About Us

About Us

Knockholt Evangelical Church (formerly known as London Road Evangelical Church) was established in 1968.  A small group of Christians who had been meeting locally, purchased this building from the Methodists in 1967 after it had been closed several years earlier. After much rebuilding and repairs, the church was reopened and services resumed. The church had a thriving Sunday School and Girls Brigade during the 1970s, and in the 1980s the congregation grew rapidly under the leadership of Pastor David Hall. In 1991 our current Pastor Sherwin Chase took over and the congregation continues to grow under his Spiritual leadership and with the support of the Trustees who administer the property and finances. The church is blessed with a team of deacons and many other gifted and able helpers who all contribute by running the various departments of this vibrant and fruitful church.

Spiritual Leadership

The day to day management (that is Pastoral Care and Spiritual direction) of the Church is undertaken by the Pastor (Sherwin Chase) and the Elders (Adrian Cox, Peter Distin and Dave Robson). Following his training at Spurgeons Theological College, Sherwin and his wife Alison have faithfully served KEC since 1991. Sherwin and Alison have three grown up children.

Administration

The Trustees are responsible for the maintenance, repair, insurance and other financial aspects of the church building on behalf of the Church Membership. The Trustees are Adrian Cox, David Fullagar, Sarah Ajala-Immanuel, Peter Distin, Guy Heasman and Brian Stewart.

Adrian is a Structural Engineer who manages his own company in Sevenoaks and has been a Trustee for over 20 years. Adrian and his wife Trish have two children and are actively involved in church life. Trish also runs our ‘Good Company’ mother and Toddlers group.

Before his retirement David was an accountant working with a large company in London. He has served as a Trustee and Church Accountant for over 30 years, and together with his wife Sue have attended the church since 1987.

We were blessed to have Sarah, Peter, Guy and Brian join the board in April 2022.

Affiliations

As an independent Evangelical Church, KEC is not part of a Denomination or larger Church group. However as members together with the worldwide Church which is the Body of Christ, we have many links, friendships, and connections with other churches and ministries. Each year we have many visiting speakers who represent church assemblies across the UK, and we occasionally have some who have internationally recognised ministries. We support mission work in a wide range of settings from homeless people in our local towns to Evangelism at home and abroad, plus church planting and mission work in India, the Balkans, Honduras, Kenya and other parts of the world.

What we believe

The name Evangelical originates from a Greek word meaning ‘Good News’ or ‘Gospel’. It refers to a church which believes in and is founded on the Good News that Jesus and His Apostles preached in the Bible. In brief this is Gods forgiveness for everyone who  acknowledges and turns from their sins believing that Jesus took the punishment for their sins on Himself when He died on the cross. ‘Conversion’ is the word normally used to describe the change in our life when we choose to follow Jesus teaching and example and make Him our Lord. The Holy Spirit is given by God to each person who believes in Jesus, and is the mark that they have become a child of God. It is the Holy Spirit that gives us a love for others and a desire to live a godly life. We are committed to the truths of Biblical Christianity as maintained among Evangelical Christians following the Reformation. Below is a summary of what we believe taken from our statement of faith.

  1. The full inspiration of the Holy Scriptures; their authority and sufficiency as not only containing, but being themselves, the Word of God.
  2. The unity of the Godhead and the divine co-equality of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit; the Sovereignty of God in the Creation, Providence and Redemption.
  3. The total depravity of human nature in consequence of the fall and the necessity for regeneration.
  4. The true and proper deity of our Lord Jesus Christ; His virgin birth; His real and perfect manhood, the authority of His teaching, and the infallibility of all His utterances; His work of atonement for sinners of mankind by His sufferings and death, His bodily resurrection and His ascension into Heaven; and His present priestly intercession for His people at the right hand of the Father.
  5. The justification of the sinner solely by faith through the atoning merits of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.
  6. The necessity of the work of the Holy Spirit in regeneration, conversion and sanctification; also in ministry and worship.
  7. The ordinances of Baptism by immersion of the believer and the Lord’s Supper as being instituted by our Lord Jesus Christ .
  8. The personal return of the Lord Jesus Christ in glory.
  9. The resurrection of the body; the judgement of the world by our Lord Jesus Christ with the eternal blessedness of the righteous and the eternal punishment of the wicked.
  10. The restoration of the nation of Israel back to their historic homeland, and the prophetic fulfillment of Gods promises concerning the Jewish nation.