Staff

Gavin Calver is the CEO of the Evangelical Alliance. He has a burning passion to see the church working together to share the Gospel throughout the UK. Formerly the leader of Youth for Christ and chair of Spring Harvest, he’s an ordained evangelist and regular public speaker, and has authored six books. Married to Anne, they have two children, Amelie and Daniel. He loves new challenges, is a passionate AFC Wimbledon supporter and was part of the team that broke the World Record for the longest 5-a-side football match.

Peter oversees the advocacy team and the work of the Evangelical Alliance across the four UK nations. He is passionate about faith in the public square and leads the Being Human project with Jo Frost. He previously worked as a barrister in Belfast before studying theology at Regent College in Vancouver, where he serves on the board. Peter is a regular media commentator, is married to Rose, has two daughters, and loves running.

Jo is the director of communications and engagement at the Evangelical Alliance. She has been involved in local church and national ministry for over 20 years, serving on leadership teams as well as planting churches in London and France. With an MA in public relations and public communications, she teaches, writes and preaches regularly on communications, culture, whole-life discipleship, mission and leadership. Jo leads the Being Human project with Peter Lynas, co-authoring Being Human: A new lens for our cultural conversations and co-hosting the Being Human podcast.

John joined the Evangelical Alliance in June 2022 as the director of finance and operations following 12 years on the leadership team of Frontline Church in Liverpool. As well as responsibilities for services and worship, John was also the CEO of the trust behind the church which gave him primary responsibility for finance, operations and governance. John is the founding trustee of Imagine If Trust and loves creating structures that enable people to bring their best and most transforming contributions. John is married to Nicky and they have three children and four grandchildren – ‘Grampa’ is definitely one of John’s favourite titles! John loves playing golf, watching football and playing guitar.

Rev Dr Israel Oluwole Olofinjana is an ordained and accredited Baptist minister and has led two multi-ethnic Baptist churches and an independent charismatic church. He is the founding director of Centre for Missionaries from the Majority World, a mission network initiative that provides cross-cultural training to reverse missionaries in Britain. Israel is an honorary research fellow at The Queen's Foundation for Ecumenical Theological Education in Birmingham and is on the advisory group on Race and Theology at the Society for the Study of Theology (SST). He is a consultant to the executive team of Lausanne Europe, advising them on matters related to diaspora ministries in Europe. He is on the Christian Aid working group of black majority church leaders exploring the intersection of climate justice and racial justice.

Hil is responsible for all things people and culture here at the Evangelical Alliance. She is passionate about establishing the Evangelical Alliance as a great place to work, championing its ethos, culture and values. She joined us from the world of education, where most recently, she set up and led the HR function across a group of four London schools following an 18-year career break. In addition, she brings almost 30 years of experience of leading churches with her husband Jem prior to his sudden death in November 2020. She is a self-declared chocoholic, charity shop addict and loves to play and watch netball. She is happy to be the mum of the office especially now her four grown-up children have all left home!

Danny joined the Evangelical Alliance in 2008 and has held a range of roles in the advocacy team. He currently leads the advocacy team's work across the UK, including public policy work and engagement with the parliaments and assemblies, and respective governments. Before working for the Evangelical Alliance, Danny, who has degrees in politics and political philosophy, worked in parliament for an MP. Danny is passionate about encouraging Christians to integrate their faith with all areas of their life, especially when it comes to helping them take on leadership roles outside the church, and helped initiate the Evangelical Alliance's Public Leadership programme. He frequently provides comment on current political issues, both in Evangelical Alliance publications and to the press.

Alicia joined the Evangelical Alliance as head of public policy in August 2021. Since then, she has worked on a range of issues from asylum resettlement, refugee integration, poverty relief and religious freedom in the UK and overseas.

Alicia leads the advocacy team’s parliament and Whitehall engagement and is focusing all legislative engagement this year on three core themes: dignity, freedom and justice.

David Smyth is head of Northern Ireland and coordinates the Public Leader: Northern Ireland course. He is a former solicitor and represents the Evangelical Alliance on a range of government, civic and charitable forums. He serves in the space where faith, law, politics and culture intersect.

Tim Rowlands is head of Evangelical Alliance, Wales, and senior pastor of Festival Church, with congregations in North Wales, mid-Wales and Chester. He is married to Emily, has four adult children and enjoys music, poetry, and mountaineering.

Emmie joined the team in 2023 as maternity cover for the role. Emmie is passionate about sharing the name of Jesus and previously worked in York , equipping churches across the North East to reach university students with the gospel as part of her work with Fusion Movement. Since moving to London, she has been making her way through West End shows & loves finding new parts of the city to explore.

Jo is the director of communications and engagement at the Evangelical Alliance. She has been involved in local church and national ministry for over 20 years, serving on leadership teams as well as planting churches in London and France. With an MA in public relations and public communications, she teaches, writes and preaches regularly on communications, culture, whole-life discipleship, mission and leadership. Jo leads the Being Human project with Peter Lynas, co-authoring Being Human: A new lens for our cultural conversations and co-hosting the Being Human podcast.

Rachael worked for British Youth for Christ for 13 years, most latterly as corporate director within the leadership team before working for four years with the Diocese of Ely as youth adviser – developing training, resources, and strategy for equipping churches in their outreach to young people. Rachael is married to Darren and lives in Ely, Cambs with her two sons, Jacob and Isaac. She is passionate about evangelism, mission, and church unity, and is very involved in her local church – overseeing the youth work and ministry to teenage girls in particular. She is a trained coach and mentor, loves travel, languages, shoes, and is a reluctant soccer-mum!

Phil Knox is an evangelism and missiology senior specialist at the Evangelical Alliance and is trying to be a good friend. His book on the subject, The Best of Friends, was published on 16 February 2023. You can read his first book, Story Bearer at www.storybearer.com

Lydia joined the Evangelical Alliance on the graduate scheme in October 2024 and works on the Being Human team. She studied fashion and textiles at university and previously worked in the fashion industry. Lydia is involved in varying ages of children’s work at her church and wants to see her generation come to know and love Jesus.

Katherine is part of the Being Human team. She became a Christian while at drama school and has since been passionate about reaching young adults with the gospel. She feels called to equip the church in evangelism and speaking into cultural issues, including sexuality and relationships.

Danny joined the Evangelical Alliance in 2008 and has held a range of roles in the advocacy team. He currently leads the advocacy team's work across the UK, including public policy work and engagement with the parliaments and assemblies, and respective governments. Before working for the Evangelical Alliance, Danny, who has degrees in politics and political philosophy, worked in parliament for an MP. Danny is passionate about encouraging Christians to integrate their faith with all areas of their life, especially when it comes to helping them take on leadership roles outside the church, and helped initiate the Evangelical Alliance's Public Leadership programme. He frequently provides comment on current political issues, both in Evangelical Alliance publications and to the press.

Alicia joined the Evangelical Alliance as head of public policy in August 2021. Since then, she has worked on a range of issues from asylum resettlement, refugee integration, poverty relief and religious freedom in the UK and overseas.

Alicia leads the advocacy team’s parliament and Whitehall engagement and is focusing all legislative engagement this year on three core themes: dignity, freedom and justice.

Dawn McAvoy leads Both Lives, a UK-wide initiative advocating for both lives in every pregnancy. Both Lives champions laws that protect, services that enable and a culture that affirms women and children pre- and post-birth.

Lisa has a dual role at the Evangelical Alliance as the Northern Ireland administrator and Both Lives research and communications assistant. She has a degree in Law and holds a Masters in Children's Rights. It was there that she discovered a love for justice and advocacy and began to explore what it means to pursue this wholeheartedly. Lisa is married to Jordan and lives in Newtownabbey.

Chris joined the Evangelical Alliance as public policy officer for Scotland in 2021. In this role he represents our membership of churches, organisations and individuals to the Scottish Government and Scottish Parliament, seeking to make Jesus known. He has also completed the Evangelical Alliance's Public Leadership programme. Previously, Chris worked in the Scottish Parliament. He is originally from Northern Ireland and completed degrees in both Geography & Politics and Public Policy in Scotland, and is a massive West Ham United fan (champions of Europe 2023). He is married to Eilidh.

Damilola is the Evangelical Alliance's advocacy engagement lead.

Mark serves as the policy advisor at the Evangelical Alliance. He has worked in both the House of Lords, House Commons and as a parliamentary officer to the Christians in Parliament All Party Parliamentary Group.

He is interested in the role of faith in public life, Jesus’ call to social justice and all things policy. When he isn’t talking politics, he enjoys theatre, singing and a good run!

Zanna joined the Evangelical Alliance in October 2023 as the advocacy researcher and administrator. She previously worked at Christians Against Poverty in their Bradford office. Zanna loves Jesus and has a keen interest in public policy and politics. She is delighted that she can combine these passions in this role. Having grown up in London, Zanna is enjoying being back in the city, exploring the many parks in her local area and spending lots of time with friends, old and new.

Rev Dr Israel Oluwole Olofinjana is an ordained and accredited Baptist minister and has led two multi-ethnic Baptist churches and an independent charismatic church. He is the founding director of Centre for Missionaries from the Majority World, a mission network initiative that provides cross-cultural training to reverse missionaries in Britain. Israel is an honorary research fellow at The Queen's Foundation for Ecumenical Theological Education in Birmingham and is on the advisory group on Race and Theology at the Society for the Study of Theology (SST). He is a consultant to the executive team of Lausanne Europe, advising them on matters related to diaspora ministries in Europe. He is on the Christian Aid working group of black majority church leaders exploring the intersection of climate justice and racial justice.

Rani Joshi lives in London and leads our South Asian Forum. Coming from a Hindu Gujarati background, Rani found faith in 2012 through an encounter with the Holy Spirit. She studied marketing and media and spent over 15 years in marketing working for various industries and businesses. Whether initiating a singles ministry in her church for those seeking community, contributing to the Race Equality Advisory Group for the Diocese of Coventry, serving for several years as part of the prayer ministry team or on the Parochial Church Council and deanery synod in her church, Rani has a heart to serve and draw people closer to Jesus. Rani is also involved in a prophetic mentoring group and mentors with Rise Women’s Network.

Passionate about sharing her faith, Rani launched ‘Couch Conversations with Rani’, a podcast aiming to normalise being brown and a follower of Jesus. Outside of her roles, Rani enjoys writing poetry, reading, traveling, being creative, growing vegetables, appreciating good music and food, and connecting with others to hear their stories.

Born and raised in south-east Asia, Eunice came to the UK as an international student. She loves learning and has a degree in biblical and intercultural studies. She's passionate about global Christianity, contextual discipleship, inner healing, prayer, hospitality and mental health. She enjoys helping people discover who Christ has made them to be, learning about different cultures (including learning new phrases and trying all kinds of food!), and is married to a fellow ‘Third Culture Kid’.

David Smyth is head of Northern Ireland and coordinates the Public Leader: Northern Ireland course. He is a former solicitor and represents the Evangelical Alliance on a range of government, civic and charitable forums. He serves in the space where faith, law, politics and culture intersect.

Dawn McAvoy leads Both Lives, a UK-wide initiative advocating for both lives in every pregnancy. Both Lives champions laws that protect, services that enable and a culture that affirms women and children pre- and post-birth.

Lisa has a dual role at the Evangelical Alliance as the Northern Ireland administrator and Both Lives research and communications assistant. She has a degree in Law and holds a Masters in Children's Rights. It was there that she discovered a love for justice and advocacy and began to explore what it means to pursue this wholeheartedly. Lisa is married to Jordan and lives in Newtownabbey.

Laura joined the Evangelical Alliance in 2023 as church engagement co-ordinator. She has a background in teaching and has spent time working in the charity sector. Having been very involved in her church growing up, she has a great love for the church in Northern Ireland and desires to equip church leaders with tools and resources to help make Jesus known. Laura lives just outside Moira with her husband, Gary and three children.

Tim Rowlands is head of Evangelical Alliance, Wales, and senior pastor of Festival Church, with congregations in North Wales, mid-Wales and Chester. He is married to Emily, has four adult children and enjoys music, poetry, and mountaineering.

Klara lives in mid-Wales with her husband and three children. She has been in ministry for over 20 years in South Africa and the UK. She began working for the Evangelical Alliance in September 2023, and also works part-time as an operations manager. Klara is passionate about the local church and making Jesus known in every community. Klara has a degree in theology as well as a master's degree in practical theology.

Miriam is our church engagement co-ordinator in Wales

Kieran joined the Evangelical Alliance Scotland team in 2012. Prior to this he worked for MSPs at the Scottish parliament for three years, with spells in both Edinburgh and Inverness. Before this he spent a number of years working in youth and community work in the housing estates of his native Glasgow. Kieran helps the Evangelical Alliance provide support and encouragement to churches, organisations and individual Christians trying to engage with wider Scottish society.

Chris joined the Evangelical Alliance as public policy officer for Scotland in 2021. In this role he represents our membership of churches, organisations and individuals to the Scottish Government and Scottish Parliament, seeking to make Jesus known. He has also completed the Evangelical Alliance's Public Leadership programme. Previously, Chris worked in the Scottish Parliament. He is originally from Northern Ireland and completed degrees in both Geography & Politics and Public Policy in Scotland, and is a massive West Ham United fan (champions of Europe 2023). He is married to Eilidh.

As membership engagement and communications assistant, Susana enjoys finding creative ways to share what the Scotland team is doing and connecting with churches, organisations and individuals across Scotland.

Originally from Northern Ireland, she moved to Scotland to study French and Modern History at the University of St Andrews. Susana joined the Evangelical Alliance through its graduate scheme and has since taken on her current role.

Ben is the head of church unity and also leads soulcity church, Stockport, which he planted in 2017. He is unapologetically passionate about the local church, reaching people far from God and seeing the movement of Jesus reproduced in others. He also loves good coffee, falling off surfboards and getting lost on mountains.

Mark is part of the unity team with a focus on the East Midlands. Alongside this he leads a church in Nottingham. He is part of the Ground Level Network national team and he runs their leadership and theology training course. Mark also helps oversee the unity prayer movement Nottingham City Prayer. He has a passion to see the local church equipped and empowered, working together for the sake of the kingdom. In whatever spare time is left he is a keen follower of sport and loves a good game of tennis.

Kevin is part of the unity team with a focus on South West England. Alongside this he also leads Gateway Church in Cornwall, which covers three locations and a large community centre. He is also the South West Regional Coordinator for The Elim Pentecostal Church. He is passionate about seeing unity amongst communities through the outworking of the Gospel and equipping people to rise up and become disciple makers. He classes his main hobbies as dog walking and being a Cambridge United fan.

Chris is the regional unity champion for the Yorkshire and the Humber region. He is also the lead elder at Gateway Church, Leeds. He serves leaders more widely as the UK team leader for ChristCentral churches. He has an MA in Mission and Leadership, an MSc in Senior Leadership and is a chartered manager. He is also co-author of Leadiagrams: 52 Visuals to Help You Thrive in Your Faith and Lead Effectively.

Kate joined the Evangelical Alliance in 2024 as part of the unity team. She previously worked for a school, organising trips and events. Kate leads the music ministry at her local church in Stockport alongside her husband Toby. She studied at The Royal Northern College of Music where she gained a degree in popular music. Kate loves singing, eating out and exploring new places.

From working as a finance officer to embracing a new calling to share Jesus, Ada is on an amazing journey of walking by faith. She spends her time balancing life between her family, sharing the good news, working passionately for unity in churches and supporting her husband in their delightful Italian bakery in Stockport. She also enjoys gardening, salsa dancing and cherished moments with family and friends.

Kieran joined the Evangelical Alliance Scotland team in 2012. Prior to this he worked for MSPs at the Scottish parliament for three years, with spells in both Edinburgh and Inverness. Before this he spent a number of years working in youth and community work in the housing estates of his native Glasgow. Kieran helps the Evangelical Alliance provide support and encouragement to churches, organisations and individual Christians trying to engage with wider Scottish society.

Rani Joshi lives in London and leads our South Asian Forum. Coming from a Hindu Gujarati background, Rani found faith in 2012 through an encounter with the Holy Spirit. She studied marketing and media and spent over 15 years in marketing working for various industries and businesses. Whether initiating a singles ministry in her church for those seeking community, contributing to the Race Equality Advisory Group for the Diocese of Coventry, serving for several years as part of the prayer ministry team or on the Parochial Church Council and deanery synod in her church, Rani has a heart to serve and draw people closer to Jesus. Rani is also involved in a prophetic mentoring group and mentors with Rise Women’s Network.

Passionate about sharing her faith, Rani launched ‘Couch Conversations with Rani’, a podcast aiming to normalise being brown and a follower of Jesus. Outside of her roles, Rani enjoys writing poetry, reading, traveling, being creative, growing vegetables, appreciating good music and food, and connecting with others to hear their stories.

As membership engagement and communications assistant, Susana enjoys finding creative ways to share what the Scotland team is doing and connecting with churches, organisations and individuals across Scotland.

Originally from Northern Ireland, she moved to Scotland to study French and Modern History at the University of St Andrews. Susana joined the Evangelical Alliance through its graduate scheme and has since taken on her current role.

Jo is the director of communications and engagement at the Evangelical Alliance. She has been involved in local church and national ministry for over 20 years, serving on leadership teams as well as planting churches in London and France. With an MA in public relations and public communications, she teaches, writes and preaches regularly on communications, culture, whole-life discipleship, mission and leadership. Jo leads the Being Human project with Peter Lynas, co-authoring Being Human: A new lens for our cultural conversations and co-hosting the Being Human podcast.

Hailing from the sunny countryside of the Cotswolds, Tim joined the Evangelical Alliance in 2016. He previously worked for Onelife Leadership and was self-employed as a freelance web designer. He is a huge fan of technology, any sport, and could be the world's biggest extrovert. Tim has been designing websites since the age of 12 and now looks after the digital world of the Evangelical Alliance, including this website.

Before joining the Evangelical Alliance in 2022, Nicola had a broadcasting career that spanned over a decade at the BBC. Nicola is also the author of Victory Is My Name, a faith-based autobiography. As well as writing, Nicola is passionate about mentoring, outreach ministry and serving the underserved and volunteers as a befriender twice a week. She has also completed Level 1 in Christian British Sign Language.

Before joining the Evangelical Alliance, Kitan worked in administration at her mum’s private podiatry clinic. She is passionate about scriptwriting, music and travelling. In her free time, she likes to volunteer on the worship and production team at KXC (King’s Cross Church) and spend quality time with her family and friends.

Paul brings over five years of experience in digital marketing and serving on his local church’s production team. This combination of skills fuels his enthusiasm for supporting the mission and ministry of the Evangelical Alliance.

Beyond his passion for media production, Paul enjoys connecting with community groups and addressing local needs. His diverse experiences include teaching salsa dancing at university, co-leading a running group in Headington, and volunteering with Homeless Oxfordshire.

Bryony joined the Evangelical Alliance in 2024. Before that she worked in communications for Wycliffe Bible Translators and as a project manager for a translation agency.

At university she studied German, followed by an MA in literary translation. From novels, podcasts and plays to comics, films and video games, Bryony loves a good story in any form.

Hailing from the sunny countryside of the Cotswolds, Tim joined the Evangelical Alliance in 2016. He previously worked for Onelife Leadership and was self-employed as a freelance web designer. He is a huge fan of technology, any sport, and could be the world's biggest extrovert. Tim has been designing websites since the age of 12 and now looks after the digital world of the Evangelical Alliance, including this website.

Ellie joined the Evangelical Alliance in August 2018 after spending the last few years working in the social and criminal justice sector. Ellie enjoys serving on the prayer team at her church and discovering secluded pockets of London or frequenting old haunts to enjoy good food and coffee.

A Londoner born and raised, Hannah joined the Evangelical Alliance in 2019 having previously worked for the NHS and her local church. She is passionate about studying the Bible and serving in the student ministry at her church. Hannah loves heritage and museums from studying archaeology at university and has a masters degree in museum studies. She also likes tea, books and long walks in the countryside. Hannah is part of the membership team at the Evangelical Alliance and enjoys her work with churches and organisations.

John joined the Evangelical Alliance in October 2021, after serving as Coordinator of Merton Street Pastors for 11 years. John lives in South West London with his wife and three children. He is passionate about God, people and sports with a particular love for seeing the Church working together in unity to transform the community.

John has studied Computer Science and Theology; worked for IT companies and charities, so is hopeful he can use all his experience to help his colleagues make the most of the new CRM system.

Chrisma joined the Evangelical Alliance in 2024 as part of the membership team. With years of experience in the dental sector, she followed her passion for software development and design, bringing a unique skill set to her role. Chrisma loves connecting with people and serving wholeheartedly, reflecting her faith and commitment to helping others. Outside of work, she cherishes time with her family and enjoys long drives.

John joined the Evangelical Alliance in June 2022 as the director of finance and operations following 12 years on the leadership team of Frontline Church in Liverpool. As well as responsibilities for services and worship, John was also the CEO of the trust behind the church which gave him primary responsibility for finance, operations and governance. John is the founding trustee of Imagine If Trust and loves creating structures that enable people to bring their best and most transforming contributions. John is married to Nicky and they have three children and four grandchildren – ‘Grampa’ is definitely one of John’s favourite titles! John loves playing golf, watching football and playing guitar.

Wendy has a deep love for the UK church, a passion for unity and a desire for God's people to follow in His footsteps and live abundantly generous lives. Her previous roles in finance, current role as Head of giving with the Evangelical Alliance and co-pastor of a fantastic church, alongside serving as a trustee for Regents Theological College, continue to provide ample opportunity to see the blessing, Kingdom growth and changed lives that generosity facilitates as articulated in her book, Generous with a capital G.

Jon joined the Evangelical Alliance in 2019 having previously been at New Wine and a small accountancy firm prior to that. He manages the finance team and is responsible for ensuring the money in and out is recorded correctly. Jon is on several teams at his local church and has served at the Soul Survivor summer events either in the chat room or on the prophecy team.

Rachel Walker has spent her life trying to figure out what following Jesus looks like. In recent years she has been increasingly captivated by God's heart for justice and the hope and joy he gives in the most challenging of circumstances. She currently works in the Evangelical Alliance's people and operations teams, and is the co-author of The Hopeful Activist. She loves golden retrievers, well-told stories and a good cup of tea. She finds the latter difficult to locate in London, where she lives with her husband, George.

Jorien moved from the Netherlands to London in 2015 as a missionary and started working part time for the Evangelical Alliance in 2024. She loves getting to know our member churches and charities when they come to use our meeting rooms.

She is married to Enoc, who is from Chile, and they are both active with a mission organisation in Camden and Hackney Wick. Jorien leads the outreach and evangelism ministry there. She has a big heart for counselling and seeing people heal as they get closer to God.

Hil is responsible for all things people and culture here at the Evangelical Alliance. She is passionate about establishing the Evangelical Alliance as a great place to work, championing its ethos, culture and values. She joined us from the world of education, where most recently, she set up and led the HR function across a group of four London schools following an 18-year career break. In addition, she brings almost 30 years of experience of leading churches with her husband Jem prior to his sudden death in November 2020. She is a self-declared chocoholic, charity shop addict and loves to play and watch netball. She is happy to be the mum of the office especially now her four grown-up children have all left home!

Rachel Walker has spent her life trying to figure out what following Jesus looks like. In recent years she has been increasingly captivated by God's heart for justice and the hope and joy he gives in the most challenging of circumstances. She currently works in the Evangelical Alliance's people and operations teams, and is the co-author of The Hopeful Activist. She loves golden retrievers, well-told stories and a good cup of tea. She finds the latter difficult to locate in London, where she lives with her husband, George.