Gavin Wakefield is a priest in the Diocese of Durham, seeking to support the ministry of the local church through leading worship, teaching, mentoring, spiritual direction, writing and encouraging pilgrimage. His previous roles include parish ministry in South Yorkshire and Essex, being Deputy Warden and the mission tutor at Cranmer Hall, Durham for over ten years, and more than twelve years as Director of Training for Missional Ministry for the Diocese of York. In these roles he has lived and worked in both urban and rural parishes, and in deprived and more affluent places. A particularly formative experience was church planting in a former mining area on the edge of Rotherham. Much of his ministry has involved encouraging the formation of lay and clergy people, and he sees his writing as part of that. He has written books and articles on a variety of subjects, such as knotty issues in evangelism, the origins of Pentecostalism in the UK, and the development of mission in the North East of England.
Working ecumenically is another theme running throughout his ministry: Gavin was very involved with local ecumenical groups in his parishes. His teaching and mentoring work at Cranmer Hall was done alongside Methodist and Roman Catholic colleagues and students and gave him insight and sympathy into those traditions, even while rooting him more firmly within Anglicanism. He had the privilege for five years of being a co-opted member of the Council for Christian Unity (a Church of England body connecting with other denominations), which gave him much greater awareness of how churches are working together at all levels in this country. Recently, Gavin and his wife were visiting chaplains for a month in Assisi, Italy. Besides learning more about the Franciscan tradition initiated by saints Francis and Clare they were welcomed into numerous ecumenical and international settings, which gave a valuable outside perspective on their ministry in the North East of England. This ecumenical perspective has informed his books on saints in the North East and in Yorkshire.
Prior to ordination Gavin studied mathematics at Durham University and went on to teach mathematics in a large Comprehensive school in Derbyshire. He still enjoys keeping up with popular insights on science and mathematics, and he has continued to examine the relationship between science and Christian faith. He loves to spend time off investigating old and interesting places, whether that’s from home in Durham or abroad, seeing connections and quirkiness wherever possible. Other hobbies include hill walking, gardening, and choir singing. He is married to Fran, who is a priest. They have three daughters and six grandchildren, who bring much joy to their lives.
