I grew up in the Bay of Plenty and share life with my wife, Rev. Dr Linda Flett who is a Chaplain at Waitakere Hospital. We have three married daughters and four lovely grandchildren. Outside work, I am a keen artisan of wood. I like to spend a good part of my leisure time either making beautiful things out of wood or dreaming up new projects around the property. 

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In my late twenties, I entered pastoral ministry, becoming the sole pastor of a small but growing Pentecostal congregation in Tauranga. From there we had a four-year theological study hiatus before returning to pastoral leadership. This culminated in thirteen years of ministry in Christchurch, leading and developing a vibrant and innovative congregation pioneering missional ways of being Church. I am familiar with the dynamics of change, liminality and organisational culture. For the last thirteen years, I have been a lecturer at Laidlaw College, jointly leading the internship program as well as teaching and equipping students for pastoral ministry and leadership. 

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I am deeply committed to the formation of pastoral leaders. This commitment reaches back to my early twenties as a youth leader where connectedness, community and authentic relationships were an embodied aspect of my life and service to others. These themes continue to underpin my commitment to Christ in service of those who lead congregations and who give themselves to the task of pastoral leadership. 

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I have experienced the difficulties and joys of ministry alongside God’s providence in confronting my own vulnerabilities and limits. The scope of this journey is very much bound with the many interactions of a life following Jesus where the beautiful, the good, and the truth of God’s creation are ever unfolding and yet are in tension with a world that is also broken. For me, a growing awareness of self alongside God’s call to be faithfully present is about being attentive to the subtle workings of God’s grace in others. 

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I care deeply about embodied faith — that as followers of Christ, we diligently reflect on not just what we do but who we are. Alongside the importance of theological reflection for and on one’s ministry practice, I am deeply committed to missional conversations around Pastoral leadership. This often entails the exploration of liminal spaces where fresh imagination is needed to reframe well-worn perspectives on ministry. 

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Presently, I am upskilling as a Certified Accredited Associate Coach (ACC) with the ICF (International Coach Federation) and in 2024 hope to complete a PostGrad Cert in Pastoral Supervision.