Faculty
C Jonathan Stephen
Following a few years teaching Religious Education in a large and lively inner-London comprehensive school, Jonathan completed nearly 28 years in pastoral ministry, first at Amyand Park Chapel in Twickenham and then at Carey Baptist Church in Reading. His service to the wider Church has steadily grown through his preaching ministry and involvement in many projects and...
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Bob Letham, Director of Research
A Presbyterian minister, Bob has served congregations in New Jersey and Wilmington, Delaware, the latter for over 17 years. He has taught theology at London School of Theology, Westminster Theological Seminary (Philadelphia) and Reformed Theological Seminary (Washington DC/Baltimore). Married to Joan, an American, for 35 years, he has three grown children: two daughters...
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Tom Holland, Director of Biblical Studies
Tom’s early career as an engineer explains his interest in inventions and his attempts to solve problems. His birthplace, Liverpool, explains his support for the football club of the same name. Leaving his employment as a scientific instrument maker in his early twenties to train for Christian service, Tom moved to Glasgow to study at the Bible Training Institute in...
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Mark Pickett, Director of Undergraduate Studies
After studying Geology at Aberystwyth, Mark journeyed to South Asia, where for twenty years he was involved in evangelism, Bible teaching, leadership training, research, writing, and publishing principally in Nepal and India. Nepal’s Tribhuvan University awarded him the PhD for his study of the Newar people of the Kathmandu Valley. Married to Becky from the USA,...
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Iwan Rhys Jones, Director of Taught Postgraduate Studies
Iwan was born and brought up in Cardiff. He began his higher education at the University of Wales, Aberystwyth. He continued his studies at the University of Wales, Bangor and Coleg Bala-Bangor. Iwan entered the pastoral ministry, ministering in Welsh, with churches affiliated to the Union of Welsh Independents (Congregational), and then as Associate Pastor at Deeside...
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John Kendall, Undergraduate Admissions Tutor
After teaching high school biology for 13 years, John came to WEST first as a student and then as a part-time lecturer, also working on the staff of Highfields Free Church Cardiff. He was involved in pioneering a ‘church transplant’ at Minster Christian Centre, Cardiff, where he continues to work with the leadership team. He has been married to Ruth (aka...
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Phil Hill, Lecturer in Pastoral Theology
Until recently, Phil was Dean of Students at Nazareth Evangelical Theological Seminary in Galilee. Together with his wife, Angela, Phil worked with Arab Baptist churches in Israel. Phil is now WEST’s Pastoral Theologian. The new Pastoral Theologian will be released out into the churches for large portions of time to train pastors and church congregations in whatever...
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Cor Bennema, Senior Lecturer in New Testament
Cor comes from the Netherlands, where he worked as an IT professional for five years. He did his theological studies at the London School of Theology (an associated institution of Brunel University) in London. Between 1996 and 1999, he spent half of his time in India, including teaching at Allahabad Bible Seminary in Uttar Pradesh. From 2002 to 2012, Cor taught at SAIACS...
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Tim Chester (Sheffield)
Dr Tim Chester is co-founder and Associate Director of Porterbrook Seminary which provides integrated theological and missional training for church leaders (porterbrookseminary.org), and a church planter with The Crowded House, a church planting initiative in Sheffield, where he is currently a pastor (crowdedhouse.org). Tim has over 15 years of experience in church...
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Jonny Woodrow (Sheffield)
Dr. Jonny Woodrow is European Director of the Porterbrook Network and a pastor of The Crowded House in Loughborough. Jonny’s PhD was on process philosophy and the psychology of social remembering. He lectured at Loughborough University for two years before leaving to plant a church. He teaches on Porterbrook Seminary and Porterbrook Learning courses. He is married with...
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Steve Timmis (Sheffield)
Steve has nearly 30 years of experience in Christian ministry, and has started several ministries which continue to provide gospel witness around the world. He is the co-founder of the Porterbrook Network, Director of Acts29 Western Europe, co-founder of Northern Cornhill, founding director of Radstock Ministries and the founder of The Crowded House Church in Sheffield,...
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Timothy Steele, Senior IFC Teacher
Tim spent several years teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) both in the UK and abroad before coming to study at W.E.S.T. He has been involved in ministry amongst international students over the past five years. Whilst completing his studies here in Wales, he met and has recently married Jess, who also teaches on the new ESOL and discipleship...
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Jess Steele, IFC Teacher
Jess grew up in the United States and graduated with a BA in English Literature. She first came to Wales to study abroad during her undergraduate degree, and felt a strong sense of God’s calling for her here. She returned later to do voluntary work with her church in Port Talbot, during which time she began to be involved in international missions work. This...
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Fiona Dent, IFC Teacher
Fiona was born in South Wales to Christian parents. The family moved to the north-west of France in the late 1980’s to work as church planters, where Fiona was schooled in the French education system. After their return to the UK in 2000, Fiona acknowledged God’s immeasurable love and Jesus’ sacrifice for her by getting baptised. Fiona gained a BSc in Marine Biology...
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