Our Pastoral Team

Our Pastor

Paul and Irene Mears

I was born in England but as a child spent a number of years living in Belgium, as my father worked for Nato. Through his work I met people from many different nations, giving me a love for different cultures and far off lands. At the age of 13, my parents sent me on an educational cruise with my school around the Mediterranean, which had a profound effect on me, particularly visiting Egypt and Israel.

For 17 years I followed a career in IT and age 27, whilst working hard in the financial sector of London, I had a radical conversion experience which completely transformed my life.

In 1990 I encountered my wonderful kiwi wife Irene, who was on her OE. She providentially needed a boost of cash and had to stop to work in London. As a consequence, we met and fell in love after meeting one another at our local church. A joint love for Jesus, mission, travel, adventure and long distance walking helped bond us together.

In 1999 I stopped my job and with Irene and our firstborn son John, we set off across the channel to spend the next 20 years church planting in northern France and eventually, helping support a network of church planters in Belgium and southern Holland.

In 2019 we returned to England to be with our two youngest children who wanted to study in there. In February 2024 we packed our suitcases once again to come and live in Kerikeri.

Irene is a local girl and was born in Kaeo. She studied in Auckland and after working in marketing left NZ at the age of 25. We have three lovely children, John (aged 29), Christiana (aged 23) and David (aged 20).

I have a wacky sense of humour and am a geography geek.

Our Elders

Our elders and pastors meet regularly to oversee the spiritual well-being and growth of the church.

Pastoral Assistant

Kerikeri is my home, my turangawaewae, and it is here I spent the majority of my childhood.

In my early teenage years through my father’s new found faith, I discovered that God was indeed real. That hope was to stay within me even though I had turned my back on Him and went my own way.

When my life, devoid of any real purpose, finally just didn’t make sense anymore, I returned once more to the One who could restore me - Jesus.

At the age of 33, I graduated with a Bachelor of Education (Primary) at Bethlehem Tertiary Institute. After my study was complete, for the last 8 years, I have lived with my wife Kendal on the Thai /Myanmar border, training the refugees how to be teachers, as well as building primary schools in the jungle regions.

As we are unable to return to Myanmar currently because of a military coup, we have been graciously offered an opportunity to serve with Kerikeri Baptist Church.

OUR DEACONS

The team of deacons supports the practical areas of our busy church life.

other team members