A veteran journalist and broadcaster, John is CMS's senior adviser on mission and public affairs.
John's previous jobs include being communications director for the Anglican Communion Office and editor of The Church of England Newspaper.
John has written several books, among them Gospel People (SPCK) and Challenging Catholics (Paternoster). He is a Reader in the Church of England.
His role in CMS includes editing Yes magazine and other CMS publications, oversight of PR and media relations.
He lives in Ealing, West London, and is married to Deirdre whom he met while working at the Anglican Communion Office. They worship at St Barnabas’ Parish Church Pitshanger Lane, Ealing.
John in his own words: Australian born, based in London since 1979. Member of a farming family from Bogan Gate, New South Wales, on the edge of the outback. For local indigenous people ‘Bogan’ means ‘birthplace of a great man’ but in general Australian parlance the word has come to mean something like ‘hoodie’ or ‘hooligan’.
Studied at Macquarie University Sydney and Melbourne College of Divinity. Loves cricket but gets embarrassed by excessive Australian hubris. Has never quite seen the point of football.
Favourite mission characters include: Henry Venn II, Samuel Ajayi Crowther, Sadhu Sundar Singh, Mary Slessor, Amy Carmichael, Kenneth Pike. Unlike many CMS senior staff John was never a missionary, although there have been missionaries in his family over four generations.
Both John and Deirdre have travelled widely and between them can name 61 countries visited. Most memorable and challenging: a mission visit to China in 2001.
Unfulfilled ambitions: to become a filmmaker.
