People

Jen joined Crosslands after more than 25 years working in organisational leadership and management consulting for government and private sector clients. Originally from South Africa, she lives in Newcastle where her husband Hugo is pastor of Christ Church Newcastle. She is a trustee of Stewardship, and teaches on Christian leadership, organisational health and governance.

Before joining Crosslands full time, Dan was College Director for Oak Hill Theological College. A former UCCF worker with a PhD in Theology and Religious Studies, Dan lives in Gateshead with his wife Elly and most of their seven children, where they are part of Hope Community Church. He is author of several books, co-founder of The Southgate Fellowship, a trustee of Tyndale House and contributing editor for Themelios.

Tim is a founding faculty member of Crosslands and is based in Derbyshire where he is involved in Peak Trinity Church. He is author of over 30 books and commentaries including You Can Change, A Meal with Jesus, and Enjoying God. He leads on Doctrine, Pastoral Studies and Advanced Biblical Studies for Crosslands Seminary, and oversees the Crosslands Foundation curriculum.

Catherine qualified as a Chartered Accountant in 2010 and worked in audit for PwC before joining Crosslands. Originally from Northern Ireland, Catherine now lives in the west of Newcastle with her husband and three children. They are part of a team that has started a new church in West Denton. Catherine also serves as a school governor at a local primary school.

Graeme, his wife Bequi and their three children live in Moldova, where they serve as Crosslinks Mission Partners. Graeme co-pastors a local evangelical church in the capital Chisinau, and is also involved in a number of evangelistic and discipleship-focused ministries. Graeme tutors students who are on the cross-cultural track.

Batanayi (Bat) was born and raised in Zimbabwe. He moved to the UK to study pharmaceuticals. After sensing God’s calling, he studied theology with the University of Wales and completed his MPhil at Stellenbosch University (South Africa). For several years he served as a church planter while working part-time for SATS. During this time, he completed his PhD (New Testament) before joining SATS full-time in 2019. Bat’s interests are in Pauline literature, Early Christianity, and the social world of the New Testament. He is also interested in public theology in Southern Africa. He is currently working on a book entitled Philemon: A Transformation of Social Orders (due 2022 with Wipf and Stock). Bat is married to Vanesha. They live in the north of France. He is Academic Dean at the South African Theological Seminary (SATS) and teaches Hermeneutics for Crosslands Seminary.

Matthew is based in Salisbury. For 12 years, he served as a pastor in the UK and USA. Alongside his role with Crosslands, he serves as Assistant Director of the Pastors’ Academy. He has written on various cultural, theological and ethical issues, is the English voice on the Church Podmatics podcast, and is endlessly fascinated by the intersection of doctrine and ethics as related aspects of the ministry of God’s Word to God’s world.

Alex’s passion is teaching pastors and ministry leaders how to interpret the Scriptures, especially the Old Testament. Before coming to Crosslands, he spent six years training pastors in the developing world with Training Leaders International. Originally from the USA, Alex moved to the UK in 2019 to complete his PhD in Theology and Religion (Old Testament). He’s married to Meghan, they have three little girls, and together they enjoy serving in the student ministry at Christchurch Durham.

Jen joined Crosslands after more than 25 years working in organisational leadership and management consulting for government and private sector clients. Originally from South Africa, she lives in Newcastle where her husband Hugo is pastor of Christ Church Newcastle. She is a trustee of Stewardship, and teaches on Christian leadership, organisational health and governance.

Jason is a gifted illustrator and educator, bringing his learning design expertise to all our programmes following more than 25 years as an secondary school teacher. Jason’s other projects include video stories, infographic design, and numerous illustration and visualisation collaborations including Joseph and the Triumph of Grace published by the Scottish Bible Society. He and his family live in Worthing where they are part of Maybridge Community Church.

Mel is a leading specialist in Children’s and Youth Ministry. She is now executive director of Growing Young Disciples, with that includes teaching at Oak Hill Theological College and leading the Children’s and Youth programmes for Keswick Ministries and Word Alive. Mel also developed the resources and teaching curriculum for the Gospel Coalition’s New City Catechism for Kids.

Jonathan and his family worked in Cambodia with OMF for several years, involved in rural church planting, English teaching and community outreach in a slum community in Phnom Penh. He is part of Christ Church Fulwood in Sheffield and has previously worked in student ministry. His PhD is in Christian doctrine, and his current projects include ‘2:19’ with SIM UK, developing resources to help local churches embrace the nations.

Helen is the Director of Training and Resources at Biblical Counselling UK and attends Dundonald Church, Raynes Park where she is involved in international work and pastoral care. She is also a writer and speaker whose publications include: Purity is Possible, Walking with Domestic Abuse Sufferers, Five Things to Pray for your City, and Hope in an Anxious World.

Colin is the pastor of Carrickmacross Baptist Church in the Republic of Ireland. Following an early career as a Maths teacher, Colin completed studies at Oak Hill Theological College before moving into paid ministry, and has also studied at the Irish Baptist College. He is married to Tanya and has three daughters.

John is the lead pastor of City Church Birmingham. He is a trustee of 2020 Birmingham, a coalition of churches seeking to see church planting and revitalisation flourish throughout the city. Prior to entering ministry full-time he trained at Oak Hill College. He is married to Sarah and they have three children.

After training and practising as a doctor and working part time for Christian Medical Fellowship, Matt went on to train for ministry at Oak Hill Theological College. Following a few years on the staff of Eden Baptist Church in Cambridge, he was appointed senior pastor of Hope Community Church, Cambridge. Matt has a particular interest in the Bible’s perspective on ethics and spends some of his time speaking and writing in this area. He is married to Anika and they have six children.

Kristi is a Research Fellow at Oak Hill Theological College where she lectures in Philosophy, Ethics, and Apologetics. She is a PhD candidate in philosophical theology at the University of Birmingham. Originally from Hungary, she has previously worked UCCF for eight years, first as a Staff Worker and then as Midlands Assistant Team Leader. She is a writer and speaker who also co-hosts the ‘PEP Talk’ podcast.

Roo is one of the ministers at Cornerstone Church in Nottingham, having joined the team in 2015 after a few years as a Chemistry teacher. He oversees the Small Groups ministry as well as training and leadership development within the church. He trained for ministry through the Crosslands MA programme. Roo and his wife Esther live in Chilwell and have three children.

Following an early career in Education, Neil became a church pastor. He is currently senior pastor at Headley Park Church, a church revitalisation in Bristol which aims to reach two predominately white, working class, communities with the gospel. Neil’s first wife, Elaine, died in 2015. He married Susan in 2018 and together they are raising two teenage sons.

Peter serves on the staff of Hill Street Presbyterian church in Lurgan, Northern Ireland. He is passionate about helping young people engage with the Bible and also keen to see youth ministry practitioners trained to teach the Bible faithfully and creatively. His teaching experience includes the PCI Youth Ministry Course with Union Theological College, Belfast, where he also took his undergrad and MTh degrees. He is married to Linda with a son Tobias.

Duncan is the pastor of Trinity Church Sunderland – a church revitalisation in the middle of the city centre affiliated to the FIEC. Duncan is married to Laura and they have four sons. Duncan was a history teacher before church ministry. He went on to train at Moore Theological College in Sydney and Oak Hill College, London. Duncan is a fan of almost any sport and a cricket tragic in particular.

Jenny joined Crosslands in August 2022 after working at UCCF in Oxford for a number of years. She’s gladly relocated to the North again and is based near Sheffield, where she attends Christ Church Fulwood. Jenny looks after Forum courses and Seminary conferences as well as administration for the Cultivate Programme.

Fiona worked in Newcastle University for nearly ten years before taking on a part-time communications role in Crosslands. Originally from Manchester, she now lives in West Newcastle with her husband and two children, and is involved in a new church in that part of the city.

Gordon was a lecturer in sport management at Northumbria University for 18 years before joining Crosslands as Programme Manager for the Foundation and Lifelong programmes. He and his wife, Ann, attend Jesmond Parish Church in Newcastle.

Réka completed her Masters degrees in Hungary before she joined various international humanitarian organisations to work and serve around the world for almost a decade. She met her British husband while working in West Africa and now they live in Newcastle with their 3 huskies, where they attend International Harvest Church.

Before joining Crosslands, Ruth studied maths at Durham University, was a Relay worker with UCCF, and taught in North Africa for a year. Originally from the south of England, she now lives in Durham and attends Kings Church.

Jen joined Crosslands after more than 25 years working in organisational leadership and management consulting for government and private sector clients. Originally from South Africa, she lives in Newcastle where her husband Hugo is pastor of Christ Church Newcastle. She is a trustee of Stewardship, and teaches on Christian leadership, organisational health and governance.

Jason is a gifted illustrator and educator, bringing his learning design expertise to all our programmes following more than 25 years as an secondary school teacher. Jason’s other projects include video stories, infographic design, and numerous illustration and visualisation collaborations including Joseph and the Triumph of Grace published by the Scottish Bible Society. He and his family live in Worthing where they are part of Maybridge Community Church.

Catherine qualified as a Chartered Accountant in 2010 and worked in audit for PwC before joining Crosslands. Originally from Northern Ireland, Catherine now lives in the west of Newcastle with her husband and three children. They are part of a team that has started a new church in West Denton. Catherine also serves as a school governor at a local primary school.

Ralph is pastor of City Church Manchester. He is married to Anna and they have three children. Having previously lectured law for seven years he trained for pastoral ministry at WEST and Westminster Seminary London. Ralph is Chair of the steering group of City to City UK and is on the Board of UCCF: the Christian Unions, director of Plant North and a co-host of the Planters Collective in Manchester. He authored Preaching with Spiritual Power.

Ian is CEO of Christianity Explored and also a member of the Oak Hill College Council. He has particular expertise in finances and operating an international ministry, and is a member of Purley Baptist Church.

Rebecca holds a PhD in Renaissance literature from Cambridge University and a theology degree from Oak Hill College. She is cofounder of Vocable Communications, and former vice president of content at the Veritas Forum. She is the author of Confronting Christianity: 12 Hard Questions for the World’s Largest Religion (2019), 10 Questions Every Teen Should Ask (and Answer) About Christianity (2021) and The Secular Creed: Engaging 5 Contemporary Claims (2021).

Scott was born and raised in a mining village in Barnsley. At the age of 21 he started working for a Church on the Wirral, and has worked full-time in church leadership since then apart from a three-year stint studying at Oak Hill Theological College in London. Since 2008 Scott has had the joy of serving Christ and His people in the city of Hull where he is the lead pastor of Christ Church Newland. He’s married to Laura and they have three children, Benjamin, Ruth and Samuel.

Melinda is working on an MA in Spiritual Formation at Gordon-Conwell Seminary. She was previously on the senior ministry team at All Souls, Langham Place where she led the Ministry Training Scheme and where she remains a member of the congregation. She is a trustee of Living Leadership and on the board of UCCF. She is married to Ross.