About

I have been Vicar of Christ Church and St John’s, New Malden since 2007, having served as curate in the same parish from 2003. Before training for ordination, I taught History and Religious Studies at Archbishop Tenison’s School in Croydon, the school I attended as a pupil.

School teaching was a brilliant preparation for ordained ministry because of the similarity both callings share in encouraging individuals and communities to grow into the people that God made them to be.

As a vicar, I am passionate about Christian ministry and mission and the exciting task of ensuring that these are informed by the insights of biblical theology. Most of the books and articles that I have written are seeking to bridge that gap in the belief that it is clarity of thinking and theological conviction that make the vital difference to the delivery of effective ministry and mission within the church.

Theological conviction

One example of this is my passion for child-friendly church. This is embodied in the 9.30 ‘Sssh-Free’ service at Christ Church, New Malden – so called because any ‘ssshing’ or ‘tutting’ of children is strictly forbidden. The service and its five children’s/young people’s groups are entirely built upon the theological conviction that for infant baptism to be practiced with integrity, the provision of child-friendly, age-appropriate church is non-negotiable.

The scarcity of this attitude in the Church of England shows that, for the most part, it is not serious about the significance of infant baptism and its declaration that all of those who are baptised are full members of the church.

A related passion is making church accessible to those who are currently ‘outsiders’. Influenced by the so-called ‘New Perspective on Paul’ and particularly the theology of Tom Wright, I am convinced that authentic Christian mission involves tearing down every cultural barrier keeping people away from God, and demonstrating that the God revealed in Jesus Christ is truly ‘for everyone’.

One of the most important manifestations of this at Christ Church is its lunch club, Grapevine. This and similar projects have increased my belief that tribalism, with all of its destructive effects, is the very opposite of the good news of Jesus Christ, and its dismantling lies at the heart of building welcoming, relevant and above all, authentic Christian communities.

The key to safeguarding

These areas are mentioned because they have all fed directly into my convictions about safeguarding. Effective safeguarding in the church rests entirely on theological clarity about the status and dignity that God accords to the vulnerable. This leads to a deeper understanding of Jesus’ command that his followers reflect this perspective in our actions and priorities.

The key text here is the climax of Jesus’ teaching in Matthew’s Gospel where he declares that the acid test of our allegiance to him is how we relate to those who are vulnerable (Matthew 25.31-46). Prioritise care of the vulnerable and on the Day of Judgement, we will be recognised as belonging to Jesus. Ignore or sit lightly to this vital calling and there is nothing authentic about our so-called Christian faith.    

The centrality of truth

I am furious about the complacent ineptitude of the Church of England, with its disastrous safeguarding being only the most serious outcome of a culture that is aiming at little more than ‘keeping the show on the road’. My suspension between February and July 2021 was a direct result of trying to challenge this institutional culture and its terrible effects. This ethos currently runs through all the church’s traditions and nothing short of a complete transformation of the culture of the Church of England will result in it doing anything effectively.

The basis of this transformation will be a theological revolution whereby the church replaces its current fear of truth with the recognition that truth needs to stand instead, alongside grace, at the centre of everything we do. With truth located at the centre of local churches, dioceses, theological colleges/courses and the national church, everything about the ministry and mission of the church will improve.

But most importantly, the Church of England’s cover-ups, lack of transparency, persecution of whistleblowers and, worst of all, its heartless treatment of survivors of abuse, will become a thing of the past. ‘Safeguarding the Institution’ will give way to the genuine safeguarding of the vulnerable that the church is called to place at the centre of everything we do.

Pre-order Safeguarding the Institution: How the Culture of the Church of England facilitates abuse here.