Methodist Oversight Tutor
I began teaching at Queens in 2025 and I am delighted to have the privilege to be involved both in formation for ordained ministry and in doing theology within such a rich and diverse theological institution. I have been in Methodist presbyteral ministry since 2007 and have experience in urban and suburban churches, and of several circuits including as Co-Superintendent of the Leeds North and East Circuit. Before training for ordained ministry, I first took a degree in Theology and Philosophy, then worked as a primary school teacher, and then for the Probation Service. I have much experience in ecumenical contexts, having for the whole of my ministry 2007-2025 been minister with one or more united congregations, and for four years served as the Leeds Methodist District Ecumenical Officer. Alongside local church ministry, I was also the part time Lecturer in Mission and Wesleyan Studies at Cliff College from 2014-2025, and prior to that taught on a York St John University Foundation Degree programme for jointly training Methodist Local Preachers and Anglican Lay Ministers. In all my teaching roles and my theological research, ecumenical diversity has been an important contextual factor. I have for many years been involved both in practical ministry and with academic theology – that was the heart of my original call to preach, discerned whilst engaged in studying theology in my first degree – for me, theology needs to be lived and practiced as well as studied. My role at Queens marks a new stage in my vocation, offering a full time focus on theological work, whilst maintaining practical ministry through support for those undergoing ecumenical formation for ministry and mission with local churches.
Qualifications
Post Graduate Certificate in Learning and Teaching in Higher Education
Sheffield Hallam University 2017-2018
PhD in Divinity
University of Cambridge 2005-2011
Title: “Growing into God: a consideration of the relation between the experience and theology of sanctification, in dialogue with John Wesley’s theology of perfection and Gregory Palamas’ theology of deification.”
Supervisor: Prof. Janet Soskice
MA in Contextual Theology
University of Manchester, The Partnership for Theological in Manchester 2002-2005
Dissertation Title: “Developing a theology of growth in grace and holiness in the light of church responses to sex offenders.”
Post Graduate Certificate of Education (Primary)
University of Oxford, Westminster College 1997-1998
BA Honours in Theology and Philosophy
University of Oxford, St John’s College 1994-1997
Roles at Queen’s
I am a Methodist Tutor working within the Queens team to support student ministers with ministerial formation, I have responsibility for Methodist Probation Studies undertaken at Queens by Methodist Probation Ministers, and I especially teach about theology and doctrine.
External roles and responsibilities
- British Co-Chair of the Oxford Institute of Methodist Theological Studies (5-yearly international conference; 2024 and forthcoming 2029/2030), 2024-current (and previously Secretary 2018-2024)
- Member of Methodist Church Discerning Ordained Vocation Connexional Committee, 2025-current
- Moderator of Theology Everywhere, weekly blog with wide engagement across the Methodist Church and beyond, 2016 – current
- Trustee of the Fernley Hartley Trust (an annual lecture), 2016-current
Research interests and supervision
My research journey began during my MA dissertation work, exploring a Wesleyan theology of sanctification in the context of working with convicted sex-offenders. This raised questions about the processes and limits of growth in grace and holiness alongside criminological understandings of rehabilitation. This led me towards deeper research into Wesleyan theology and questions about holiness, sanctification and perfection, and an interest in the systematic similarities between Wesleyan theology and Orthodox theology. My doctoral research focused on this area, but rather than approach this through a Wesley Studies lens and asking about John Wesley’s reading of Greek theology, I instead constructed a systematic dialogue between Wesley’s theology of perfection and Gregory Palamas’ theology of deification (Gregory Palamas was the last of the key Orthodox patristic theologians). The way that Palamas defends the experience of 14th Century hesychasts offers comparison with the way that Wesley drew on the experience of 18th century Methodists to develop and defend his theology of entire sanctification. Maintaining a dialogue between the theology of sanctification and Christian experience in specific contexts remains at the core of my interests. I have continued to work on this through historical studies of the theology and ministry of Samuel Chadwick (a significant Methodist evangelist and theological educator of the early 20th century), and more recently through exploration of the Wesleyan theology of sanctification in the context of the global climate crisis. This work is asking critical questions about the use of the concept of growth in various areas of Christian theology, and constructing a dialogue between a theology of sanctification, theology for church mission strategy, and eco-theology. I have also maintained a consistent interest in ministry and mission, and practical theological questions of improving practice and developing our theology. I have supervised several doctoral research projects in this area with particular focus on Methodist ministry and mission, and also in other church contexts.
Supervision
I would be interested in supervising doctoral dissertations on the following areas:
Wesleyan theology, particularly, but not limited to, topics relating to sanctification, and considering both Wesley’s theological work and contemporary expressions of Wesleyan theology.
Contemporary Methodist theology, ministry and mission
Publications
- “‘But Jesus concealed himself – Probably by becoming invisible’ (John Wesley’s NT Notes: John 8:59). Making the invisible Christ visible: problems and opportunities for Wesleyan Christology” in Holiness, Volume 3 (2017) Issue 2 (Holiness & Reformation), pp. 207–224.
Book Review: Eilers, Kent and Strobel, Kyle C. (eds.), Sanctified by Grace: A Theology of the Christian Life (2014), in Practical Theology, 9:1, 79-80
Book Review: Benjamin T. Conner, Practicing witness: a missional vision of Christian practices (2011), in Practical Theology, 5 no 2 Aug 2012, p 211-213
“Entire Sanctification and Theological Method: A Wesleyan Dynamic for discovering good news in every context” in Greggs, T., ed., New Perspectives for Evangelical Theology: Engaging with God, Scripture and the World, London: Routledge, 2010, pp. 63-77 Influence in Hebrews 3:7-4:11.” Tyndale Bulletin 58 (2007): 161-81
