0300 040 6200
Faculty
At WTC, we’ve worked hard to reimagine the classroom experience around our vision to bring together the best of academic scholarship and the vibrant life of the Spirit. Our Faculty members are there to help you make the connection between all of life and the Kingdom of God.
WATCH: Our Faculty Factoids!
OUR SENIOR ACADEMIC TEAM
Lucy Peppiatt
PhD
President
Systematic Theology
and Spiritual Formation
Systematic Theology
and Spiritual Formation
Lucy is the President of WTC, following her role as Principal from 2013-2024, and she teaches Christian Doctrine at WTC. She holds bachelor's degrees in both English and Divinity. She completed her MA in Systematic Theology at King’s College, London, and her PhD through the University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand. She also holds the position of honorary lecturer in the School of Divinity at the University of St Andrews. She and her husband, Nick Crawley, founded Crossnet Church where they still serve as guardians and which is part of the 24-7 Prayer Communities Network.
Prof Ben Blackwell
PhD
Principal
Professor of Early Christianity
Professor of Early Christianity
Ben is a Professor of Early Christianity and Principal of WTC. Before becoming Principal, he joined the staff as Vice Principal in 2023. He completed his PhD at Durham University, ThM at Dallas Theological Seminary, an MBA from Henderson State University, and BAs in Accounting and Biblical Languages at Ouachita Baptist University.
Freddy Hedley
PhD
Dean of Studies
Old Testament
and Biblical Hebrew
Old Testament
and Biblical Hebrew
Freddy is Dean of Studies and teaches Old Testament and Biblical Hebrew. He holds a BA in History and English Literature, a PGCE in History, an MA in Kingdom Theology, and a PhD in Hebrew Bible from Kings College London. His research interests include: Hebrew poetry, especially lament poetry; exilic biblical literature; and the theological traditions of creation and covenant.
OUR UK-BASED TEACHING FACULTY
(In alphabetical order)
Ali Blacklee Whittall
PhD Candidate
Research Methods
and Old Testament
and Old Testament
Ali teaches Research Methods and Old Testament at WTC. She holds a BA in Art History with English from the University of Glasgow, and a Graduate Diploma and MA in Kingdom Theology from WTC. Ali is now a PhD Candidate in Old Testament at the University of St. Andrews. Before starting her PhD, she taught English, Literacy Skills, and Study Skills in various schools and colleges, including Study Skills at WTC.When not studying she loves art making, swimming, and enjoying the countryside on her mountain and road bikes.
Roger Ellis
MA
Ecclesiology and
Church Planting
Church Planting
Roger teaches Ecclesiology as part of the GradDip in Church Planting & Leadership. Over 40 years Roger has pioneered in leadership, being involved in starting Churches, national Christian movements (including 24-7 Prayer and Fusion), and Fishing businesses. In several of these contexts he has been involved in healthy succession, enabling him to move forwards and the teams behind to flourish. Over the last decade Roger has led the 24-7 Communities network team as the network has been formed recently handing the leadership to Alain Emerson.He spends his time coaching leaders, church teams, supporting church networks, writing, and where possible fishing. He’s also on the board of Westminster Theological Centre where he lectures, his passion being Church, Leadership, Theology and Ecclesiology. Roger is part of the leadership team in Revelation Church. He’s married to Maggie, and they have two children who are now grown-ups!
Alain Emerson
MDiv
Ecclesiology and
Church Planting
Church Planting
Alain teaches Ecclesiology as part of the GradDip in Church Planting & Leadership. Alain has a Masters in Divinity from Union College Belfast and an honours degree in Information Management from Queens University, Belfast. Alain leads a church in Lurgan, Northern Ireland, called Emmanuel Church out of which a growing movement and family of churches as been birthed called Tobar. He is passionate about the expansion and establishment of the local church. Alain has been leading church for almost 20 years and spends most of his time inputting into churches, raising and multiplying leaders, developing a vision for city-wide impact and encouraging the planting of new churches. He is also the leader of 24-7 Prayer in Ireland and the author of 'Luminous Dark' (2017). He is married and has three children.
Canon Andrew Goddard
PhD
Christian Ethics
Andrew teaches Christian Ethics on the MA Programme. He is a Senior Research Fellow of the Kirby Laing Institute for Christian Ethics based in Cambridge where he was previously Associate Director. He is also Adjunct Assistant Professor of Anglican Studies at Fuller Theological Seminary, Pasadena, California. He has been Tutor in Christian Ethics at Trinity College, Bristol (2008-2013) and also taught at Wycliffe Hall, Oxford and was a member of the Faculty of Theology in Oxford University, (1999-2008). He is now living in central London where he is Assistant Minister at St James the Less, Pimlico and where his wife, Lis, is vicar.
Tessa Hayashida
PhD Candidate
Systematic Theology
Tessa teaches Systematic Theology at WTC. She holds a BA in Biblical and Theological Studies with an emphasis in Classics from Biola University, and an MA in Classical Theology, also from Biola University. She is currently completing her PhD in Divinity at the University of St Andrews. Her doctoral research focuses on the transfiguration scene and transfiguration theology in the Gospel of Luke. She lives in St Andrews with her husband, Sam, where they enjoy hosting and cooking for their friends and exploring the beauty of Scotland together.
Kenny Innes
MA
Spiritual Formation
Kenny teaches Spiritual Formation at WTC. He holds a BA in Film and Media Studies with English Literature from the University of Stirling and a Graduate Diploma and MA in Kingdom Theology from WTC. He has been in pastoral ministry for 23 years, first as a worship pastor and now as the Teaching and Preaching Pastor at Falkirk Vineyard Church. He also hosts the TheoDisc podcast for WTC. Kenny’s MA dissertation focussed on human empowerment by the Spirit in the Old Testament, particularly in the book of Judges, and his interests include the relation between human and divine spirit and how Spirit Christology informs our understanding of sanctification. Kenny lives in Falkirk with his wife Sandra who is a Spiritual Director, and their two children.
Jack Johnson
PhD
Systematic Theology
Jack teaches Systematic Theology at WTC. He holds a BA(Hons) in Christian Theology and Politics from Liverpool Hope University, an MLitt in Systematic and Historical Theology from the University of St. Andrews and recently completed his PhD in Divinity, also at St. Andrews. As well as working for WTC he was the administration manager of Storehouse St. Andrews, Project manager for Amperative and President of Liverpool Hope Students Union. He lives in Bristol with his wife Caitlin. Jack has held teaching responsibilities at the University of St. Andrews and Kaplan International College. His research interests focus on divine being; especially, divine attributes, time and eternity, theological language, Trinity and prayer.
Tamara Knudson
PhD
Old Testament
Tamara teaches Old Testament at WTC. She holds a BA from Multnomah University, an MLitt from the University of St Andrews, and recently completed her PhD in Biblical Studies, also at the University of St Andrews. Her work focuses on literary analysis of the Old Testament, with particular attention to the portrayal of female characters, intertextuality, and oaths and vows as poetic devices. She is married to Ethan, and they have one daughter, Eilidh. As a family, they love the outdoors and the joy of a good book.
Diane Lincoln
PhD
Research Methods
Diane teaches on the Research Methods module alongside being the Director of Student Services. She holds a BA degree in Cross-Cultural Ministry from Bushnell University and an MA from Fuller Seminary in Intercultural Studies. She completed her PhD in Theology from Exeter University in 2019, looking at theological motivations in missional and emerging church literature and how those were expressed in church plants in the UK. Diane lives with her husband in Gloucester where she is involved with Gloucester Vineyard Church.
Jared Michelson
PhD
Systematic Theology
Jared teaches on the module God through the Ages at WTC. He is a research fellow at the University of St Andrews and an ordained minister in the United Free Church of Scotland. He and his wife Becky have two young daughters. He has a BA in Bible and Church History from the Masters College, and an MLitt and PhD in Divinity from the University of St Andrews. He writes on matters broadly related to constructive systematic theology and is the author of ‘The Doctrine of God and the Crisis of Modernity’.
Roger Mitchell
PhD
Political Theology
Roger is a lecturer in political theology. His many years as church planting evangelist, strategic prayer mobiliser and reconciliation facilitator left him with serious theological and political questions that he pursued in his PhD published as Church, Gospel and Empire: How the Politics of Sovereignty Impregnated the West (Wipf & Stock, 2011). He is currently an honorary post-doctoral research fellow in the Centre for Alternatives to Social and Economic Inequalities at Lancaster University. He also convenes the Ashburnham Kingdom Theology Research Collective and is lead editor of The Kenarchy Journal (www.kenarchy.org) Roger has a BA in English with Religious Studies, an MA in International Literature and Society and a PhD in Religious Studies. His most recent publications include Cultivating New Post-secular Political Space (Routledge, 2019), his novel, The Day of the Labyrinth (TopHat books, 2023) and 'Kenosis or Sovereignty: Christ Jesus and the Disclosure of the Divine Mind' (The Theology Journal, Sage, 2024).
Prof Andrew Parker
PhD
Servant Leadership
Andrew teaches Servant Leadership. He is a freelance leadership consultant with specific expertise in the 1-1 coaching of high-level leaders. Between 2008-2018 he was Professor of Sport and Christian Outreach at the University of Gloucestershire and prior to this he was Associate Professor at the University of Warwick (1999-2008) where he completed his PhD. He also fulfils academic duties at Ridley Hall, Cambridge, St Padarn’s Institute, Cardiff, the University of Bath, and the University of the West of England (UWE). With over 200 published articles, working papers and commissioned reports to his name (including 11 co-authored/edited books), Andrew is an established academic who has a reputation as an effective leader and communicator and whose work is accessible to a wide audience.
Sarah Shin
PhD
Church Planting and
Reformation History
Reformation History
Sarah teaches the modules 'Charismatic Evangelism & Church Planting' and 'The History of the Reformation' at WTC. She holds the following degrees: BS and Master in City Planning from MIT, an MA in Theology from Gordon Conwell Theological Seminary, an MLitt in Analytical and Exegetical Theology from University of St. Andrews, Scotland, and a PhD in Divinity from the University of Aberdeen. Research interests include atonement, pneumatology, ecclesiology, theologies of race, and ethics. Sarah was formerly the Associate National Director for Evangelism for InterVarsity Christian Fellowship, USA, where she oversaw the contextualized evangelism tools that were developed for students and faculty. She is the author of 'Beyond Colorblind' (IV Press, 2017), and teaches a video course at Northern Seminary along the themes of the book. She, her husband, and daughter live in Aberdeen and are part of Catalyst Vineyard Church.
Sydney Tooth
PhD
New Testament
Sydney teaches New Testament at WTC. She holds an MTheol from the University of St Andrews and an MTh and PhD in New Testament Literature, Language, and Theology from the University of Edinburgh. Her research interests include early Christian eschatology, apocalyptic texts, and the Pauline epistles. Sydney was previously Director of Postgraduate Studies and Lecturer in New Testament and Greek at Oak Hill College in London and has also taught at the Faith Mission Bible College in Edinburgh. She is a co-host of the Two Cities Podcast, which focuses on theology, culture, and discipleship. Sydney, her husband, and their two young children live in north London and are members of their local Anglican church, where Sydney leads a theology group and occasionally preaches.
Christina Walker
MA
Communication
Christina has been with WTC for over 10 years and is a visiting lecturer in Voice and Communication at Wycliffe Hall, Oxford. She has also taught at Ripon College; Oak Hill, North London; Regent’s Theological College, West Malvern; Trinity College, Bristol and Prisca Preaching. She works with private clients wanting to improve their presentation and vocal skills. Christina is also a Minds Practitioner for Nudge Education, mentoring young people who are out of school, and works for SKY Autism Support, engaging with adults who find socialising a challenge. She trained in Musical Theatre and has 40 years’ experience in professional theatre, TV & radio.She trained in Musical Theatre and has 30+ years’ experience in professional theatre, TV & radio.
Alister Wallace
PhD
Old Testament
Alister teaches Introduction to Old Testament on our BA Programme. He studied for a degree in Public Policy and Management at the University of Ulster and then one in Divinity at Union Theological College. He also has a MTh and PhD from Queen’s University Belfast. He regularly works with missions organisations in ‘Access Restricted Nations’ in Asia training pastors and teaching OT. He is a Pastor with Christian Fellowship Church in Northern Ireland and currently Co-leads their Antrim site with his wife Ruth.
Asia Williamson
DMin
Spiritual Formation & Leadership
Asia teaches Spiritual Formation & Leadership at WTC. She is co-founder and co-director of One Rock International and the founder and of SheLives. She is half Polish and half German. Prior to deciding to work full time for a Christian ministry, Asia worked for Polish government and was responsible for European Union integration and has training in diplomatic protocol. Over the last 20 years she has travelled to over 40 countries around the world training leaders, coaches and mentors. Asia is a Global Catalyst for Lausanne Movement in the area of Leadership. She is a lecturer at William Carrey International University in California and the director of MA in Public Service Leadership at Waverley Abbey. Asia and her husband, Mark, have been involved in leading a Fresh Expressions church for over a decade.
OUR INTERNATIONAL GUEST LECTURERS
(In alphabetical order)
Amy Brown Hughes
PhD
Early Church History / Patristics
Amy teaches Patristics at WTC. She is an assistant professor of theology at Gordon College. She received her PhD in historical theology with an emphasis in early Christianity from Wheaton College and is the author (with Lynn H. Cohick, Denver Seminary) of 'Christian Women in the Patristic World: Their Influence, Authority, and Legacy in the Second Through Fifth Centuries' (2017). Her research interests include Eastern Christianity, trinitarian and christological thought, Christian asceticism, theological anthropology, and highlighting the contributions of minority voices to theology, especially those of women. She is also a co-host for the theology stream of the biblical studies and theology podcast OnScript.
Paulus de Jong
PhD
New Testament
Paulus teaches the Gospel of John at WTC. He was born in the Netherlands, lived in Scotland between 2016-2024, and has recently returned to his home country. He holds a BA in Theology from the Vrije Universiteit in Amsterdam, a ministry degree from the Dutch Baptist Seminary, and an MLitt and PhD in Biblical studies from the University of St Andrews. His research interests include (1) scriptural reuse in NT writings; (2) ethics & torah practices of early Jewish-Christian communities; (3) anything to do with John's Gospel. Besides his work at WTC, Paulus is a lecturer in Biblical studies at the Dutch Baptist Seminary/Free University (Amsterdam) and at Windesheim University of Applied Sciences (Zwolle). He is married and has two daughters and a son.
Revd Bob Ekblad
PhD
Missions & Social Justice
Bob teaches missions and social justice at WTC. He is a theologian and missionary. He has spent more than 40 years in international mission and is particularly passionate about working with the poor and ethnic minorities. Bob holds a ThD in Old Testament. He is an international speaker and has authored nine books including 'Reading the Bible With the Damned' (2005), 'A New Christian Manifesto' (2007), 'The Beautiful Gate' (2017), and 'Guerrilla Gospel' (2018) and Guerrilla Bible Studies, Volumes 1-4. Bob co-founded Tierra Nueva and The People's Seminary together with his wife Gracie. Through Tierra Nueva, Bob and his wife Gracie run the Certificate in Holistic Liberation: Word, Spirit, Street.
Peter Hartwig
MPhil
Theological
Anthropology
Anthropology
Peter teaches 'On Being Truly Human' (Theological Anthropology) at WTC. He currently serves as Chaplain at Christ School in Asheville, NC - a boys’ boarding school affiliated with the Episcopal Church. Peter was an Echols Scholar at the University of Virginia, receiving his B.A. with highest honors in Religious Studies & Classics in 2016. He then went on to receive masters degrees from the University of Cambridge (Theology, Religion & Philosophy of Religion) and Princeton Theological Seminary (Master of Divinity). His interests include Pentecostalism, the History of Doctrine, and the relationship between knowledge & suffering. His work has appeared in Comment Magazine, BitterSweet Monthly, The Hedgehog Review, and Earth & Altar.
Jasper Knecht
PhD
Systematic Theology
and Church History
and Church History
Jasper teaches Christian Doctrine at WTC. He grew up in the Netherlands, and completed his BA in Theology and Biblical Studies at the Evangelische Theologische Faculteit (Evangelical Theological Faculty) or ETF in Leuven, Belgium. He completed his MPhil and PhD at the University of St Andrews, Scotland. His interests include the history of doctrine, and particularly the development of Christological thought in the Patristic era, Late Antiquity, and the Early Medieval Church. Jasper is married to Stefania and is a big fan of classical music. Besides his work at WTC, he works with a Christian think tank in Austria.
Prof Scot McKnight
PhD
New Testament
Scot McKnight teaches New Testament at WTC, beginning September 2025. He has a bachelor's degree in history, a master's degree in the New Testament, and a PhD from the University of Nottingham in Theology (1986), where he studied under Professor James D.G. Dunn. Scot has published widely, with particular research and writing interests in Jesus in his Jewish world. Scot and Kris have been married more than fifty years, they have two children and two grandchildren. They are avid sports fans and love to go for long walks, chatting and birdwatching. Scot is a Canon Theologian for Bishop Todd Hunter in the Anglican Churches of North America diocese, Churches for the Sake of Others (C4SO).
Bev Murrill
DMin Candidate
Transformational
Leadership
Leadership
Bev teaches transformational leadership at WTC and has a Masters in Global Leadership from Fuller Theological Seminary. She is currently a doctoral student. Bev has 40 years of leadership experience and is a consultant and mentor for church and charity sectors. An author, pioneer and innovator, she has founded several projects, including Kyria Network for women leaders, Cherish Uganda, and the church planting organisation now known as Skylark International.
Prof Jason Myers
PhD
New Testament
and Biblical Greek
and Biblical Greek
Jason Myers is Professor of New Testament at Gordon College in Massachusetts. Jason received his Ph.D. in New Testament from Asbury Theological Seminary in 2015. His research interests include the social world of the New Testament, Romans and Galatians, and Rhetorical Criticism of the New Testament. His interest in the Apostle Paul has led to numerous presentations, and teaching in India, Nigeria, Estonia, Turkey, Italy, and England. He is the co-author of four books including Voices and Views on Paul (IVP, 2015) Paul of Arabia (Cascade, 2020), Rhetoric, History, and Theology (T&T Clark, 2022), and New Testament Rhetoric (Cascade, 2022), numerous academies articles, and his dissertation, Paul, The Apostle of Obedience: Reading Obedience in Romans was published with T&T Clark in 2023. He is also the co-editor of the Proclamation: Preaching the New Testament commentary series with Cascade Publishing and currently working on a commentary on Colossians and Philemon for that series. More recently, he published three articles in the landmark 2nd edition Dictionary of Paul and His Letters with Intervarsity Press. Jason is married to his wife Lisa and they have two children.
Tobias Siegenthaler
PhD
New Testament
and Missiology
and Missiology
Tobias grew up in Switzerland surrounded by mountains and nature. After completing school his interest for theology was awakened by reading Bonhoeffer’s letters from prison. In the following years he studied theology and completed an apprenticeship as a metal-worker. For some time he worked in construction and later for several years caring for migrants from different backgrounds. Next to that he was employed by different churches, which formed his understanding of ministry. He recently completed his PhD, which focuses on how the gospel of Luke picks up patterns from the Joseph-narratives in Genesis to tell the story about Jesus. In his leisure time he still enjoys nature and sports.
Prof Steve Watts
PhD
Church History
Steve teaches church history and spirituality. He is Assistant Professor of History and Dean of the Chapel at Crandall University, Moncton, and is the primary History Distance Education Instructor for Regent College, Vancouver. He received his PhD in Mediaeval History at the University of St Andrews and was a postdoctoral fellow at the Pontifical Institute of Mediaeval Studies in Toronto. He graduated from Regent in 2010 with an MCS in Interdisciplinary Studies. He presently lives in Moncton, New Brunswick, Canada, with his wonderful wife and four bright-eyed children.
Aaron White
MA
Biblical Justice
Aaron has served as the National Director of 24-7 Prayer Canada and has a Master's in Theological Studies from Tyndale Seminary. He has been a pastor, missioner, justice worker and prayer instigator in the Downtown Eastside of Vancouver for the past 21 years, where he lives with his wife and five children in a community home. He is currently the director of the Deep and Wide Academy, an online resource library and academy for the spiritually seeking. Aaron is the co-author of 'Revolution' and 'The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Kingdom of God'; co-creator 'The Creative Way Down' discipleship resource; has a chapter in the upcoming book "Need to Know: Empowering Female Leadership and Why It's Essential for the future of the Church"; and author of 'Recovering: From Brokenness and Addiction to Blessedness and Community'.
Explore our programmes to find one that best suits you!
VALIDATED PART-TIME PROGRAMMES
NON-VALIDATED
The 2-year CertHE is for those with no prior Higher Education experience who would like to go deeper in their faith.
The full 6-year BA(Hons) degree programme is ideal for those with no prior Higher Education experience.
The 2-year GradDip is for those without a theology degree. With optional Church Planting and Leadership track.
The MA, with taught modules taken over 2 or 3 years, is for those who already have a degree or GradDip in theology.
The 1-year Foundations Course is for those who wish to explore the foundations of the Christian faith.