Delegates are listed in alphabetical order by last name.
Dr Benjamin Aldous is the Principal Officer for Mission and Evangelism at Churches Together in England. He helps bring together church leaders who reflect on mission and evangelism in urban and rural contexts across England. Ben also writes and reflects on mission, ecumenism, Asian theologies and intercultural theology and is an honorary fellow at Sarum College. He is author of The God Who Walks Slowly: Reflections on mission with Kosuke Koyama (SCM Press 2022) and Lived Mission in 21st Century Britain: Ecumenical and Postcolonial Perspectives (SCM Press 2024). Ben is a musician and plays electric bass and keyboards and is a fan of neo soul, jazz and funk. He is married to Sharon with four children and lives in Devon.
Jonny Baker is the director at Church Mission Society (CMS) of mission in post Christian Britain. He is an advocate for pioneers, set up the pioneer training pathway at CMS, and is a founding member of Aspen, a spread out ecumenical ecclesial community of pioneers. He has published several books – Pioneer Practice, Pioneer Gift, Pioneer Spirituality, Future Present, Imagining Mission with John Taylor, Alternative Worship, Curating Worship, Grace Pocket Liturgies, Making Communion Pocket Liturgies and contributed to several others as well as blogging consistently for over twenty years. He is a lay pioneer in the Church of England and on the leadership of Grace, a Church of England congregation in London.
David Ball David Ball is an Interserve Mission Partner (https://www.interserve.org.uk/) He divides his week between the GOLD Project (www.goldproject.org), SEAN International (www.seaninternational.org) and personal research and supervision. From 2009-2015, was Director of Open Learning at Trinity College Bristol out of which the GOLD Project has formed. David and his wife Angie worked for 15 years in India where they attended a Church of South India church. David believes that the strength of the church’s life and witness depends on the equipping of all God’s people for mission and ministry in the world. He is committed to enabling every Christian to grow in their faith through disciplined study of the Bible. David is also actively involved in the Christian Motorcyclists’ Association.
Dr Rob Barward-Symmons is the Senior Research and Impact Manager at Bible Society and co-director of the Centre for the Study of Modern Christianity at St John’s College, Durham. He has a PhD in the Sociology of Religion and is the co-author of The Quiet Revival and Mourning Elizabeth, and the sole author of Becoming Evangelical, due to be published by Bloomsbury in June.
Mandy Bayton is Director of Mission for the diocese of Swansea and Brecon, she is part of the Bishop’s senior staff team and is convenor of the provincial Pioneer and Evangelism Network. Mandy is the co-ordinator of Red Letter Christians UK – Wales, co-founder of The Swansea Positive and co-founder of CODA, a faith and action festival. Mandy is a storyteller, speaker, and mentor, she writes and speaks about faith and the holy mess of being human. She is married to Ron, and they have five children, three grandchildren and a dog. They live in an Old Shoe Shop in Wales.
Mel Beaven is a Methodist Church minister currently serving in the Connexional Team as Director of Discipleship. Originally from Germany, Mel has ministered in West Yorkshire and Cumbria. She taught Mission and Evangelism at The Queen’s Foundation in Birmingham and has a passion for lifelong discipleship, learning and spiritual development. Her research interest is in training and learning for diaconia as the ministry of the whole Church. Mel now lives in London where she enjoys preaching in local Methodist churches encouraging people to engage in evangelism and mission as part of their discipleship.
Justin Brierley is a writer, speaker and broadcaster, known for hosting conversations between Christians and non-Christians on radio, podcast and video. Justin’s book ‘The Surprising Rebirth of Belief in God’ was a finalist in Christianity Today’s 2024 ‘Book Of The Year’ awards. His latest title ‘Why I’m Still A Christian’ was published in April 2025. Justin is director of the media company ‘Think Faith’. He currently co-hosts the Re-Enchanting podcast and is the creator of the award-winning Surprising Rebirth Of Belief in God podcast documentary series.
Lindsey Brown is enthusiastically and actively plugged into many national networks where ideas and encouragement are generously shared. There is a great deal of crossover between the two areas of my work as we learn from one another about how we do ‘mission’: there are so many areas of connection, as well as interesting differences in approach. The URC is a fundamentally ecumenical church, being the union of three very different ecclesiology’s, and so we hold difference both within and externally quite comfortably. We also hold our identity lightly, as our priorities are to worship, disciple and witness and the ‘how’ is far less of a priority: there is a great deal of all kinds of diversity in the Church.
Yvonne Campbell is the General Secretary of the Congregational Federation and has been in post since 2015. Her role involves supporting and encouraging the 200 plus independent Congregational churches that affiliate. Yvonne has a degree in Consumer Studies, a Foundation degree in Practical Theology and has taught Maths and Computers in Further Education for over 20 years. Yvonne has lots of experience in different areas of mission including youth and children’s work, Messy Church, cafe church, and community focus activities. Yvonne lives in Liverpool, is married to Dave and has one daughter Poppy.
Melanie Carroll is an ecumenical practitioner and lay pioneer minister, with a long-standing commitment to unity, mission, and lived faith across denominational boundaries. Employed by Churches Together in All Lincolnshire and the Association of Interchurch Families, her lived experience of interchurch life shapes both her theological reflection and practical engagement with churches. Her pioneering work includes Fresh Expressions and contextual mission, particularly through outdoor and nature-based worship such as Lincoln Forest Church, Waddington Wild Church, and Church by Nature in Sleaford. These initiatives explore how worship, discipleship, and community can take shape beyond traditional church buildings while remaining connected to the wider Church.
Melanie Cave’s favourite thing is facilitating life-changing encounters with Jesus, whether it’s in worship, prayer, conversation or interactive resources. She’s done local and national youth work, children & families ministry, and church leadership for 20+ years and now leads Roots for Churches, publishing weekly resources for 11,000 churches. Her current favourite topics are intergenerational & intercultural ministry, kingdom partnership, evangelism with under 5s, podcasting, and alternative leadership models.
Revd Sue Cooke is the National Director of Leading Your Church into Growth. Previously the Vicar of St Thomas with St Stephen in Balham, Sue’s ordained ministry has spanned the dioceses of Guildford and Oxford, following a career as a secondary school teacher. Having seen LyCiG principles bring renewal and growth in her own parishes, she now helps churches across the UK and beyond embrace a culture of mission and faith. Outside of work Sue enjoys going to the gym, hosting friends for dinner and long walks in the countryside with her rescue dog, Yoyo.
Matt Currey is UK Development Manager for Lifewords, a CTE Charity in Association. Lifewords work in print, in person and online to create ways into the Bible. Matt lives in Southall in West London. He worships at St. John’s Church and loves music, supports Norwich City and is a fan of craft beer.
Revd Rebecca Daniel is the Head of Chaplaincy and Development for the Council of Lutheran Churches in Great Britain and an ordained pastor of the Lutheran Church in Great Britain. She serves as a chaplain among the international student and young professional community in London. She also works with CLC member churches to create opportunities for pastors and church leaders to network, collaborate, and engage in ministry as Lutherans in the diaspora—accompanying and partnering with other ecumenical bodies in living out the Gospel among their neighbours.
Revd Linford Davis is Head of Spiritual, Pastoral and Religious Care across Royal Wolverhampton NHS Trust and Walsall Healthcare NHS Trust, providing strategic leadership for chaplaincy and faith engagement in complex public institutions. Formerly a Prison Chaplain and the UK’s youngest managing chaplain, he holds an MPA in Faith-Based Leadership from University of Birmingham and is a Fellow of the Chartered Management Institute. An ordained minister and Senior Pastor of New Testament Church of God Telford, he leads community mission through partnership with local primary schools, delivering 3,500 Christmas presents over three years, which has created sustained opportunities for gospel engagement and school partnerships.
Chris Duffett is a Baptist evangelist, an artist, author, poet and storyteller. He is artist in residence at St Andrews Street Baptist Church, Cambridge and serves as Pioneer Networker for the Eastern Baptist Association. His passion is unity in evangelism and helps churches working together to reach out to those in their communities.
Liz Dunbar started off her career working for a homelessness charity and then went into secondary school education and then child protection social work. She still has a passion for this work but having a sense that her time in the public sector was coming to an end, she felt called into training with Church Mission Society in Pioneer Theology, Ministry and Mission in 2021. Since then, she has undertaken various roles in prison chaplaincy, environmental justice and local church community work. She has a vocation for mission and loves networking and facilitating. She is currently a Pioneer mission training course facilitator and also works for the charity Single Friendly Church Network.
Revd Warren Evans is the Chief Executive Officer of Sports Chaplaincy UK & Ireland and serves as Chair of the Global Sports Chaplaincy Association. With over three decades of ministry and leadership experience, Warren is passionate about equipping the local church to engage missionally with their community of sport. Under his leadership, Sports Chaplaincy has grown into a national movement with an international influence, reaching and impacting tens of thousands of people, supporting thousands of athletes, coaches, and staff through trained chaplains embedded in sporting communities. He is a frequent speaker, writer, and advocate for faith in everyday life, wellbeing and leadership.
Born and raised in Zambia, Richard Fisher has spent his entire career since graduation from Oxford in 1988 working for BRF Ministries, a Christian charity based in Abingdon, Oxfordshire. Richard has been chief executive since 1992 and has overseen the charity’s expansion from publishing Bible reading notes and books (which has been at the heart of its work since 1922) to become the home also of Anna Chaplaincy, Messy Church and Parenting for Faith. As part of BRF Ministries, these have each grown from a local church initiative to become national ministries. In 2020 Richard received The Alphege Award for Evangelism and Witness from the Archbishop of Canterbury.
Dave Gardner currently serve as Missionary Disciples Project Manager as part of the Vision and Strategy Team for the Church of England. He has been ordained for thirty seven years serving as Incumbent in two Benefices in Suffolk before working as Director of Mission & Ministry in Diocese of St Eds & Ips for eleven years. He is married to Karen who leads a counselling service and we have two grown up sons and three grandchildren. His current focus is on providing a framework for how the Church of England can be increasingly missionary by its very nature and those of us who choose to belong to follow Jesus in every aspect of our lives.
Lydia Gilbertson serves on the Mission Team at the Evangelical Alliance as the Mission and Communications Assistant. She studied Fashion and Textiles at university and previously worked in the fashion industry in London. After completing a Discipleship Training School in Orlando with Youth With A Mission, including an outreach to Haiti, Lydia witnessed firsthand the transformative power of the gospel, even in some of the most challenging contexts. She has been involved in children’s ministry across a range of age groups and is passionate about seeing her generation come to know and love Jesus.
Bob Goody is CEO of Rural Missions, a UK charity supporting churches in rural and market-town contexts to engage confidently in God’s mission. With over 25 years’ experience in mission, evangelism, and church partnership, both locally and nationally, through churches and organisations, Bob brings a strong blend of strategic leadership and practical delivery. He works nationally and ecumenically, helping churches understand their communities, build confidence, and develop hopeful, sustainable approaches to mission. Bob lives in the East Midlands with his family and regularly speaks, trains, and writes.
Bishop Claion B. Grandison was appointed as the 7th National Administrative Bishop of the New Testament Church of God (NTCG), England and Wales, on 1 September 2022. In this role, he provides strategic and spiritual oversight to an organisation comprising approximately 11,000 members across 130 churches, supported by more than 350 ministers. Bishop Grandison brings extensive leadership experience to the role, having previously served as National Youth Director in the British Virgin Islands, as a local pastor in Woolwich. Since his appointment, NTCG has experienced renewed organisational momentum, guided by a strategic vision focused on relevance, strong relationships, and innovative engagement with communities across the nation. He is also the author of Our Story Retold: The Black Experience Unveiled Through Poetry.
Sabrina Gröschel studied Theology at Göttingen and Exeter, and her ministry began by building and leading a new youth church project in Northern Germany. After moving to the UK, she served as County Ecumenical Officer for Churches Together in Devon, as Synod Pastoral Advisor for the URC South Western Synod and was involved in designing and delivering the Ecumenical Council for Corporate Responsibilities’ Ethical Money Churches project. She then spent a decade leading the work of Action Reconciliation Service for Peace in the UK. In January 2025, she returned to Churches Together in Devon as Ecumenical Mission Facilitator.
Alice Hall is one of the leaders of Sion Catholic Community for Evangelism which is a spirit-led community called to proclaim the gospel and equip others in the task of evangelisation. Following 40 years of full time missions in Catholic schools and parishes across the UK – Sion Community is now in the main a dispersed network of evangelists who seek to support one another in their various mission pathways. Alice lives full time in Sion’s residential community base in Coventry. She is a teacher, preacher and worship leader as well as involved in pastoral ministry.
Claude Halm is an accredited Baptist minister and the founding pastor of International Praise Centre (IPC -London) and serves as the ecumenical lead for Churches Together Essex and East London (CTEEL). With over 25 years of experience in church leadership, theological education, pioneering, and ecumenical work, Claude is passionate about raising up young leaders to plant and strengthen churches. He is dedicated to fostering multicultural and multigenerational church communities. His commitment to equipping churches and individuals aligns with CTE’s vision of inspiring and supporting Churches in sharing the message of Jesus in their local contexts. Claude is married to Trudie, and they live in East London with their two children.
Cherry Hamilton Bond is the editor of christianity.org.uk, the UK’s foremost website providing high-quality, non-denominational and trustworthy information about the Christian faith, curated from a diverse range of writers and theologians. The website additionally offers personalised correspondence and prayer to individuals from all walks of life as they explore the faith for themselves. Many of the website’s articles are being converted to a podcast format, of which Cherry is the voice. Cherry lives near Manchester with her husband Olly, a musician, and two children. She sings for worship at church and loves dancing of all kinds, especially Zumba.
Doral Hayes is Principal Officer for Ecumenical Development and Relations at CTE. She supports regional and local ecumenism and is responsible for many of CTE’s events and the training of ecumenical representatives as well as the Living with Diversity Working Group (Human Sexuality). Doral’s background is in regional ecumenical work as well as working for the Association of Interchurch Families, one of CTE’s Charities and Networks in Association. Doral is a Licensed Lay Minister in the Church of England and is currently completing a Doctorate in Theology at Roehampton University, researching what the experience of interchurch couples can teach the church about Christian unity.
Rachael Heffer serves as Head of Mission for the Evangelical Alliance where she seeks to resource, equip, and champion the UK Church in all forms of mission activity, to develop a widespread culture of evangelism, and to see Christian individuals grow in greater confidence to make Jesus known. Rachael was Project lead on the recent Finding Jesus research from the EA, and chairs the Steering group for the Talking Jesus UK research and partnership. Rachael was previously on the leadership team of British Youth for Christ and served as Mission and Youth Adviser within the Diocese of Ely. Rachael is married to Darren and lives in Ely, Cambridgeshire with her two teenage sons. She is very involved in her local church, overseeing their Youth ministry and mentoring
James Holland is the Coordinator of Ecumenism & Westminster Interfaith in the Roman Catholic Diocese of Westminster. He provides formation on the Catholic Church’s teaching on ecumenism & interreligious dialogue to schools, parishes and universities, as well as working to represent the Diocese at national & regional ecumenical & interfaith gatherings. James is the Catholic Council Member on the Faiths Forum for London, an interfaith charity who work across faiths to influence policy and bring religious communities together. He has previously worked as the Interreligious Adviser to St Mary’s University, Twickenham. Before joining the Diocese of Westminster, James spent time as a lay Chaplain in a Catholic Sixth Form College in London and obtained a degree in Theology, Religion and Ethics.
Fr Marc Homsey is the National Ecumenical Officer for the Catholic Church in England and Wales, which I began the in September 2025. I am also chaplain to the universities in Leeds, which I have been doing since 2019. I work with an ecumenical team of chaplains at the universities. It is a privilege to be a part of the lives of the students at this pivotal moment in their formation. I was also director of our diocesan youth service for 9 years. My parents are Egyptian and Armenian-Lebanese. I also speak French and Italian. I was ordained priest in July 2014.
Minister Shermara Hoyte is the Principal Officer at Churches Together in England for Pentecostal, Charismatic and Multicultural Relations. She also has responsibility for racial justice and young adult ecumenical engagement. A dedicated minister and international speaker, Shermara is committed to fostering holistic and flourishing lives. Her leadership was notably highlighted when she read before a global audience of 4.1 billion at Queen Elizabeth II’s funeral on September 19, 2022. Shermara’ s expertise and passion has led to her speaking on platforms like BBC Radio 2, BBC Radio 4, BBC World News, Talk TV, The God Channel, TBN, UBC Radio, and Premier Radio. She is also a writer, contributing to various works.
Dr Yinxuan Huang is Senior Data and Insights Lead at the Bible Society, where he leads research on Bible engagement, faith, and the changing landscape of Christianity in both UK and global contexts. Yinxuan holds a PhD in Sociology of Religion and Social Statistics and previously worked in higher education. He later left academia after sensing a call to connect research with church practice, mission, and public conversations and to use research to serve churches and wider society. His recent work also includes the largest study on Chinese Christian communities in the UK, with a particular focus on interdenominational conversations and interactions between different traditions. He regularly contributes to media and Christian publications, including BBC, The Guardian and Christianity Today.
Barry Hutchinson is an ordained minister in the Church of God of Prophecy (COGOP). Married to Coreen for more than 34 years, he has over three decades of pastoral and mission experience. Barry serves on COGOP’s executive and as regional supervisor for South & West Yorkshire and East Midlands. He is also the church’s national ecumenical representative to Churches Together in England, teaches with Spirit & Life Seminary, and researches migration through the lens of Missio Dei.
Abi Jarvis supports churches and Christian communities to thrive through a culture of whole-life discipleship and disciple-making, using the framework of A Methodist Way of Life. Previously Abi led the Evangelical Alliance’s Public Leadership programme, and worked in campaigning, public policy and prayer at International Justice Mission UK. Abi has a MA in Kingdom Theology from Westminster Theological Centre (WTC), where her dissertation focused on power and leadership, and has become interested in inclusive church since being diagnosed with Long Covid and POTS. In her spare time, she enjoys reading, the theatre, and practicing reformed perfectionism through art.
Matt Jeffrey is Chief Executive of The Arthur Rank Centre, a national ecumenical charity supporting rural churches, farming communities, and those involved in rural mission and ministry. Matt has spent much of his ministry working alongside rural leaders, chaplains, and communities navigating change, isolation, and opportunity. He is particularly interested in faithful presence, leadership development, and how, despite the challenges, the Church can serve rural places with humility, imagination, and hope.
Rachel Jordan Wolf is the Executive Director of HOPE together. She has always been passionate that others meet and come to know Jesus Christ. She has worked with YWAM amongst prostitutes in the red-light district of Amsterdam and has done a PhD at Kings College, London. In her current role she travels round the UK speaking on mission today, oversees research, creates resources, and catalyses initiatives that inspire local churches to reach out to others with the good news of Jesus. She is the author of the Talking Jesus research report widely used across the UK to shape Evangelism practice. She is married to Darren, who is a church planter in East London where she is also very much involved.
Aike Kennet Brown leads the BRF ministries Messy Church Team which supports the Messy Church network both nationally and internationally. This includes writing, reflecting, speaking, developing resources and projects, so that the work of Messy Church can continue to transform lives. Aike took on this role in 2022 but has been involved with Messy Church since 2010. Her Messy adventures include growing young leaders, weekend Messy Camps, taking Messy Church to the local Parksfest, hosting an intergenerational small group, organising Messy Celebrations at Southwark Cathedral exploring Communion, Baptism and Science and leading a Messy Church Goes Wild.
Rev Victoria Lawrence is the Church Engagement Manager at Bible Society England and Wales, where she leads Equality, Diversity and Inclusion initiatives across a wide range of church traditions, with her current work focusing particularly on Pentecostal and Charismatic churches. She partners with church leaders to support inclusive, biblically grounded engagement that is culturally aware, accessible, and responsive to the realities of contemporary society in other to Build people’s confidence in the Bible. She is a qualified Trauma-Informed Facilitator and an Advanced Cultural Intelligence Facilitator, bringing specialist expertise in helping churches develop safer, more compassionate, and culturally intelligent spaces. Her work equips faith communities to engage Scripture and mission through the lenses of trauma awareness, lived experience, and intercultural understanding.
Fr Michael Lambros is a Coptic Orthodox priest serving at St Mary and St George Coptic Orthodox Church in East London. Prior to his ordination in July 2020, Fr Michael worked as a cancer geneticist for over twenty years, during which he authored many scientific research papers. Since his ordination, he has devoted himself to pastoral ministry, theological study, and teaching. His academic and ecclesial interests focus particularly on Patristics, Christology, and the faith of the early Church, with a strong emphasis on the Oriental Orthodox tradition. Alongside his pastoral responsibilities, he is actively engaged in apologetics and catechetical instruction. Fr Michael also serves as the Coptic Orthodox representative to Churches Together in England.
Ralph Lee is Facilitator for the Lausanne-Orthodox Initiative – an organisation that emerged out of the Lausanne movement and promotes cooperation in mission between Orthodox and Evangelical Christians globally. He also works at the Oxford Centre for Mission Studies, directing their new research institute, and leading a project that seeks to understand spiritual formation and discipleship in the Ethiopian and Eritrean Orthodox Tewahedo Churches in partnership with Sankt Ignatios College/Stockholm School of Eastern Christian Studies in Södertälje, Sweden.
Fr Gareth Leyshon was ordained a priest of the Archdiocese of Cardiff-Menevia in 2007. He joined Sion Community in 2017 and was seconded to its full-time ministry for four years from 2019. He now lives in South Wales, administering four churches north of Cardiff City. Prior to pursuing his vocation – only having become a Catholic at the age of 17 – Gareth read physics at Oxford and obtained a PhD in astrophysics from Cardiff. He maintains a keen interest in the relationship between faith and science, and was recently commissioned to write a series of articles on “Science and Scripture” by the bishops of England & Wales. Ever since becoming a Catholic, Gareth has been passionate about ecumenism, evangelism and charismatic renewal. He rejoices to live in an age when more and more parishes are embedding this into their identity.
Joe Lowther was previously a principal of an outstanding School and is now CEO of KICK. KICK’s mission is to transform young people’s lives, with God’s love, through sport and support. KICK’s vision is to see a generation of young people reach their God given potential, and where communities have been socially and spiritually impacted. KICK do this through values-driven physical education, street dance, mentoring, chaplaincy in schools and church-based KICK Academies to impact young people. KICK has grown rapidly to engage over 30,000 young people a week across 107 schools and over 30 church-based KICK Academies. KICK are committed to seeing young people experience a hope for the future and joy in the present. Joe has recently completed an MSc at Bayes Business School on Change Management.
Whilst taking comedy, laughter and storytelling very seriously, Ian Macdonald retains a sense of humour and playfulness in his approach to theology and spirituality. He is the Tutor in Mission at Sarum College in Salisbury, and was previously in a number of roles in Youth Ministry. He is passionate about Human flourishing; facilitating ways for people to live into and from the deeper self – being more able to be with themselves, with others, and with God. He went to Bible Schools in England and Austria, has a Masters in Contemporary Ecclesiology from KCL, holds a professional youth work qualification – and is also qualified in Lego® Serious Play® and ‘Laughter Yoga.’ He has one wife, three quirky wonderful grown-up children
Dr Heather J Major is a Research Fellow and Lecturer at Cliff College, specialising in practical theology and mission while overseeing a major research project on emerging Christian communities with the Methodist Church in Britain (New Places for New People). She is the convenor of the Mission Research Network with Churches Together in England. She is also the current Chair of the International Rural Churches Association (IRCA).
Abby Miles works in Vision and Strategy at the Church of England. Before this, she was part of the Evangelism and Witness team at Lambeth Palace. She holds a Theology degree from Cardiff University and previously worked for a church in Los Angeles. Outside of work, Abby enjoys running, good coffee, travelling, and spending time with friends.
Carol Miller works for USPG and is an American who has lived in the UK for the last 20 years. She has two grown children and two grandsons. Her faith journey has led me from the deep grounding of the Catholic church, through Presbyterian, Baptist, Episcopal, Non-denominational, and Anglican denominations. She has enjoyed traditions from high church to evangelical to charismatic and all the blends of each. She arrived in the UK (Scotland) to plant a church. I have grown to value all expressions of faith, with all people of faith. She currently work for a global mission agency where she has the utter joy to hear and amplify the voices of our sisters and brothers around the world as they live out their call to be the hand and feet and voice and heartbeat of Jesus in their context.
Ann Montgomery has for the past 28 years been privileged to serve as a Salvation Army officer, working in local Salvation Army churches across West Scotland, the North East and North West of England. Her journey has included roles as regional Mission Officer and, most recently, Territorial Mission Officer at our headquarters in London. Through every transition, Lamentations 3:21-23 has been a source of hope, reminding her of God’s faithfulness and new mercies each day, encouraging me to persevere no matter what challenges arise. He is faithful.
Pete Moorey is the Head of Church and Community at Christian Aid responsible for engaging, equipping and inspiring churches across Britain to give, act and pray to end extreme poverty and injustice. He was previously Head of Campaigns & UK Advocacy at Christian Aid and has worked in the charity sector in a variety of roles – including at Which? and the National Council for Voluntary Organisations – over the past 25 years. Outside of work, he is an active member of Christ Church Gipsy Hill where he sits on the church council, preaches, leads worship and contributes to youth work. Pete is passionate in supporting the church to be a prophetic voice on issues of justice – locally, globally, nationally and globally. He is a keen musician with a deep love of jazz.
Dr Akpo Onduku is the National Ecumenical Officer (NEO) of the Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG) UK. He is the Senior Pastor of Chapel of Grace Bradford and Chair of a local Churches Together forum (Branches of the Vine). He serves as a School Trust Governor and is a member of the Standing Advisory Council on Religious Education (SACRE) that regulates collective worship in schools in the Bradford District. In addition, he is a member of the Advisory Council of Transforming Lives for Good (TLG). He is passionate about missions, evangelism and prayer as pivotal tools to kingdom advancement.
Richard Passmore is the Fresh Expressions Partnerships and Development Lead, my role includes developing the FXCOLLECTIVE, key partnerships and exploring brave spaces for mission thinking, community and church. He undertakes this as part of my consultancy work through alchemyedge.co.uk. He is interested in Pathfinding, systems change and innovation in the VCFSE sector and specialises in culture change, leadership & development through edge spaces. As well as working with various denominations, local and national charities he is currently developing a new leadership space called Applied Alchemy that collapse the gap between mentoring, coaching and accountability. see https://substack.com/@alchemyedge
Lois Quin works with rural churches across the UK to help them discover fresh confidence in sharing the good news of Jesus in their local communities. Lois supports churches to reflect on their life and ministry, identify what God is already doing, and explore new, faithful ways of serving their places. Lois equips leaders and congregations to connect deeply with their communities and to join in God’s mission.
Emma Richardson works for the Methodist Church as the Director of New Churches as part of the Evangelism and Growth team developing training pathways and resources that enable new church communities to flourish. With over 15 years’ experience in creating contextual expressions of church, Emma has guided leaders from initial vision to fully established congregations, with discipleship and evangelism at the heart of her work.
Bishop Paul Rochester was recently appointed as National Presbyter (Assisting the National Bishop), with a specific focus for church planting and multiplication. He is the Senior Pastor for the CoGoP Church in Croydon, South London, and has oversight for nine other CoGoP churches in that region. Paul has been involved in bi-vocational ministry, working for 34 years in the Civil Service. He was awarded the MBE in 2016 for services to the UK’s small scale renewables industry and his community work. He is currently the General Secretary of the Free Churches Group (www.freechurches.org.uk) – an ecumenical body of twenty-nine denominations and church groups which seeks to express the unity in Christ shared by Free Churches in England and Wales. As General Secretary, Paul serves both the Directors and Group members, providing day to day oversight of the organisation.
John Shinkwin serves as Secretary for External Relations for the Archdiocese, supporting our inter-Orthodox, inter-Christian, and inter-religious relations. The Archdiocese of Thyateira & Great Britain is the British Archdiocese of the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople, striving to answer the call of our Lord, God, and Saviour, Jesus Christ, to “go and make disciples of all nations, baptising them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit” (Matthew 28:19).
Andy Smith married to Lucy with two girls, Macy and Libby. He is Head of Discipleship at Christians Against Poverty. His role focuses on the theology and practices that ensure our mission remains a direct response to Christ. He manages a dedicated team who inspire and resource local CAP workers and partner churches to share the gospel in words and action; while exploring the theology and practice of integral mission with anyone who is up for that conversation.
Ben Stansfield is the CEO of Global Connections – a network of 250 mission hearted organisations, churches and individuals, with a vision of seeing the Whole church, taking the whole gospel to the whole world. Married to Esther, with two boys Josh & Zach, Ben currently lives down in East Devon. Having trained initially as a teacher and moved into youth & student work, Ben then followed a desire to work with Christian organisations seeking to tackle the causes of poverty and injustice. Combining this with studying a MSc in Global Development Management & an MBA, Ben has spent the last 25+ years working for international development charities, local church-based community organisations and international discipleship ministries.
Elliot Vanstone, aged 27, is the Senior Mission Adviser for the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of England and Wales. In this role, Elliot focuses on evangelisation, ecumenism, and interreligious dialogue, contributing to the Church’s mission of fostering unity and understanding across different faiths.
Clare Walker is part of the Stewardship Team, growing and developing new relationships with Churches and Charities. Previously Head of Engagement across England for Home for Good and a teacher for more than 20 years, Clare has also been a Trustee of Scripture Union and her local church. Clare has always been part of tiny rural churches and loves the richness of community that can be found living in a Somerset village.
Hannah Webb is a Salvation Army officer. She has been a church leader since 2020, and is currently leading The Salvation Army church in Dartford. She lives with her husband, Mike and their chihuahua, Higgins. She and her husband love the usual things like watching TV, films, podcasts and board games. They both have a passion for children’s work. She is a singer, and has BA degrees in Classical Civilisation and Theology. She enjoys going to the gym, cycling, dancing, reading, knitting and doing all sorts of craft-based things. She also love languages. She speaks Norwegian fluently, but she’d love to learn more to use in ministry!
Rev David Whyte is an ordained minister and currently serves as the District Superintendent of the Wesleyan Holiness Church (WHC) in the United Kingdom. In this role, he provides both spiritual and administrative leadership across the UK district, working alongside a dedicated leadership team to guide the Church through a period of intentional transformation. Driven by a passion for renewal, Rev. David has been instrumental in shaping and casting a new vision and mission for the Wesleyan Holiness Church in the UK. Under his leadership, the Church is embracing a renewed focus on responding faithfully to the challenges and opportunities of contemporary British society.
