Revd Will Donaldson

Director of Christian Leadership

BA, MA

Will Donaldson is Director of Christian Leadership at Wycliffe, teaching in areas of practical ministry and church leadership. He became a committed Christian at 13 through a summer camp and sensed God's call to full-time church leadership while at Cambridge University studying History. He trained at Ridley Hall and did the Theology Tripos, and then served curacies in Everton (UPA) and Reigate (Surburban). He was Vicar at the Easton Christian Family Centre in Bristol for 9 years, an inner-city and multi-cultural parish, where he led a staff team of 8, including Youth workers, Community workers and Asian Outreach workers.
 
His second incumbency was at St John's with St James, West Ealing, where he was vicar for 9 years. He led a staff team of 10, and developed community outreach through Soul in Ealing (working on local estates), the Ealing Soup Kitchen (working among the Homeless), and Sports Ministry (Tennis, Netball and Football clubs). He developed 'Fresh expressions of Church' through a Cafe Church and a Youth congregation.  He was also Chaplain at Ealing Police Station and Director of Ordinands for the Willesden Area of the London Diocese. His church took a group to the New Wine summer conferences each year.
 
He is passionate about training and equipping Church Leaders for ministry and mission in our contemporary world. He believes that the local Church, proclaiming the Gospel in the power of the Spirit, is the hope of the nations. He wants the Church to be faithful to the Bible and radical in its application! He wants to see multi-cultural churches engaging relevantly with post-modern culture, and Christians making a difference in areas of injustice, poverty and the environment. He believes in the dynamic partnerships of Word and Spirit, worship and teaching, preaching and healing, evangelism and social change.
 
He is married to Ruth, a Primary Teacher and Church Family Worker, and they have 4 children: James, Ellie, Katherine and Ben. He loves travel and exploring other cultures, is member of the National Trust and is avid Man Utd fan!

God has a leadership role in some degree for each of us. We need to seek his will with all our hearts, to cry to him to give us a vision of what he is calling us to do with our lives and to pray for grace to be faithful in obedience to the heavenly vision.
 
John Stott, A Call to Christian Leadership in Issues facing Christians Today