My Faith
Finding Faith
While I grew up attending church weekly, my faith truly came alive as a conscious choice during my time at university. This awakening happened through a specific encounter with God at a New Frontiers Church in Portsmouth.
Following this, I quickly developed a passion for modern worship styles. I joined a C.U. prayer group and a church home group, where I learned to pray and engage with scripture personally. It was also during this time that I became convinced of the importance of mission and evangelism, largely through involvement in church outreach programs.
Within two years of coming to faith, I joined a church planting team, starting a new church in my old school in Sutton, South London.
Maturing Faith
After marrying Katie and re-joining the Anglican church to worship with her, I began co-leading a mission-shaped community at Christ Church Roxeth in Harrow. During this time, I learned to listen to the Spirit and guide a team as He led. The group eventually became a fresh expression of church, though at the time, we didn’t have the language to describe what we were building.
I quickly took on various other leadership roles, including multiple stints on the PCC and Deanery Synod, leading Kids Church, and occasionally preaching and leading services. I also learned to play the drums and started leading sung worship as part of the church band.
After several years, I sensed a call to ordination, which led to paid mission work at St. Stephen’s Westbourne Park while I trained for ordination at St. Mellitus College. Since then, I have continued to grow in my faith as Curate at St. John’s, maturing as a pioneer under the mentorship of Rev. Canon Greg Bakker and Rev. Dr. Paul Chamberlain, with occasional personal mentoring from Bishop Jonathan.
Spirituality
I feel most at home in a Charismatic Evangelical Church. However, through ordination training, my spirituality has broadened, allowing me to better appreciate traditional liturgical worship and the value of the sacraments. I have an Ignatian spiritual director who has guided me through the Spiritual Exercises.
While I still prefer modern Charismatic worship and find renewal at events like Spring Harvest or New Wine, I also deeply value solitude and silence, prioritizing personal retreat time. I occasionally attend contemporary, often non-Anglican services on weekends off or Sunday evenings. Additionally, I participate in an annual men's mountaineering retreat called Extreme Character Challenge to keep my faith sharp.
Belief
While I practice a generous orthodoxy and remain open to other people’s faith journeys, my beliefs are primarily reformed/evangelical. I strongly believe in the authority and truth of scripture and the active work of the Holy Spirit in the world today.
I enjoy experimenting with communion (within the rules) to make it more accessible and meaningful. My aim is to create a shared, participative experience that helps people truly appreciate the sacrament, rather than simply passing through it in the same way each week.
I firmly support the ordination of women and would likely be considered a moderate evangelical rather than strictly conservative in most areas. I hold orthodox beliefs toward the Prayers of Love and Faith but hold them with pastoral sensitivity.
I also enjoy deepening my theological understanding through reading and listening to the God-Pod podcast.