nurturing faith from a young age and loves supporting families. Whether he’s teaching, training or simply listening, Michael brings heart, energy and encouragement to all he does - this is often after a daily gym session.	Grace Oggudah, Children's & Families Leader Grace is passionate about families and loves supporting women and children at PBC. She encourages faith, well-being and holistic living. Joyful and energetic, she enjoys travel, food, deep conversations, quiet moments - and a good smoothie! She’s grateful to serve in ministry with her husband.
Charlie Powell, Youth Worker Charlie is passionate about young people and enjoys looking for ways to integrate all ages into worship and serving. Charlie grew up locally in Bromley. He enjoys watching football, playing football and talking football. He is usually a happy presence, although is prone to the occasional grumpy day! He also loves to be creative within his role.	Lucia Wood, Student Youth Worker Lucia has been attending PBC since arriving from New Zealand in 2007. She hopes that through this role, she can help families find community in the church, just like her family did! Lucia's degree in Photography has come in handy for serving others. She loves all things creative, especially when she can encourage the youth to get involved too!
Support Team
Leo Cardow, Purley Cross Centre Manager	Carol Vamvadelis, PA to the Senior Minister Carol is from South Africa and hopes to have a British accent one day. She and husband Mike, were involved in ministry in SA for most of their lives before moving to the UK in 2010. She is passionate about her job at PBC. She loves spending time at coffee shops and of course time with the grandkids.
Mike Vamvadelis, Operations Manager	Emily Dixon, Operations Manager Emily is conscientious... according to her school reports. When not plate-spinning in the Church Office, she enjoys tennis, running and other sports, time outdoors plus quality time with extended family. Married to Patrick, they have one school-aged son.
Lisa Eve, Operations Assistant Lisa has been attending PBC since she found Jesus and was baptised in 2006. She enjoys lots of activities, including art, slogging up mountains in France, Italy & Switzerland, and being part of an ultra/trail running support team for her son. She retired from the NHS in 2023 and joined the plate spinning activities in the PBC Office in 2024.	Nia Oggudah, Operations Assistant Nia is a social butterfly who loves building real connections and getting to know people. Passionate about creativity, she enjoys pushing herself to the limit in everything she does. Outside of church, you’ll likely find her travelling or planning her next adventure.
Paul Lane, Caretaker Paul started his role at PBC in 2007, having previously worked in banking. He first came to the church aged 7, was baptised at 15 and has seen many changes at PBC over the years! He describes his time here as the best - I feel this is my 2nd home and I am very blessed to have the best job in the world!	Janice Walters, Finance Officer Janice treasures peaceful moments in nature, often with her camera in hand, and enjoys a bit of baking when time allows. A mum to one son, she values the slower rhythms of life and the space they create for reflection and spiritual growth. She also appreciates connecting with friends when possible and is grateful to support the church behind the scenes