Two Sunday Services, One Congregation on Buford Road
Bon Air Baptist Church sits on Buford Road in the Bon Air neighborhood of Chesterfield County, just outside Richmond, Virginia, where it has anchored a stretch of mid-century suburbia since the early 1950s. The church's motto, repeated across its worship guides and weekly newsletter, is simple: "Proclaiming the Grace of God ... Growing Followers of Christ." What makes the congregation distinctive is its reach - more than seven decades of ministry that now stretches across two campuses, an on-site food pantry, a faith-based preschool, a long-running English-language program for immigrants, and a prison ministry that sends volunteers into two state correctional centers.
Sunday is at the heart of life here, and the church offers two worship services on the same campus in the same morning - one contemporary, one traditional - so that families with different musical preferences can attend together. Both are open to visitors and streamed live online.
The Gathering at 9:30 a.m.
The 9:30 a.m. service, called The Gathering, takes place in the Commons rather than the main sanctuary. A contemporary praise band leads the music, and the service is led by Katherine Phillips, a third-generation member of Bon Air Baptist and a Bon Air native. Phillips has served on the Gathering Worship Team since 2012 and was hired as the Gathering Worship Pastor in 2016. She is also a deacon and a member of the Life Matters Bible Study class.
"Leading others to an intimate relationship with Christ through music and worship is my heartfelt passion," she has written. The Gathering draws on youth musicians and includes a strong emphasis on community engagement. Visitors can expect a less formal atmosphere with the same biblical teaching that shapes the later traditional service.
Traditional Worship at 11:00 a.m.
At 11:00 a.m., the Sanctuary Choir and Orchestra lead a traditional service in the main sanctuary. Worship Pastor Rev. Stuart Condra, who holds degrees in music, voice, and conducting from Samford University and Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, has led the music ministry at Bon Air Baptist since 2019. Condra has been a member of the Centurymen, a Grammy and Dove Award-nominated touring ensemble, for 34 years, and has led choirs on European, Asian, and South American tours over a ministry career that began in 1983.
The Sanctuary Choir is not auditioned; singers commit to Wednesday rehearsals and Sunday leadership. Two handbell choirs and an orchestra round out the music ministry. Both services are livestreamed on Facebook and YouTube, and recordings remain available afterward.
Sunday Morning Bible Study
Bible study for adults runs at the same two hours as worship, 9:30 and 11:00 a.m., so that worshipgoers can attend a class before or after their service. Children's Sunday School meets at both hours as well, and the entire family can take part in The Gospel Project, a curriculum from Lifeway that walks all age groups through the same Scripture passages each week.
A Seventy-Year Story on the Same Block
Bon Air Baptist began as an outreach of Woodland Heights Baptist Church. In the summer of 1952, Woodland Heights conducted a survey in the Bon Air area; by late August, Bon Air Baptist Chapel had organized a Vacation Bible School, started Sunday School for all ages, and begun worship services in the old Bon Air Community House.
Rev. Dr. Phillip Rodgerson became the first pastor in 1953. On his first Sunday, 25 people joined, and Sunday School enrollment stood at 35. Within a year, ground was broken for the first unit of the building on Buford Road. In August 1957, the chapel was formally organized as Bon Air Baptist Church and received into the Richmond Baptist Association. By the end of Rodgerson's 13-year pastorate, the church had grown from 25 members to roughly 900 and had baptized more than 300 believers.
Rev. Robert F. Cochran followed from 1966 to 1986, adding a south wing, a pipe organ, transepts that brought sanctuary seating to 1,100, a nursery school, bell choirs, an orchestra, and two signature ministries that still exist: the prison ministry and English as a Second Language. Cochran also led the congregation to adopt a sister church in Massachusetts.
Rev. James D. Pardue served from 1988 to 2001. Under his leadership, the church planted Woolridge Road Mission (which became Woolridge Road Baptist Church), partnered with Goshen Baptist Association, and launched ministries for internationals, multi-housing residents, and special-needs adults through the Rainbow class. Pardue also established partnerships with the Japanese School of Richmond, St. Joseph's Villa, and what is now NorthStar Community.
Rev. Dr. Travis Collins served from 2002 to 2014 and developed a multi-site strategy that at one point included seven services across four campuses. The current James River Campus in Midlothian was purchased during his tenure - 9.3 acres with a 5,000-square-foot building - and renovated as a worship location.
Rev. Dr. Tom Stocks led from 2015 to 2022 and shaped the church's current vision of "A Place to Belong ... A Place to Become," along with a focus on Emotionally Healthy Spirituality. The current lead pastor is Rev. David Miller.
Wednesday Nights at BABC
Wednesday is the church's second main gathering day. The afternoon begins with church-wide prayer from 4:15 to 5:15 p.m. in Fellowship Hall. Adult midweek Bible study classes meet at 4:30 and 6:15 p.m. The Sanctuary Choir rehearses from 6:30 to 8:00 p.m. in the choir suite. MidWeek Kids runs from 6:15 to 7:15 p.m. for children, and The Crossing, the student ministry for 6th through 12th graders, meets from 6:00 to 7:15 p.m. with dinner, missions activities, and games.
MidWeek Missions, a seasonal Wednesday program for students, runs a few times a year with a project-focused theme - recent projects have included Snack Bags for Oregon Hill, Build A Bed, and Feeding the Hungry. A weekly student newsletter keeps parents in the loop, and chaperones are recruited for off-campus events.
Bon Books & Brew and the Library
Bon Books & Brew is the church's in-house coffee shop and bookstore, mentioned on the Connect page as a place where new visitors can pick up a free cup of coffee. The adjoining library holds more than 9,000 Christian books, audiobooks, DVDs, and study materials; its catalog is searchable online, and the library is staffed by volunteers.
Bon Air Weekday: A Preschool on Campus
Sharing the Buford Road campus is Bon Air Weekday, a faith-based preschool for children ages one through pre-kindergarten. Managed by Kathy Clements, the church's Children and Families Minister, the school operates a morning program from 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. and an extended day program ending at 3:00 p.m. Each day includes group time, center play, stories, outside time, art, music, and a Bible component woven through the routine.
Licensed by the Virginia Department of Education as a Religiously Exempt Child Day Center, the preschool is inspected annually by Chesterfield County fire, state health, and social services, and every staff member passes a national fingerprint-based background check. Open enrollment for the 2026-2027 school year began in January 2026, with classes running from September 8 through May 28. A 10 percent discount applies for additional siblings. The managing director can be reached at 804-237-7914.
The ESL Ministry: Four Decades of Welcoming New Neighbors
What started in 1982 as an urgent effort to teach English to women refugees from Vietnam has grown into a ministry serving English learners from more than 20 language backgrounds. Today, ESL classes meet on Monday mornings from 9:30 to 11:30 a.m. and on Wednesday evenings from 6:00 to 7:15 p.m., following the Chesterfield County Public Schools calendar for holidays and weather closures. Classes are free, with a $15 book fee for Monday students only.
Free childcare is offered during Monday morning classes for children age five and under. On Wednesday nights, children of any age may join MidWeek Kids or the Student Ministry while parents attend class. U.S. citizenship classes are also offered. Coordinator Jerleen Jeter-Kao and Andrea Sharp oversee registration and assessments; the church can be reached at 804-237-7892.
The Food Pantry
The on-site food pantry was launched in 2020 in response to rising need during the COVID-19 pandemic and now serves an average of 70 families each week. Distribution takes place on the first and third Wednesdays from 3:00 to 4:30 p.m. through a drive-thru at Door 26, next to the playground near the Buford Road entrance. Drivers stay in their cars while volunteers load bags of non-perishable staples, paper products, and any available fresh produce.
Donations are collected on Sundays in the lobby and on the first and third Thursdays at the same drive-thru between 2:30 and 4:00 p.m. Volunteers are needed to sort and pack bags on Thursdays and to load cars on Wednesdays. A current list of needed items is published on the pantry page and typically includes canned fruit, vegetables, beans, meat, soup, rice, cereal, pasta, peanut butter, diapers, wipes, and paper products.
Prison Ministry
The prison ministry has been active for more than forty years. Volunteers lead worship services at two state prison locations - State Farm Correctional Center and Beaumont Correctional Center - and run Bible studies, both in person and by mail. Three written studies are offered free to inmates: what it means to be a Christian, basic Baptist doctrine, and a 12-step biblical recovery curriculum for addiction.
A pen-pal program allows volunteers to write one or two letters a month to an inmate; all inmate mail is addressed to the church. The ministry also runs game nights at Bon Air Juvenile Correctional Center and hosts a church-wide Christmas card signing each year for those enrolled in educational programs at the two prisons.
Missions Near and Far
Missions are organized along three tracks: local, domestic, and international. Each has a dedicated offering that supports a portfolio of strategic partners.
Locally, the Community Needs Ministry fields a hotline that helps neighbors in Chesterfield and Richmond with utility bill assistance and referrals to other agencies. Calls are taken on the first and third Mondays of each month, with follow-up on the first and third Wednesdays from 3:00 to 4:30 p.m. Other local partners include Bridging RVA (which runs the 150 Beds for 150 Kids initiative and a Christmas Day Dinner), Habitat for Humanity's Unity Build, the Huguenot High School Falcon Food Pantry and Clothes Closet, YoungLives (a mentoring program for pregnant and parenting teens), Little Hands Virginia, and an Afghan Family Resettlement effort with the International Rescue Committee. Disaster Response training is offered in partnership with the Baptist General Association of Virginia.
The Domestic Missions offering supports eight partners with a goal of $100,000 per year. Forty-five percent stays at Bon Air Baptist for its own outreach; 14 percent goes to The V3 Movement, a church-planting network; 10 percent to the Annie Armstrong Easter Offering for North American missionaries; 10 percent to the Alma Hunt offering for Virginia WMU missions; 10 percent to CARITAS, which helps men and women in recovery; 5 percent to the Kairos Initiative (BGAV collegiate ministry); 2 percent to Uptick, which invests in young adult leaders in the BGAV; and 2 percent to Eastern Shore missions.
The International Missions offering supports the International Mission Board (IMB) and BGAV indigenous missionaries around the world, with one hundred percent of gifts going directly to missionaries. The church has run trips to Nicaragua (with Food for the Hungry), the Dominican Republic, Texas (Mission Arlington), and Asheville, North Carolina.
Children's Ministry
Children's Ministry partners with parents to help kids from birth through 5th grade know who God is. Sunday School meets at 9:30 and 11:00 a.m. alongside adult classes, and MidWeek Kids meets Wednesdays from 6:15 to 7:15 p.m. with music, missions, Bible stories, and games. The annual Trunks O' Fun event in October is a community trunk-or-treat with inflatables, a petting zoo, and candy distributed from decorated car trunks in the parking lot.
Vacation Bible School, movie nights, and special-event planning teams are listed on the Serve page as ways to volunteer. The children's ministry launched The Gospel Project, a unified curriculum for preschoolers through students, so that families can discuss the same Bible passage at home each week. A Parent Class taught by Kathy Clements and Brian Varble follows the same weekly lessons.
Student Ministry
The Student Ministry serves 6th through 12th graders under the leadership of Annalise Covert, Interim Student Coordinator, and reaches students through three weekly touchpoints. Sunday mornings from 10:30 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. begin with snacks, fellowship, and fun, followed by the T3 Bible study. Sunday Night Live, a fall program of worship and small group time, runs from 5:30 to 7:00 p.m. with a family dinner. Wednesday nights from 6:00 to 7:15 p.m. feature MidWeek Missions with dinner and a monthly service project.
Off-campus events include the Fall Retreat at Camp Silver Beach in Jamesville, Virginia, the Christmas Store, and an annual student mission trip. The student ministry keeps an Instagram at @bonairstudents and publishes a parent newsletter.
Worship and Music Ministry
The Worship and Music Ministry is built on a written philosophy that calls the congregation, not the platform leaders, "the most important participant in worship." The Sanctuary Choir, two handbell choirs, and an orchestra that welcomes string, woodwind, brass, and percussion players all serve in the traditional service. Children's music, student worship, and drama programs round out the offerings, and the church takes students and children to Worship Arts Camp annually. Volunteers are needed for sound, lighting, camera, and control-booth roles.
The Centurimen, a Grammy and Dove Award-nominated touring ensemble of which Worship Pastor Stuart Condra is a 34-year member, has performed on several of the church's musical specials over the years.
Recreation
Recreation Ministry, directed by Becca Madison, reaches out to the community through sports and shared activities. The flagship program is Upward Basketball, a coed league for kindergarten through 6th grade that emphasizes character, community, and faith; the season runs from December through February, with evaluations in the fall. The church gym is also open for pickleball on Mondays and Wednesdays from noon to 3:00 p.m. Life groups include the cycling group Chain Reaction (which rides the Capital Trail), the hiking group Pathfinders, the pickleball group It's a Big Dill, and Discover RVA, which plans outings around the metro area.
Day trips for the recreation ministry have included tours of the Mariners' Museum in Newport News, the Virginia War Memorial, the Maymont Mansion, and Edgewood Apiaries, along with concerts by the Richmond Pops Band.
Discipleship and Life Groups
Discipleship shapes a wide swath of adult life at Bon Air Baptist. Sunday morning Bible study classes for adults are offered at 9:30 and 11:00 a.m., and Sunday night classes run from 6:00 to 7:30 p.m. Wednesday night midweek classes meet at 4:30 and 6:15 p.m. A library of media resources supports at-home study.
Life groups cover bird watching (The Flock), hiking (Pathfinders), cycling (Chain Reaction), pickleball (It's a Big Dill), gardening (Dig In), sewing for missions (Missions Sewing), young adults ages 18 to 35, the PrimeTimers 55+ ministry (which meets the first Tuesday of each month at 10:30 a.m. in the Commons for a speaker and lunch), men's ministry (Men's Forge, with breakfasts, cookouts, and a separate website), and women's Bible study (a Monday morning group meeting in Rooms 348-350, with childcare available). Discover RVA plans local events and outings for fellowship across the metro area.
Becoming a Member
Membership at Bon Air Baptist follows a four-part circle: accepting Jesus as Lord and Savior, completing a decision form, being baptized by immersion (either at Bon Air Baptist or through a previous church), and attending the ALL IN class. The ALL IN class is a one-hour session held on the second Sunday of January, March, May, July, September, and November at 9:30 a.m., covering the church's mission, vision, culture, core values, and ways to plug in.
Baptism is offered during Sunday services, privately during the week, and twice a year at an outdoor river baptism event. The church practices believer's baptism by immersion.
What the Church Believes
Bon Air Baptist describes itself as a Christ-centered community committed to loving God, loving people, and making disciples of Jesus, rooted in Scripture and empowered by the Holy Spirit. The church affirms classic Baptist distinctives: the Bible as the sole authority for faith and practice, the autonomy of the local church under Christ as head, and the priesthood of every believer. The congregation affirms the 1963 Baptist Faith and Message, adopted by the Southern Baptist Convention. Affiliation runs through the Baptist General Association of Virginia, and the church partners with the International Mission Board and the Annie Armstrong Easter Offering for missions.
Tithing is practiced as the biblical standard for giving. Baptism is taught as the outward expression of an inward change, performed by immersion in the presence of the congregation. Discipleship is framed as a lifelong process of believing in Jesus, becoming more like Him, and teaching others to do the same.
Two Campuses, One Mission
The Buford Road Campus at 2531 Buford Road in Richmond is the main location and houses worship, Sunday School, the preschool, the food pantry, ESL classes, the library, Bon Books & Brew, the gym, the Sanctuary Choir suite, and the offices of most pastors and directors. Sunday worship is at 9:30 and 11:00 a.m.
The James River Campus at 2440 Hancroft Drive in Midlothian offers a single Sunday worship service at 10:00 a.m. and shares the same preaching calendar, doctrinal commitments, and vision as the main campus. It maintains its own Facebook page and Instagram feed.
Serving, Giving, and Staying Connected
Visitors who want to plug in can complete a Connect Card, stop by the Welcome area for a free gift, and grab coffee at Bon Books & Brew. The church's weekly e-newsletter is emailed every Thursday at 4:30 p.m. and is the primary way to hear about classes, events, and service opportunities.
Serve opportunities span children's ministry, student ministry, adult discipleship, missions, guest experience, worship, media, and communications. The church accepts online giving through Shelby Giving and Pushpay; contributions to the Endowment Fund, a separately invested fund managed by an elected team, can be made by check with "Endowment Fund" in the memo line. Memorials and a columbarium extend the church's ministry beyond a single lifetime, and the Facilities/Resource Request page is the place to reserve space for weddings and other events.
The church office is reachable Monday through Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. at 804-272-1475, and the Pastoral Care line and Talk to a Pastor form are open to anyone in the community who needs to talk.