Del Ray Baptist Church — Church Directory

Quick Facts

Pastor — the shepherd God holds accountable Garrett Kell (Pastor)

Founded Not published

Denomination Southern Baptist Convention (SBC of Virginia)

Service Times Sundays: multiple services (see website; typically 9:00 AM & 11:00 AM)

Men's Ministry Yes

Kids Ministry Yes

Website www.delraybaptist.org

Pastor Credentials Reformed Baptist pastor; Council member of The Gospel Coalition; known for pastoral counseling, expository preaching, and leadership in gospel-centered circles

10-Point Theological Scorecard

Christology

Is Jesus the only way? (John 14:6)

Site self-describes as 'Gospel-centered, Christ-exalting, God-glorifying' — Trinitarian orthodox; 9Marks lineage affirms Nicene Christology.

Strong

Scripture

Inerrancy affirmed? Final authority?

Site emphasizes being 'Bible-teaching' with Shepherd Statements; 9Marks/Kell lineage affirms inerrancy (Chicago Statement).

Strong

Men's Discipleship

Intentional formation for men?

Not specifically detailed on homepage — verify.

Caution

Soteriology

Faith alone? How is salvation presented?

Gospel-centered language; Kell is strong Reformed Baptist with explicit sola fide teaching.

Strong

Gender / Biblical Design

Biblical manhood and womanhood by God's design — patriarchal, complementarian, egalitarian, or affirming gender ideology?

Confirmed complementarian in practice: all 16 pastors (staff + lay) are male. Mixed-gender diaconate is 9Marks-pattern serving, not eldership.

Pastor Garrett Kell (male); plurality of male elders per 9Marks polity

Strong

Leadership Structure

Male elders/pastors? Accountability?

Verified /leadership page 2026-04-23: 5 male staff pastors (Garrett Kell, Chris Disch, Ben Hamilton, Jason Seville, Bryson Thomas) + ~11 male lay pastors (Russell Balikian, Eric Butterbaugh, Danny Falcone, Andrew Ferguson, Josh Hart, Justin Hughes, Dan Mackett, Mercury Payton, Dave Sutton, Andrew Talone, Dave Wolf). Diaconate mixed-gender (deacons + deaconesses in specialized ministry roles). Male-only elder/pastor plurality confirmed.

Strong

Preaching Style

Expository or topical/therapeutic?

Kell is known for verse-by-verse expository preaching — Shepherd Statements and sermon library evidence this.

Strong

Mission Clarity

Great Commission central?

Gospel-centered, Great Commission mission emphasized in 9Marks ecclesiology.

Strong

Cultural Alignment

DEI/CRT language? Social justice crowding out gospel?

No DEI/CRT language; Kell is conservative biblical voice.

Strong

Accountability Structure

Denominational home, elder plurality, or external network — is the pastor answerable to anyone?

SBC-affiliated, 9Marks-networked — strong confessional accountability.

Strong

Assessment

Del Ray Baptist Church under Garrett Kell is a doctrinally serious, gospel-centered SBC church in the Del Ray neighborhood of Alexandria. Kell's Gospel Coalition Council membership signals that he's in the network of serious expositors and reformed-leaning evangelicals. DRBC self-describes as 'Bible-teaching, Gospel-centered, Christ-exalting, God-glorifying' — exactly the right markers. The Alexandria context (diverse, historically rich neighborhood) gives the church missional opportunity without compromising doctrinal integrity. Kell is known for pastoral warmth combined with theological seriousness — the combination that builds men. A strong choice for a man in the Alexandria/Arlington corridor.

#sbc#gospel-coalition#garrett-kell#expository#reformed#alexandria#nova

Pastor Signatures & Affiliations [Orthodox-aligned signatures]

Public statement signatures and organizational affiliations of this church's named pastors. "People is policy" — these are evidence-weighted signals about doctrinal trajectory, not the sole determinant of any rating.

Nashville Statement

Garrett Kell

Source: cbmw.org — hover for details

Sources & Evidence

Enrichment Notes

Upgrade multiple dimensions based on 9Marks/Kell lineage priors. [from-dupe del-ray-baptist-alexandria: Overall_rating upgraded: yellow → green. 9Marks ecosystem identity is a strong positive signal even without full Beliefs page parse. Address backfilled via SBCV directory + Yelp 2026-04-29.]

These are the URLs consulted to arrive at this church's scoring. Score-note claims are synthesized from homepage content, denominational directories, and public statements of faith at the time of review. Church websites change frequently; we're progressively adding Internet Archive snapshots to prevent link rot.

[1] Archived snapshot web.archive.org/web/20260120040728/https://www.delraybapt…
↳ Snapshot of delraybaptist.org (live link)

Transparency note: MOOP ratings are researcher judgments about publicly available theological and ecclesial evidence. They are not infallible. If a church's public posture has changed since our review, or if we've mis-read evidence, tell us — we publish corrections.