Anglican Communion News Service - Digest News

The new man chosen to lead the task of equipping the next generation of priests for the Pakeha wing of the Anglican Church in New Zealand is passionate about mission and evangelism occupying a central place in training for ministry.

He is The Rev David Jeans, who has accepted the post of Dean of the College of the Southern Cross, within St John's College in Meadowbank, Auckland.

David Jeans, who holds a Master's degree from Oxford University, and a M.Phil in Theology and Religious Studies from Manchester University has, for the past nine years, led the Wilson Carlile College of Evangelism in Sheffield, in the United Kingdom.

This is the national training college for the Church Army - which is a society of evangelists linked to the Anglican Church, but working outside church buildings 'to enable people to come to a living faith in Jesus Christ.'

David says he comes from the evangelical wing of the Church of England, but is committed to working with those of other traditions to advance the mission of God through the church.

According to its website, The Wilson Carlile College of Evangelism is regarded in the UK 'as a national centre of excellence in the training of evangelists.'

'The college delivers mission-shaped training with an emphasis on the vocational and practical. It works with men and women from all church traditions to help equip them to think about the message and context of evangelism for a contemporary world.'

There are around 350 full-time ministers in the UK Church Army and The Wilson Carlile College trains them all, regardless of their church tradition. The Church Army draws from the theological breadth of the Anglican Communion with the British Isles.

As well as providing formation training, The Wilson Carlile College also provides in-service for these workers, as well as lay training. David, who is also a member of the Church Army's national Senior Management Team, leads a team of 14 staff at the college.

Mr Bruce Davidson, Chair of the St John's College Board of Oversight, says he is pleased to announce Rev Jeans appointment, and he looks forward to his contribution to the future life and direction of the College of the Southern Cross.

'David's particular interests' he says 'are in training to reflect the mission and ministry aspirations of the wider church, the centrality of mission in theological and ministerial education - and the development of reflective practitioners able to think theologically about their mission and ministry contexts.'

David Jeans is married to Vivien, who is a speech and language therapist. They have two adult children. One aspect of his Sheffield ministry which David will be sorry to shed is his chaplaincy to Sheffield Wednesday Football Club which, he says, has been his own personal arena of mission for the past 16 seasons.

Rev Jeans is presently tackling immigration formalities. It's planned that he will take up the Southern Cross post in late April, or early May.

He succeeds Dr John Wright, who retired late last year as Dean of the College.

Ends

Editors, please note: The Anglican Church of Aotearoa, New Zealand and Polynesia has three Tikanga, or cultural streams -Tikanga Maori, Tikanga Pakeha and Tikanga Polynesia (The Diocese of Polynesia includes Anglicans in Fiji, Samoa and Tonga, and Polynesian Anglicans in New Zealand).

Each Tikanga has considerable autonomy, and each has its own theological training institution with the campus of St John's College, Meadowbank. The College of the Southern Cross is the Tikanga Pakeha college.

For further information, please contact:

Lloyd Ashton
Media Officer to the Anglican Church
in Aotearoa, New Zealand and Polynesia
Email: mediaofficer@ang.org.nz