Born in the East of London, my family were refugees from the poorer precincts of inner city life, emigrating to NZ in 1970. I grew up in Wellington, moving to Wanganui in my teens to apprentice as a Mechanical Fitter with NZ Railways. I experienced a call to ministry when listening to the sociologist Tony Campolo in the early eighties, and then I attended the Bible College of New Zealand.

‍

Long story short, I am now the vicar of Tawa Anglican Church and chaplain at St Marks Church School in Wellington. Before that, I served as Dean of the Wellington Cathedral of St Paul, a role that brought us to Wellington 10 years ago. I was registered as a Baptist pastor for 17 years before ordination as a Priest in the Anglican communion in 2006. Consequently, I have been a church leader for over 30 years in 6 different church communities and contexts across the  North Island. Alongside my pastoral ministry, I have taught pastoral theology, leadership and ethics through Carey College, St Johns College and the Bible College of New Zealand before it became Laidlaw. In recent years, my role has focused on mentoring and coaching alongside restoring broken ministry leaders. As a pastor and person, I have experienced the best and worst of ministry and life – sometimes, I was responsible for both, and on occasion, I was merely an unwitting passenger. We take responsibility for what is ours and face life's unexpected curves with faith and community.

‍

A big part of my ministry has been helping laity and church leaders make sense of their faith among multiple worldviews, especially concerning faith stage development, ethical thinking, and leadership amid identity politics. I find it’s my role to help people navigate their faith in complex times with theology, understanding and as a non-anxious presence. I want to see leaders prevail in faith and ministry leadership by developing skills, encouraging a curious mind, and building faith-based anti-fragility to become modern, adaptable pathfinders.

‍

I am married with three grown children. I read philosophy, theology and political theory. However, I also ride a motorcycle on and off the road and get a kick out of fixing, maintaining, and refreshing things that are electrical, mechanical, and made of timber. I also enjoy technology and keeping abreast of current trends.