King Charles honours Christian mission organisation MAF
Lydia Houghton
Date posted: 25 Apr 2025
The humanitarian work of Christian mission organisation Mission Aviation Fellowship (MAF) has been honoured by King Charles.
Representing MAF, CEO Donovan Palmer (pictured left), Trustee Max Gove, Deputy Country Director in Uganda Sam Baguma, and Becky Waterman attended a reception at Buckingham Palace hosted by the King, Queen Camilla and Princess Anne, where the “exceptional” work of approximately 100 humanitarian charities was recognised.
The Church Mission Society's new CEO
Lydia Houghton
Date posted: 1 Oct 2025
Andy Roberts has been appointed as the new CEO of the Church Mission Society (CMS).
Roberts – a former mission partner and CMS director of mission – is originally from York and has lived much of his life in Brazil. There, he spent several years serving vulnerable children and young people, alongside his wife, Rose. The couple launched ReVive – a charity providing shelter and holistic support for girls affected by abuse, exploitation and neglect. In 2021, Roberts was awarded an MBE for his work with vulnerable children in Brazil.
Missionary who survived massacre dies age 99
Brian Davis
Date posted: 23 Nov 2024
A missionary who survived a massacre at a mission station where she was working, many years ago, has died.
Margaret Hayes MBE had to take to the jungle with others where she survived for many weeks before being rescued, having been presumed dead – with a funeral and thanksgiving service being held for her.
Alex Hawke appointed
SIM UK
Date posted: 10 Sep 2024
Alex Hawke has been appointed as the new UK Director for Serving in Mission (SIM).
Alex has previously served as a mission worker in West Africa, Mozambique and Cambodia, where he was the team leader of a large mission team.
Africa Inland Mission completes merger
James Patterson
Date posted: 29 Jun 2025
Africa Inland Mission (AIM), an evangelical missionary agency, has merged its South Africa Mobilizing Office and Southern Region receiving office, forming a new ministry called AIM Southern Africa Region.
Tshepang Basupi has been appointed Director of AIM Southern Africa Region, consolidating the processes of sending and receiving missionaries, training leaders and sharing the gospel. The merger is intended to “better reflect the current and future realities of global missions” and will “enhance efforts to minister to the unreached peoples of Southern Africa”.
Tributes paid for Daniel Bourdanné
Milla Ling-Davies
Date posted: 1 Nov 2024
Daniel Bourdanné, former General Secretary of the International Fellowship of Evangelical Students (IFES), has died from cancer, aged 64.
Born in Chad, Bourdanné moved to Oxford in 2007 to lead IFES for 12 years – and from then to his death he worked with charity Africa Speaks to promote publishing Christian books across the continent. IFES Chair Michel Kenmogne said: ‘The history of the advance of the gospel throughout the world over the last four decades cannot be written without mentioning Daniel Bourdanné.’
Leading evangelical missiologist Andrew Kirk dies
Daniel Kirk
Date posted: 1 Feb 2026
J. Andrew Kirk died on the first of January, at the age of 88, from an unexpected heart attack.
Kirk, an ordained Anglican minister for over 60 years, was a leading Evangelical missiologist in the second half of the 20th century, who was a co-founder of the influential Latin American Theological Fraternity (FTL in Spanish) as well as the London Institute of Contemporary Christianity (LICC). He wrote over 20 books, co-authored many more and wrote hundreds of journal articles; firstly as a New Testament scholar and then as a missiologist. His most important books were Liberation Theology: an Evangelical View from the Third World (1979), What is Mission? Theological Explorations (1999) and Being Human: An Historical Enquiry Into Who We Are (2019). Kirk visited and lectured in over a hundred countries and supervised postgraduate students from all the world’s continents.
Martin Goldsmith: Much-loved Jewish disciple of Jesus
Charles Gardner
Date posted: 21 Feb 2026
One of Britain’s most well-known Jewish disciples of Jesus, Martin Goldsmith, has died peacefully, aged 91, after an extraordinary life of service to Christ.
After ten colourful years as a missionary in South East Asia with the Overseas Missionary Fellowship (OMF), he served for over 50 years as a gifted teacher at All Nations Christian College in Hertfordshire.
Tom Muir
Sarah Robinson
Date posted: 25 Mar 2026
Tom Muir has been inducted into the role of Church Planting Director in the Free Church of Scotland.
The induction took place at a meeting of the Edinburgh and Perth Presbytery. The Free Church is seeking to strengthen church planting across the denomination and support the development of new gospel communities in the years ahead.
Adrian Brixey
Nicola Laver
Date posted: 27 Jan 2026
Adrian Brixey has been appointed the new Chief Executive Officer of Grace Baptist Mission and takes up the role this month. Adrian and his wife Antonia are members of Trinity Baptist Church, Gloucester, where he was an elder until the end of 2024. He will work alongside mission director Daryl Jones who will be retiring in the coming months.
Brixey brings a wealth of mission experience, including 11 years’ service in Thailand; and a UK-based ministry among refugees.
Ben Stansfield to lead Global Connections
Luke Randall
Date posted: 17 Jul 2024
Ben Stansfield has been appointed as the new Chief Executive Officer of Global Connections, (GC) replacing Chris Wigram who had served in an interim capacity in recent months.
GC exists to equip the UK church and mission community in the world. Ben has spent over 25 years working for international charities, church ministries and discipleship ministries, so has helpful experience ahead of taking on the role.
Andrew Anderson: FIEC President with zest for life
Mike Hitchings
Date posted: 24 Feb 2026
Andrew Anderson was called home on 1 November 2025. FIEC President in 1987, Andrew was the first to serve a longer term, becoming President again from 1992 to 1995.
Born on 2 June 1935 in Mill Hill, London, Andrew was converted at an early age. He was married to Pearl, who survives him; they had two daughters, Fiona and Colleen. He attended LSE and led the Christian Union there and went on to train at London Bible College.
Daniel Cozens
en staff
Date posted: 23 Feb 2026
Daniel Cozens, who has died suddenly, aged 81, was the founder of Through Faith Missions who also became well-known for pioneering the “Walk of 1,000 Men”.
A Church Times obituary by Paul Preston said that when he preached, “Daniel’s palm would be resting on his open Bible, his earnest expression engaging all in the room, as he gently helped us to place our hands into the hands of Jesus and look to Him, through His love and grace to prepare a place for us.”
Paul Kinnaird
Lydia Houghton
Date posted: 14 Feb 2026
Paul Kinnaird has been appointed as the Fellowship of Independent Evangelical Churches’ (FIEC’s) Director for Bristol. Kinnaird was the pastor of Bankhall Mission, Liverpool.
Kinnaird will use his “wisdom and ministry experience to serve church leaders on the ground in a way that FIEC is not able to do centrally,” said FIEC’s Communications and Media Officer Joel Murray. Graham Beynon, who leads FIEC’s team of local directors, said he is “delighted” to have Kinnaird on the team.
Tony Wales: Remembering a Christian publishing expert
Julia Cameron
Date posted: 8 Jan 2026
Tony Wales, who had a possibly unrivalled knowledge of global publishing, has died.
He was born in the Belgian Congo (now DRC) to missionary parents. His family returned to the UK when he was ten. His father was to lead Scripture Gift Mission (SGM).
Nick Williams
Lydia Houghton
Date posted: 3 Feb 2026
Anglican evangelical mission agency CPAS (Church Pastoral Aid Society) has appointed Nick Williams as its Patronage Development Officer. His work in CPAS’ Patronage Team will commence in April.
Williams has been the vicar of Christ Church, Guildford, since 2011. He is “passionate about helping people discover who Jesus is and the difference He makes to their lives,” CPAS said. “He will bring his wealth of experience in church leadership and ministry to the role.”
Jamie Grant
Lydia Houghton
Date posted: 28 Jan 2026
Highland Theological College (HTC), Dingwall, Scotland, has welcomed Dr Jamie Grant as its new Principal.
“With decades of experience in [Biblical] studies – particularly his renowned work on the Psalms – Dr Grant is well placed to lead HTC into its next chapter while keeping our mission at the centre: providing high-quality theological education rooted in the life of the church and engaged with the world,” HTC writes. His main teaching responsibilities are in the OT poetic texts, Biblical languages and hermeneutics.
Graham Rowles
Paul Eddy / en staff
Date posted: 30 Nov 2025
One of Bristol's most loved and respect Baptist Lay Pastors has died, aged 89. Graham Rowles played a pivotal role in churches and mission for over 50 years.
Among other things, he arranged for satellite broadcasts of Billy Graham missions elsewhere in the UK to be beamed live to audiences in Bristol. He was also greatly involved with a Luis Palau mission. Rowles was instrumental in bringing into being the South Bristol Christian Centre, was a lay preacher at East Street Baptist Church, and Lay Pastor at Dundry Baptist Chapel.
Terry Puttick
en staff
Date posted: 9 Dec 2025
Tributes have been paid to Terry Puttick, a London City Missioner, who has died.
Writing on X, Graham Miller, LCM CEO, wrote: “Loyalty, love, selflessness, good news, humour and perseverance were visible in all that Terry did.
Church Mission Society CEO resigns after six years
en staff
Date posted: 29 May 2025
Alastair Bateman, CEO of Church Mission Society (CMS), has resigned from his post and announced he will step down at the end of July 2025 after six years, saying: “I believe the time is right.”
Reflecting on his time at CMS, Alastair said: “Serving in this community – so deeply committed to following Jesus, rooted in prayer, and bearing the fruits of the Spirit – has been the privilege of a lifetime.”
Tapani Simojoki
en staff
Date posted: 27 Dec 2025
The Evangelical Lutheran Church of England (ELCE) held its 71st Annual Synod from November 14-15 in Tottenham, north London, during which Tapani Simojoki was installed as Chairman, and the church continued work towards a new structure and name change. The synod theme was “The Joy of the Lord is Our Strength” (Nehemiah 8v10).
The denomination hopes to rename itself the Evangelical Lutheran Church in the United Kingdom (ELC-UK) to better reflect its presence in the country. It has about 20 congregations and missions, and is a member of the International Lutheran Council, grounded in the authority of Scripture.
Calum MacLeod
Luke Randall
Date posted: 17 Dec 2025
The Free Church of Scotland has named Calum Iain MacLeod as the Moderator Designate for its 2026 General Assembly. Brought up on the isle of Scalpay, Harris, he has served as the minister of congregations in Barvas and Back, on Lewis, before serving Ferintosh and Resolis Free Church in the Black Isle, where he has worked since 2019.
Macleod, who has also been a member of the Free Church Mission Board and Vice Chairman of the Board of Trustees, said: “It has been my privilege to serve the Church in various congregations over the years. It is a great honour to be nominated as Moderator-Designate of the 2026 General Assembly.”
New Equipping Pastors Worldwide role
Lydia Houghton
Date posted: 25 Oct 2025
Equipping Pastors Worldwide has welcomed David Bhadreshwar as its new Head of Resourcing and Partnerships.
Bhadreshwar and his wife, Naomi, spent almost 20 years in Peru as missionaries – serving indigenous churches through preaching, teaching, discipleship, and pastoral ministry in villages and cities across the jungles, highlands, and coast. Registered with Global Training Network (GTN), Bhadreshwar has remained actively involved in overseas missions training since returning to the UK in 2023.
‘Mother of modern Bible translation’ dies
Lydia Houghton
Date posted: 29 Oct 2025
Wycliffe Bible Translators has paid tribute to one of its long-serving missionaries who has died at 87.
Dr Katharine “Katy” Barnwell served with Wycliffe for over 60 years. Barnwell pioneered locally-led Bible translation: after helping to see the New Testament published in the Mbembe language in 1985, she found that the Mbembe people wanted more translation – the Old Testament as well as translation into other Mbembe dialects – and so concluded that the best way to do this was to get some Mbembe speakers trained. “And so began the revolution in training local Bible translators that has led to the huge growth in Bible translation today,” says Wycliffe Bible Translators. Barnwell’s textbook Bible Translation: An Introductory Course in Translation Principles – first published in 1975 and now in its fourth edition – is the primary training resource for Bible translators worldwide.