Pastor Marc Knapp was appointed to serve as New Hope Baptist’s Church Senior Pastor June 1, 2022. Prior to that, he served as Senior Pastor of First Baptist Church in Polo, MO. and Laurie, MO.

The attributes that best describe Pastor Marc as a pastor are strong preaching, evangelist, evangelism, leadership development, loving people and counseling. He has expressed a burning desire to lead a church like New Hope Baptist Church where biblical views are embraced and encouraged, with members who care about the needs of those around them and who want to connect others to the body of Christ.

Pastor Marc takes worship and preaching very seriously, spending the first hours of his day focused on Bible study.

He graduated from Boyce College in 2004 with a bachelor’s degree in biblical and theological studies. He has pursued graduate work at Southern Baptist Theological Seminary and Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary.

Pastor Marc has been happily married for 28 years to his wife, Annette Knapp. They have four children: Joseph, Matthew, Marcail, and Meliza Knapp.

Virgil Nunes was appointed to serve as youth pastor May 2018. He has been involved in children's ministry for over 10 years at New Hope. He was ordained in April 2019 and was appointed as a deacon in February 2024.

Virgil, along with his wife Tiffany, have a passion for watching this generation grow in their relationship with Christ. Virgil and Tiffany serve together leading New Hope's youth. They have been married since 2003 and have 3 boys Isaiah, Nathan, and Josiah.