A New Role: Director of Evangelistic Leadership

In 1974, while living in the Cook Islands with my teaching parents and two sisters, I first met Jesus. A friend, Bobby (Rangi) Moekaa, invited me to a Christian group that was run in the school by Brian Chitty (who happened to work with my parents in education). Brian shared the gospel based on the amazing prophetic statue in Daniel 7. Being a logical young lad, I reasoned that if God could predict through the OT prophets the world's empires up to Jesus, I should believe in him. I did and gave my heart to Jesus.

Things turned sour at home after this. My parents were not impressed, particularly my Dad. It didn’t help that I immediately tried to evangelise them. When your thirteen-year-old son shares the gospel with you, and you are fiercely antichristian as my Father was at that stage of life, it never goes well for the evangelizer. Long story short, my relationship with my Dad was wrecked, and, in tears, on my bed, I told God I could not follow him as I wanted in such a home and that I would follow him when I left home. Of course, I could have done so, but I did not have the capacity at that point.

For the next ten years, I lived a typical Kiwi boy’s life, seeking glory in sport, desperately wanting a girlfriend and failing, and getting into booze and other recreational drugs. When I was twenty-three, some ten years after my experience with Jesus, I began to experience deep disillusionment and uncertainty about the world and life. I lived with my girlfriend, had a flourishing sports career, and was a school teacher. But I began to feel lost. Looking back, I now know God was summoning me to honour my commitment to follow him when I left home. After several spiritual experiences, one night, it hit me like a lightning bolt—it’s God!

As that year progressed, I asked my girlfriend Emma to buy me a Bible for Christmas. We went away for the usual Boxing Day—New Year binge. Then, on New Year’s Day, 1985, I announced to my mates I was following Jesus. They were shocked, but I followed my nose (the Spirit would be more accurate). I found a Church where I felt God’s presence, St Columbus Presbyterian Church. Emma came along too, and we both gave our lives to Jesus.

We then went on the journey that continues today. We got heavily involved in evangelism with others in the church. We formed a band, Streetlight, which had over thirty people in it at one point. I wrote songs and dramas. We performed and preached in all sorts of places. We worked for our church in full-time evangelism from 1987–89.

Then, in 1990, painfully aware of how little we knew about Christianity, we followed God’s lead and went to study at Bible College of NZ (now Laidlaw College). We both got degrees and loved our studies. During our time at College, we had another evangelistic band, Won by One.

Then we went on a ministry journey and further training to be ordained. Since then, we have ministered in churches together. In 2004 I was offered a job at BCNZ in evangelism and worship, but I did not feel the time was right. Then, in 2005, I left church ministry in the formal sense and became a NT lecturer at Laidlaw. I have taught the NT always with the same evangelistic passion I had from the beginning.

A few years ago, I preached in the Journey Church. Terry Calkin approached me after the service offering the idea of the Kimberly Trust funding a position at Laidlaw College in evangelism. We formed a friendship and discussed ideas. He saw in me the person that would fill it. Over the last few years, Laidlaw and the Trust have worked together and made this a reality. Now, thanks to the Kimberley Trust, a position has been established at Laidlaw, which is named “Director of Evangelistic Leadership.”

As a result, as of July 1, 2023, I am in this role. It is fascinating to see the journey God has sent me on. In the eighteen years of biblical study and teaching, I believe God has equipped me to understand far better than I knew when I came to Laidlaw what it means to do evangelism in God’s way. I now understand better than I did the need to preserve the one true Gospel (found in Scripture and in the persons of our One Triune God) and yet share it in intelligent, imaginative, clear, and simple ways. I feel like God is saying to me, “You are now ready” to do such a role.

As such, I am uber-excited about the future. My job will involve establishing a centre for evangelistic leadership that will work in partnership with the Centre for Church Leadership. I get to help shape a curriculum that puts evangelism, apologetics, church planting, and church renewal at the center of the college. I get to research in this space, finishing some books I am writing on evangelism in the Scriptures and other things. With Emma and other great Christians, we have put together a new band, "Already Not Yet," and I get to rekindle my music career. Other potential ideas include a peer-reviewed yet accessible journal, podcasts, writings, and new resources in the evangelistic space. I get to network with other Kiwis doing amazing work and see further things develop. I am super passionate about NZ’s cultural diversity and rethinking evangelism for the nation's diverse people. I get to join other Kiwi Christians pondering how we engage with a world that is less and less interested in Christian ethics—how do we respond? Then there is the AI future that is now looming over us!

These are massive questions, and the church must do its best thinking while continuing the work of sharing the gospel to the world. And I get to be involved. What an honour!

This work will require great support. We need prayer warriors who will make it a priority to pray for the NZ church to become evangelistically renewed both in a passion for the gospel and new converts. We require financial support to ensure this is not just a short phase in Laidlaw’s history. We want evangelism, apologetics, church planting, and the renewal of churches in our DNA! I am looking for those who are already working in this space to make contact so we can talk and we can be mutually encouraged by one another and share spiritual gifts and thoughts together. Hallelujah! 

If you want to be involved in some way, you can contact me through my email mkeown@laidlaw.ac.nz. The Lord bless and keep you.