I became a Christian in 1979 at an Elim evangelistic meeting led by Alex Tee, one of George Jeffreys’ revival team – a direct line back to the Pentecostal revival that shook Britain in the 1940s. I didn’t know it at the time, (I’ve only recently discovered the background) but that context mattered. I wasn’t just converted into a quiet, nominal life. I was converted into something that expected God to move.
He did. Within two weeks I was baptised in the Spirit and moving in the gifts. By the end of that first month, alone in my bedroom, I heard an audible voice call my name – Jonathan, my formal name, the one nobody used. I knew what it was. That moment has shaped everything since.
Two years later I studied theology at Elim Bible College, then spent years serving churches in Sheffield, Lancaster, Camberwell and Surbiton as an Elim Pastor before returning to Sheffield, where I’m now actively involved with Emmanuel Church, part of the Catalyst family of churches in New Frontiers. Everything I do here carries the full backing, support and prayer of my elders. That matters to me, and I think it should matter to you too.
I’ve been involved in prophetic ministry my entire Christian life. That’s not a boast – it’s context. I’ve seen it at its best and unfortunately, at its worst; being personally acquainted with many of the prophetic ministries across the years. I’ve watched it bring people back from the edge and I’ve watched it done without care and leave chaos behind. Both things are circumstantial, and I think the church needs people willing to hold both without flinching. We want the best from our people, for our people.
What drives this site is a single conviction: that authentic, scripture-honouring prophetic ministry restores hope in the heart of the believer. Not hype. Not performance. The real thing, handled honestly, changes people.
And what excites me, genuinely excites me, is seeing the church step into the full vista of that. Dreams, visions, signs and wonders. Not as elite ministry or conference themes (complete with smoke machines), but as the normal working of the Spirit building and encouraging his people. That’s what the New Testament describes and that’s what I want to see.
And there’s a particular kind of person I keep meeting, and recognise – they may feel a genuine sense of calling, a real gift, but somehow through circumstance has ended up on the margins. You’ll be surprised, you’re not imagining what God showed you, what you experienced was real. And it’s not over. The adventure continues. God has more for you than the sidelines.
So here we are. With over 340 posts, I’ve worked through Scripture, tested ideas against experience, and tried to write the kind of thing I wish someone had handed me earlier. Bible first. Experience honest. Conclusions hard-won, but still being thought through.
I’m also shaped by life outside theology. My wife Kerry is a Churchill Fellow whose research has taken her from San Francisco to Amsterdam, working on refugee integration. Watching someone pursue their calling that seriously has a way of keeping you honest about yours. You can read about her work at refugeeintegration.co.uk.
Here on my site, the blog is the best place to start. Subscribe free on Substack and get each post straight to your inbox.
