Who We Are 

We aim to be community with God, community in the church, and the church in the community

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About Saffron Walden Community Church

Saffron Walden Community Church is an independent Christian congregation located in the heart of Saffron Walden. Our aim is to make Jesus central to our lives and our relationships and to provide an open and welcoming community where anyone can explore what it means to be a Christian.

A Christian is simply one who follows Jesus of Nazareth, who through the indwelling of the Holy Spirit is seeking to develop their relationship with God and is being transformed to be more like Jesus.

We believe that in his love for us, Jesus died in our place, was resurrected, and ascended back to heaven. Through this we have forgiveness, a new start and are reconciled to God. We receive a new and eternal life in relationship with God, starting now and continuing forever.  Being reconciled to God, we can come to know him in this life, together with our fellow believers.

We meet on Sunday mornings at 10.30am at our Castle Street site and also have a satellite service running at the Hub in Jubilee Gardens, where there is a more informal, café-style approach.
Both services include times of worship, prayer, reflection and listen to the same talk. Sometimes we hold joint services at Castle Street instead of running our Hub Service, so check out our calendar for more info.

As Saffron Walden Community Church, we describe ourselves like this:

We are an independent church

We are an independent church, members locally of Churches Together in Saffron Walden, and nationally of the Evangelical Alliance.

Our Faith in Christ

As Christians our faith is centred on the person of our Lord Jesus Christ; God incarnate who lived amongst us identifying himself with us, who died for our sins and rose from the dead to give us new life. Through this, he brings us back to God.

The Divine Inspiration of Scripture

We believe in the divine inspiration and supreme authority of the Old and New Testament Scriptures, which are the written Word of God — fully trustworthy for faith and conduct.

Community in Christ

Within this, our own particular emphasis is on church as Community:- Community with God, Community with one another, and reaching out to the Community around us in Saffron Walden and further afield sharing Jesus in word and action.

The Love of Jesus

We believe that in his love for us, Jesus died in our place, was resurrected, and ascended back to heaven. Through this we have forgiveness, a new start and are reconciled to God. We receive a new and eternal life in relationship with God, starting now and continuing forever. Being reconciled to God, we can come to know him in this life, together with our fellow believers.

Core Values

1. Clear and relevant teaching and application of the word of God – 2 Tim. 3:16-17

2. Submitting to Christ and following Him – Matt. 16:24

3. Worshipping God in our church, in our community and our personal lives – Ps. 100, Rom. 12:1-2

4. In love, valuing each other above ourselves and not insisting on our own interest – Rom. 12:10

5. Discipling people of every age and ability, equipping them for service, identifying their gifts, and giving the opportunity to use them for the glory of God – Matt. 28:18-20

6. Extending God’s kingdom by serving the community and intentio

Jonathan Burton

Pastor (full time/employed)

Jonathan has been pastor of this church since 2006. He worked as a senior IT manager before hearing God’s call to the pastorate, and trained for the ministry at Spurgeon’s college.

“Pastoring a church, listening to God and following his lead, seeing God at work in us and through us, is an exciting, fulfilling and rewarding role. It is fundamental that this is done together with others, not as an isolated individual. I feel very supported by my colleagues in leadership and the wider congregation. They are my friends working alongside me and building one another up.”

Rachel Sabates

Pastor (part-time/employed)

Rachel is employed in a part-time role at the church, working alongside Jonathan in all areas of ministry. Rachel is also employed by the Institute of Development Studies at the University of Sussex. In this capacity, she works as a senior Research Fellow and leads large humanitarian and development projects across a number of countries.

“God’s calling on my life is to work for and alongside people, particularly the most poor and marginalised, addressing both their physical and spiritual needs. My two jobs enable me to work in both these areas of need. I am passionate about small group and one-on-one discipling of Christians and I am committed to learning how better to hear and follow God’s direction for my life and for the Church.”

Mark Paddon

Pastor (full time/employed)

Mark joined SWCC in September 2025 as a full-time Pastor, working alongside Jonathan and Rachel with particular responsibility for youth, worship, mission and Hub development.

Since age 13, Mark has felt called to full-time service. His journey included working as a baker and then as a Civil Engineer before stepping into ministry in 1999, serving as a Youth Worker, Assistant Minister, and Pastor in South Manchester.

“I’m passionate about discipling young people, evangelism, worship and listening to God. Ministry isn’t about building my own kingdom, it’s recognising where God is already at work and joining Him there. I’m committed to serving as a co-worker in the unique vision God has given SWCC, particularly through expanding community Hub gatherings across Saffron Walden.”

Katie Boyce

Church Administrator (part-time / employed)

Katie fulfils many of the administrative tasks in support of the pastor, ministry leader, leadership team and trustees. She also proactively looks for opportunities to improve the church processes. Katie is the youth work coordinator and incorporates some of the work within her employed role too.

Jonathan Burton

Pastor

Rachel Sabates-Wheeler

Pastor

Richard Boyce

Siobhan Rouse

Matt Pargeter

Jaco Van Eeden

Mark Paddon

The Leadership Team of SWCC

TALK TO US

Pastoral Support

Everyone in the church is encouraged to join a Home Group and/or a Growth Group, as they are our primary point of pastoral care. If you are not in a Home Group and are in need of Pastoral Support then please get in touch with Joy Burton, the Pastoral Team Leader, or one of the Leadership Team.

If you are new to the church and would like to find out a bit more and chat over a coffee, please get in touch and we can arrange for you to meet with one of the Pastoral Team.
The Leadership Team are also available to visit those new to our Church community.

Get in Touch

Joy Burton

Pastoral Team Leader