Meet the Leaders

Leaders at Grace Church

The Eldership Team are responsible for the leadership, oversight and pastoral shepherding of the church. We believe in the plurality of Elders, with the responsibility shared in a small team and with one leader leading that team known as the Lead Elder.

David McNee came to serve as the leader of Grace Church in spring 2024. Previously he was an elder at Life Church in Southampton and prior to joining the staff team there was in student ministry with UCCF. He’s married to Miriam who is a primary school teacher and they have two young children.

Elders

David started his career as a Civil Engineer and was Head of Water Engineering for a large international consultancy. In 2001 David joined the leadership team at Welcome Church in Woking before joining us at Grace Church in January 2020. David has many year's experience in church leadership and specializes in Pastoral Care and Social Action. He is married to Tina who is a Head Teacher in a school for those with complex learning difficulties. They have been married for over 34 years and have two adult daughters and one grandson. They both love the outdoors and as an ex-rugby player, David loves a game of rugby, sadly from an armchair these days!

Simon has been part of Grace Church since 2009. He is married to Claire, and they have three children. He moved with his family from west London to take up a job at the hospital. He leads worship and enjoys squash, cycling, music, and good food. Claire is a local GP. Together they lead one of our Life Groups.

Senior Leaders

The Elders have invited two men to sit in on some of our Eldership Meetings as they grow in areas of responsibility. These men are David Hazelton and Boni Hima.

David is married to Laura, and they have three young boys. They have been members of Grace Church since 2012. David’s passion is evangelism – He loves Jesus, loves telling people about Him and helping others to do the same. David leads our Alpha Course, but he is always trying new ideas and endeavours to get the Church evangelising. David works as a full-time civil servant leading a team of data scientists – he promises it’s more interesting than it sounds! His idea of a perfect day is getting lost in the woods with his family or spent in a pub with friends discussing science and Jesus.

Boni is married to Sia, and they have two sons (Ben and Barack). They have been part of Grace Church for over 10 years. Boni is an Engineering Doctorate, and he works at Thales UK as an Engineer. His passion is to see people walking with God and reaching their full potential in life. Socially, he enjoys meeting people and getting to know them well, especially while having a BBQ together. He is also a keen cyclist, regularly cycling long rides (200 miles +).