On a stretch of Richmond Highway (also known as Jefferson Davis Highway) that cuts through Stafford Courthouse, Stafford Baptist Church has been gathering the same small congregation of believers for nearly half a century. What began as four people meeting in a rented room behind a hotel in 1976 has grown into a Southern Baptist body that still meets in the same building it occupied on Easter Sunday 1980. Members of Stafford Baptist describe themselves as "a community of sinners, justified by grace through faith in the shed blood of Jesus," and they have built a life together around expository preaching through books of the Bible, weekly small groups in homes, and a steady cadence of mission work that has sent people to Dumfries, King George, and as far away as Iceland.
Sunday Morning at 2202 Richmond Highway
Visitors who come to 2202 Richmond Highway on a Sunday will find two gatherings, one stacked on the other. At 9:30 a.m. the adults gather for Sunday school. At the same hour, three children's classes run in rooms off the main entrance: the Explorers (babies through preschool) in room 1113, the Adventurers (kindergarten through 2nd grade) in rooms 1106-1107, and the Pioneers (3rd through 5th grade) in room 2101. The adult class meets in the North Room; newcomers enter through the main doors and turn left.
At 10:30 a.m. the whole church assembles in the main sanctuary for the Corporate Worship Service, which is described by the church as "the only formal gathering commanded by God in the Bible" (citing Hebrews 10:24-25). The service typically runs until about noon. Children are welcome to remain with their families throughout, and kid-note pages are available as you arrive so that younger worshipers can follow the sermon. For parents who prefer, free childcare is offered from birth through pre-K down the stairs to the right of the main entrance, in the church's childcare wing. All nursery workers have been background checked and trained, and the church uses the Church Center app for check-in and check-out.
What happens during that corporate hour is intentionally simple. Members pray because they are dependent on God, sing because God is worthy of praise, read and preach the Bible because Scripture gives life, proclaim the gospel because it is the only message of salvation, and focus on Jesus because He is the only hope for the world. "We hope and pray that our services are simple, easy to follow and God-glorifying," the church writes.
Songs That Preach
Music at Stafford Baptist is built around corporate singing, which the church considers "a significant part of our gatherings." The singing is "both a joyful response to God's abundant goodness and mercy, and a conscious affirmation of belief in His Word," and it is "intentionally geared toward preparing our hearts to hear the teaching of God's Word each week."
The repertoire is a deliberate blend: traditional hymns, contemporary and original music, and older familiar hymn lyrics set to contemporary melodies. Because the church teaches that "the church learns much of its theology from singing," the songs lean "Gospel-rich" and are chosen to stand the test of time. Each week's song list is published in advance so that members and visitors can listen ahead and come ready to join in.
Preaching Through Books of the Bible
Teaching at Stafford Baptist is consecutive, expository, and rooted in the conviction that "the Holy Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments were given by inspiration of God" and are "authoritative, infallible, and inerrant." Senior Pastor Kelton Zacharias and Associate Pastor Paul Abdallah regularly work through entire books of the Bible over many weeks, and the congregation has walked verse-by-verse through Acts ("You Will Be My Witnesses"), Zechariah ("Return To Me"), Proverbs ("Wisdom from Above"), Hosea ("Relentless Love"), Romans 12 ("Christian Life 101"), Psalms, Haggai, 1 Timothy, 1 John, Colossians, and Esther ("God's Surprising Salvation"), among others.
Sermons are recorded and made available on a YouTube playlist, on the iTunes podcast, and on the Disciple SBC podcast, so that members who travel or are sick can keep up with the series. The archive stretches back more than a decade, and the full list of series is searchable by preacher, by topic, or by date.
Sunday School for Every Age
Sunday school is treated as a serious part of discipleship, not an add-on. The church explains the rationale this way: "While the main diet of any believer should be the consecutive working through of a bible book, there is value in some topical studies built for various ages." Adult classes rotate through subjects like Bible overviews, theological triage, the Psalms, missions, marriage, men and women's studies, and book-by-book surveys. Recent offerings have included a Ladies' Class on "Seeing the Savior in the Psalms," a Men's Class on "Using Authority Well," and a Family Class on "The Beginning" working through Genesis.
Children follow structured curricula from Truth 78. The Adventurers (K-2) are working through "Jesus, What A Savior" on a three-year scope and sequence. The Pioneers (3rd-5th) are working through "In the Beginning, Jesus." The youth class (6th-12th grade) is learning inductive Bible study, with the explicit aim not only to teach doctrine but to teach teenagers "how to read the Bible for themselves." Every volunteer and teacher in these classes is a church member who has been background checked and trained in child-safety requirements.
Wednesday Nights and the Slow Work of a Bible Book
Every Wednesday from 7 to 8 p.m. the church meets in the North Room to "work slowly through a passage or book of the Bible." The pace is deliberate, and classes are led by the pastors. Recordings of past studies are available online so newcomers can see what the rhythm of the Wednesday study looks like.
Small Groups in Living Rooms
Beyond the public gatherings, small groups are described as "a key aspect of our church community." They usually meet weekly in the home of a group member, and the church has identified three priorities for them: the study and application of God's Word, the fostering of fellowship and discipling relationships, and prayer that lifts up praise, confession, thanksgiving, and requests. Groups are open for sign-up through the Church Center, and the church believes that what is "organized" should eventually lead to what is "organic" - meaning that the relationships built in a formal small group are meant to spill into the rest of life.
Ladies' Tea and Truth
The women's ministry has a regular rhythm of its own. Six times a year, on the second Saturday of every even-numbered month (February, April, June, August, October, December), women of the church gather at 9 a.m. for a meeting the church calls Ladies' Tea & Truth. The morning begins with breakfast and fellowship, then moves into worshipful singing, biblical teaching, and table discussions led by a group leader. The 2026 series, called "Wholly Devoted," walks through Tim Keller's "Counterfeit Gods," studying passages that show people pursuing idols. The 2025 series focused on the attributes of God. Recordings of past sessions are published so women who miss a gathering can listen again.
Beyond Tea & Truth, many of the women at Stafford Baptist meet in smaller, informal Bible studies and book studies throughout the year. Visitors on a Sunday can be connected with one of those groups.
Men's Ministry: Gospel, Scripture, Community
The men's ministry is built on three aims: to grasp the gospel together, to study Scripture, and to continue in community. In practice that looks like two every-other-week men's Bible studies (one on Friday mornings, one on Tuesday evenings), a monthly coffee, and a gathering on the second Saturday of every odd-numbered month (January, March, May, July, September, November) at 8 a.m. The Saturday gatherings are built around doing things "fun together" so that the relationships formed can carry weight when life gets hard. Once a year the men also hold an off-site retreat to be "stirred up together to continue to send, support, and be sent on mission to the world."
Children and Youth
Children's ministry at Stafford Baptist covers infants through fifth grade and exists to partner with parents in the discipleship of their children. The church holds that "parents have the first and primary responsibilities to diligently teach their children of the Christian faith," and the organized programming on Sunday mornings is meant to support, not replace, that calling.
For youth in 6th through 12th grade, the church encourages its members to send their teens to Pillar Church of Stafford's youth group, which meets on Wednesday nights from 7 to 8:30 p.m. Pillar is one of the churches Stafford Baptist helped plant, and the partnership is intentional: SBC gathers youth in Sunday school for inductive Bible study, while Pillar hosts the larger midweek gathering. Parents with questions about either can reach out to Associate Pastor Paul Abdallah.
A Child Protection Policy is on file, all volunteers are background checked, and the church points families to additional resources including the New City Catechism and a Sovereign Grace Kids Music Spotify playlist.
Music at Stafford Baptist
Music is led from the platform each Sunday as an act of worship rather than performance. The church quotes Psalm 5:11 to frame the work: "But let all who take refuge in you rejoice; let them ever sing for joy, and spread your protection over them, that those who love your name may exult in you." The music ministry aims to feed the church "a healthy diet of Gospel-rich songs that have stood and/or will stand the test of time."
Care and Benevolence
Care at Stafford Baptist is built on four principles: Gospel-Centrality, Gospel-Community, Gospel-Transformation, and Gospel-Reality. The church believes "the gospel offers hope for all" and is committed to doing good "physically, emotionally, financially and most importantly spiritually" to those inside the church and in the wider community. Members in need of any kind of practical help can fill out a Community Care Form, and the deacons and elders follow up. The church also publishes written position statements on Divorce, Missions, and Childcare that spell out how the elders think through these matters.
A Sending Church: From Dumfries to Iceland
One of the most distinctive things about Stafford Baptist is the way it has sent its own people out to start new ones. In 2004, Naethan Hendrix was brought on staff, and shortly after he helped plant Pillar Church in Dumfries, Virginia, and Pillar Church Quantico - both of which are still listed as partner congregations. When Hendrix was called in 2011 to become Stafford Baptist's own pastor, the church grew into a season that included participation in the Praetorian Project and the planting of Redeemer Church in King George. During that same season the church moved to a plurality of elders, a structural change the church describes as "a refining time."
Even more striking is the Iceland story. Beginning in 2005, the church began to feel a desire to plant a native-language Baptist church in Iceland. In 2008 they sent their youth pastor Colby Garman and his family to scout the work. When the Garmans returned, the church did something unusual: in 2010 it sent its own pastor, Bill Jessup, and his family to continue the effort. Out of that season came Loftstofan Baptistkirkja, a Baptist church in Reykjavik that remains a partner ministry of Stafford Baptist today.
The church still describes itself as "a sending church" and aspires "to consistently plan short-term mission trips to visit and equip partners, both locally and internationally." Members are encouraged to support missionaries financially and to consider going themselves. A six-week Sunday-school series on "Missions" walks through how SBC seeks to support missionaries and what kind of mission work the church prioritizes.
From Four People in a Rented Room to Easter 1980
The story of Stafford Baptist begins on April 15, 1976, when four people met in a rented building behind the old Aquia Hotel as a mission of Falmouth Baptist Church. They gathered for the first time on a Sunday morning on May 2, 1976, and on March 4, 1979, they covenanted together as Stafford Baptist Church with 59 members.
In August 1978 the congregation had already called its first full-time pastor, the Reverend H. Allen Redd. In March 1980 the cornerstone of the building in which the church still meets today was laid. On Easter Sunday, April 6, 1980, 105 members walked across that cornerstone for the first service in the new building.
In 1984 the church began construction on a second building, the current main gathering space, completed in 1987. Between 1985 and 2000 the church added a third and fourth section, including an education wing and a large gym. Membership at one point reached 275 active participants.
In 1995, under the leadership of Pastor Joe Owings, the congregation voted to disassociate from the Fredericksburg Baptist Association and to affiliate with the Southern Baptist Conservatives of Virginia (SBCV). The church is still affiliated at both the state level (SBCV) and the national level (the Southern Baptist Convention).
The 2000s brought Pastor Bill Jessup, the planting of Pillar Church in Dumfries and Quantico, and the Iceland mission. The 2010s brought Pastor Naethan Hendrix, the Praetorian Project partnership, the planting of Redeemer Church in King George, and the shift to a plurality of elders. On January 12, 2020, the church called Kelton Zacharias to be its next lead pastor.
The Confession of Faith
Stafford Baptist operates with a written Confession of Faith that walks through 22 doctrines, beginning with the Holy Scriptures and ending with the Consummation. The church affirms the historic Christian creeds, the Trinity, the authority and inerrancy of Scripture, the doctrines of grace (including total depravity, unconditional election, and the perseverance of the saints), the substitutionary atonement of Christ, and the believer's baptism by immersion. Two ordinances are practiced: baptism, which is reserved for professing believers and is a prerequisite for membership and the Lord's Supper, and the Lord's Supper, observed as a memorial of Christ's death and an anticipation of His return.
The confession also includes a statement on marriage and family that defines marriage as the covenant union of one man and one woman, and a statement on liberty of conscience that distinguishes the authority of the church from the authority of the state. The full confession is available to anyone who asks.
The Shepherds, Servants, and Staff
Stafford Baptist is governed by a plurality of elders. The current shepherds are Kelton Zacharias (also Senior Pastor), Paul Abdallah (also Associate Pastor), Moses Abdallah, and Elliott Sperlazza. Tangie Zellmer serves as Deacon of Children's Ministry. Oscar Martinez has served as Facilities Manager since March 2024.
Kelton Zacharias grew up in Connecticut, came to the Washington, D.C. area in 2005 to attend George Washington University, and came to faith through a college Bible study. He is a graduate of Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary and before coming to Stafford served six years on the staff of Del Ray Baptist Church. He was installed as an elder in March 2020 and called as lead pastor in January of the same year. He and his wife Rebekah have three children.
Paul Abdallah came to faith in middle school while attending SBC, graduated from Liberty University with a degree in Theology and Apologetics in 2015, and has been on staff at the church. He was installed as an elder in January 2021. He and his wife Tori have three children.
Elders and deacons can be reached by group email (elders@staffordbaptistchurch.org and deacons@staffordbaptistchurch.org), and the staff can be reached through the office at office@staffordbaptistchurch.org. Office hours run from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Tuesday through Thursday.
Becoming a Member
Church membership is taken seriously at this congregation. Members enter into a covenant with one another that includes commitments to walk together in Christian love, to support the ministry financially, to disciple their children in the Christian faith, to watch over one another in brotherly love, and to seek reconciliation quickly when offenses arise. Prospective members begin with instruction in membership courses scheduled on an as-needed basis, then complete a membership application. A short video explaining what membership means at SBC is available to anyone who is curious before they commit.
Giving and the Church Center App
The church teaches that "regular generous giving is the responsibility of every member of our church who is able," and that giving is itself "an act of worship." Members can give online through the Church Center platform, set up recurring gifts, or give by cash or check during Sunday services. Checks should be made out to Stafford Baptist Church and may be mailed to the church office. The Church Center app, available on iOS and Android, also keeps a record of giving and allows members to update their family information and view their small-group connections.
What to Wear, How to Find the Building
On attire, the church is informal. "You'll find people wearing a variety of clothes from shorts and t-shirts, to jeans and a polo to dresses and suits," the church explains. "There is no 'dress requirement' in that sense. We believe the Lord cares more about the heart condition than the attire you're wearing." The building sits on Richmond Highway (Jefferson Davis Highway) in Stafford Courthouse, with directions available through Google Maps and the Church Center. Sunday morning is the best time to come and see what the church is like; visitors who would like someone to look out for them can fill out a digital Connect Card in advance.
A Word About Facilities
The Stafford Baptist campus has grown with the congregation over the years. Beyond the original 1980 sanctuary, the church added a second building in 1987 that now serves as the main gathering space, an education wing, and a large gym. The facilities are available for outside use under a published Facility Use Policy, with requests handled through the Church Center. The church has also adopted a Child Protection Policy that governs all programming involving minors.
On a Sunday morning in Stafford, what you will find at 2202 Richmond Highway is a Southern Baptist church that has held the same beliefs, sung the same gospel-rich songs, and preached through the same Bible for nearly fifty years - and that has sent its people, its pastors, and its resources out from that small rented room behind the Aquia Hotel to plant churches in Dumfries, in King George, and across an ocean in Reykjavik.