7 Questions with Church leaders

Name: Rev. Esteban Lievano

Current title: Outreach and Worship Minister

Current organisation: Southside Uniting Church

I was born in South America and migrated to Australia as a child. I was called to Ministry after marriage, hoping to serve God and my community in Spanish-speaking ministry, but was called to serve in the Uniting Church instead. I have had the opportunity to serve as Minister in many multicultural contexts, worshipping God alongside many diverse cultures and language groups. Today, I walk the line of Missional and Ecclesiastical ministry, serving my congregation at Southside UC but looking outwards towards the local community for how we can bring the light of Christ in our region.

Name: The Reverend Dr Max Wood

Current title: Rector

Current organisation:St Luke's Anglican Church Mosman

The Reverend Dr Max Wood was inducted as St Luke’s seventh Rector on 29 September 2014. Fr Max grew up in Sydney and was educated at Trinity Grammar School. He practiced as a solicitor in Sydney before being ordained in 2004 in the Bathurst Diocese. His theological studies were undertaken in Morpeth, Canberra and Durham.

Prior to coming to St Luke’s, Fr Max was the Rector of St John’s Mudgee and also had oversight of St Luke’s Gulgong as well as serving in a variety of Diocesan positions in Bathurst. He also ministered at Holy Trinity Orange, St Augustine’s Merewether in Newcastle Diocese, and St Margaret’s in Durham UK. Before leaving Australia to pursue his doctoral thesis in the UK he was an Honorary Associate Priest at St James King Street in Sydney. In Durham he was also a member of the ministry team and Fellow at St Chad’s College while at the university studying for his doctorate in systemic theology and was licensed to officiate in the Province of York.

Fr Max currently serves on the General Synod Mission and Ministry Commission and the Northern Regional Council of the Diocese of Sydney. He is also a Fellow and Deputy Chairperson of St Paul’s College Council, Sydney University. Fr Max is married to Dr Danielle Firholz and they have two children.

Name: Eric

Current title: Creative Arts Pastor

Current organisation: Christian.Life Church

Eric Kidwell is the Creative Arts Pastor of Christian.Life Church in Illinois. He creates atmospheres of worship at Christian.Life and also creates designs, websites, products, brands through his Creative Agency called "And Studio".

Eric is passionate about helping leaders grow in creativity and helping creatives grow in leadership through creativeleader.com. Eric has been married to his bride, Kara for 12 years and they have 3 children together: Christian, Charity, and Chase.

Name: David Anderson

Current title: Apostle/Senior Pastor

Current organisation: Red Gone White Church

I have been a Christian for 36 years and a pastor for over 20 years and married to the same woman now for 34 years. I am also a portrait artist and a singer/songwriter of nearly 400 original songs.

My gift and passion has always been ministry building. I’ve built many ministries and ventures and business endeavors inside and outside of the church model.

Currently I am building an online church that will exist and do ministry in cyberspace. However it also houses and oversees ministry in many countries around the world. I have teams and ambassadors right now in six countries and my ministry was launched 2 1/2 years ago. I am building schools and churches and orphanages and bringing an end times message.

In the short time since the launch of my ministry I have preached on the ground 65 times in Africa.

I am excited for what God has shown me that He will do in and through and despite me. These are exciting days in which we live.

Name: Jonathan Dove

Current title: Senior Pastor

Current organisation: Gracecity (formerly Greenlane Christian Centre)

Jonathan is the senior pastor at gracecity (formerly Greenlane Christian Centre), a multi-cultural, multi-generational church in the heart of Auckland. Jonathan is a life-long learner, visionary, and teacher. He chairs the Auckland Church Leaders, bringing churches around a vision for the wider city.

He is passionate about seeing all followers discover and step into their unique call with no line between faith and life, and a gospel that renews people and places.

He is married to Robyn and they have 4 active children.

Name: Travis Gore

Current title: State Youth and Discipleship Director

Current organisation: Virginia Church of God

Husband, father and a church leader. I've been in ministry for twenty five years. Fifteen of those were spent as a Lead Pastor. I'm currently serving in our denominational offices overseeing all of our youth and children's ministries. My greatest joy is my family.

Name: Wilson Kambanzi

Current title: Chief Inspector

Current organisation: Zambia Correctional Service

I am a male Zambian Citizen

Name: Tim Freyer

Current title: National Strategy Director for Families

Current organisation: Power to Change

At uni, Tim had big plans and obtained bachelor degrees in theoretical mathematics and statistics as well as having done post-graduate work in statistics. Then God stepped in and redirected Tim to the mission field. Early on as a missionary, Tim led a campus ministry that was focused on raising up and sending missionaries to the world.

On one of the short term missionary trips to the Middle East, Tim met this Aussie vision of beauty and thought he wouldn't have a chance with her. He pulled out all of his charm and she confirmed his original hunch. It only took Tim 8 more years to get Liz to agree to marry him! Together they are raising 2 boys and a little girl.

Together Tim and Liz worked for several years in closed countries working with those in poverty and planting underground churches as well as helping train local believers who could take over. They loved the adventure and the culture and regularly seeing God work in miraculous ways.

God again though had a change in mind and as a result of some medical issues, brought Tim & Liz back home to Australia. They are currently serving as the National Strategy Director for Families with Power to Change. In this role, they work with churches throughout Australia to help refine their focus on Jesus’ mission of evangelism and discipleship using the tools of marriage and relationship.

Together, Tim and Liz love walking alongside people and watching as many sunsets as possible with a chai latte in hand.

Name: Jeremy Rensford

Current title: Senior Minister

Current organisation: GVCF Church

In full time ministry for 20 plus years. Done various roles of the years. Active in leading a church prayer and unity movement in our city and also the Ministers Fellowship International state rep for Victoria.

Name: Mark Glenn

Current title: Pastor & Assessment Coordinator (Australia/NZ & Church in Hard Places)

Current organisation: The Fields Church & Acts 29

I have been married to Katherine for the entirety of this century and have three children. God made it clear to the us that he wanted them to plant a church in the Highlands while spending three months as part of The Fields in Carlsbad, CA. With the blessing of The Fields Church Carlsbad and its elders we returned home and The Fields Church - Australia started in our living room during March 2011. I balance my responsibilities at The Fields alongside running his own building design business, serving as the Assessment Coordinator for Acts 29 in Australia & New Zealand, serving on the leadership of the Rural Collective and filling the role of Assessment Support for Church in Hard Places.

Name: Lyn Edge

Current title: Secretary for Mission (National)

Current organisation: The Salvation Army

Lt Col Lyn Edge is the Secretary for Mission for The Salvation Army Australia. In her role she is responsible to resource and support the flourishing of corps and faith communities ministries, lead our social policy and advocacy work and also the operational management of Social and Community services across Australia.

Lyn has been a Salvation Army officer for over 25 years, working in Sydney and Paris before moving to Melbourne. She has been a Corps Officer (church leader) of both new and established corps, a social worker and a chaplain, and also worked in education. Being committed to life long learning she holds qualifications social work and theology, including a Doctorate of Ministry. Along with Major Gregory Morgan she is the co-author of Partnering with God: Being a Missional Salvationist, which explores mission from a Salvation Army point of view.

Having lived in Paris for 4 years, she speaks French and pre COVID, was loving the opportunity to travel and keep up her language skills. These days life doesn't get a lot better than having good coffee and a packet of chips whilst reading or watching the ABC. Actually that's not true, any time with her grandchildren is better than anything.

Name: Bruce Stevens (Lieut. Colonel)

Current title: Executive Officer - Investigations (previously Victoria State Leader)

Current organisation: The Salvation Army

I have served as a Salvation Army Officer since 1992, spending 16 years in congregational ministry before taking on denominational leadership responsibilities. I have always relished opportunities to work alongside and develop effective leaders. From our origins, The Salvation Army has focused on sharing the gospel holistically; responding to the spiritual and practical needs of people.

Prior to moving into ministry, I worked as a Corporate Tax Consultant for a multinational Business Consultancy Firm. Those business skills certainly proved to be a great asset and I have had extensive responsibilities with The Salvation Army in business and governance matters over the last 13 years.

In recent times, I led the VicOne Project that brought together the multiple divisions of The Salvation in Victoria Army into a single structure. This was part of the largest 'merger' in Australia in recent years given our extensive community service ministries and it even got the attention of many corporates. Throughout that period, I served on the Steering Committee that guided the process.

Together with my wife, Debra, I moved into leadership of the newly created Victoria Division and served through until January 2021 to drive the new culture and mission strategy developed.

I have now moved on from strategic leadership into a support role with our National team. At aged 62 and being a survivor from a recent cancer journey, my focus is moving to new ways of investing in leaders.

As an aside, I love music and enjoy serving with the Melbourne Staff Band, the premiere brass band of The Salvation Army in Australia..