The Profile

How did an atheist professor who wrote articles against evangelical Christians become one? In this week's episode Sam Hailes sits down with Rosaria Butterfield who describes her journey from being a liberal sceptic to becoming a Christian. Rather than a clean or easy process, she describes her conversion as "messy and dangerous." A significant part of Rosaria's journey involves her sexuality. From...

Andy talks with Richard Eason who after an early career in IT and technology became involved ‘social action’ including setting up YMCA Ashford, Kent, being chair of Ashford Together, the social action charity of Churches Together in Ashford, and serving as part of the leadership of Pneuma Church, Ashford. They discuss whether social action means missing out on sharing ‘the Gospel’? They also discu...

Pastor Agu has planted one of the biggest churches in the UK. If we want to see revival come, it’s time we took prayer and fasting seriously, but not religiously, says the Jesus House pastor in this interview with Heather Tomlinson. Recorded at the Alliance for Responsible Citizenship (ARC), a conference associated with Jordan B Peterson, Pastor Agu comments on broader societal issues, as well as...

Andy speaks with Phil Warren Rector of St. Lawrence Parish Church and St. Matthew’s Glass Church, Jersey to discuss about the challenges of building faith, family and community on the island. They look at how tourists to the ‘Glass Church’ have met with God and how he responded when his plans to develop church premises hit the local news, with many complaining at the prospect of change. The Profil...

Scottish-born priest Fr James Mallon wants to unlock 'radical change' in your parish. If we want our churches to grow, evangelism must be put back in the centre, and we must rely on the Holy Spirit to revive us again, he says. It's something he's learned from personal experience. As a child, Fr James assumed that God was distant. It was only when he had an encounter with the Holy Spirit that every...

Andy Peck talks with Emmanuel Mbakwe about ‘bi-vocational ministry’. Emmanuel has served as national leader of the Apostolic Church UK London as well as a consultant-leader in a wide variety of industries, sectors and organisations. He explains that he is really ‘uni-vocational’ – serving in both sectors as service to God and looks at how he is able to manage the workloads and challenges of the tw...

Joshua Youssef has dedicated his life to serving the persecuted Church around the world. In this in-depth interview with Premier Christianity's Sam Hailes, Joshua shares stories of Muslims in the Middle East who have found faith through dreams and visions. Joshua grew up in a strong Christian family (his father, Dr Michael Yousef, is the founder of Leading the Way and a previous guest on this show...

The world-renowned tenor Russell Watson never planned to be a recording artist, instead dreaming of football stardom as a young boy. “It was daydreams really. I was never any good,” he confesses. His rise to fame saw him move from imitating crooners in backstreet pubs to performing for the Pope, the late Queen Elizabeth II and two US presidents. Along the way, he's sold more than 7 million albums,...

2023...What a year it's been! We've heard from Boyzone's Shane Lynch, Bridgerton's Adjoa Andoh, Newfrontiers founder Terry Virgo and many more on The Profile podcast. But who would you like us to interview in 2024? In this brief message, our presenter and producer Sam Hailes explains how you can get in touch and recommend future guests.

Andy Peck welcomes John Wyatt (consultant and academic researcher) and Chris Goswami (strategic consultant, chaplain and pastor), men involved in the AI Christian Partnership to discuss what AI is and how it might affect us in the world of work education and church. What are the ethical implications and how can Christians ‘redeem’ this technology and utlise it for good ends? The Profile is brought...

Andy Peck talks to Richard Gamble, the founder of the Eternal Wall of Answered Prayer, about his vision to see a wall with one million answered prayers that will stand as a monument to God’s faithfulness in a land where he is too often forgotten. They discuss how he acted on what God had birthed within him and the challenges he has faced in bringing it to the point where the vision will soon becom...

Fergus Butler-Gallie: Confessions of a young priest God calls into ordained ministry those who he cannot save any other way. That's what Fergus Butler-Gallie was once told. It was a tongue-in-cheek remark, nevertheless, Fergus thinks there's something in it. The 31 year-old was ordained in his mid 20s and has since enjoyed a front row seat to the peculiarities and eccentricities which make up the...

Andy Peck talks to Steve Cockram, the Co-Founder of GiANT Worldwide and a director of GiANT London about a book written with his business partner Jeremie Kubicek, Cracking the Communication Code Unlock Every Relationship, One Conversation at a Time How do we ensure that we communicate well, and ‘unlock’ the code that will enable our daily interactions to move our work and relationships forward? St...

Devon-based Lucy Grimble has led worship at venues as large as Wembley Arena and The Royal Albert Hall and her fourth album, Between the Shadow and the Sun, was released in October. Here she speaks with Woman Alive's deputy editor Jemimah Wright about how she moved from being a private worshipper to leading thousands of others. This interview was also published as the cover story for December's Wo...

Andy Peck talks to Keith Foster, head of contemporary chaplaincy at Waverley Abbey College about the importance of chaplaincy at a time when many have little or no connection with a local church. They discuss how he became a chaplain at a local running club, what chaplaincy is and why so many are finding this a fruitful area of ministry. The Profile is brought to you by Premier Christianity, the U...

The CEO of the Christian charity, CARE, speaks to Premier Christianity's Sam Hailes about his life and faith. Ross Hendry was born in Wales, has worked for a trade union and held senior positions at a number of Christian charities. Opening up about the time he stood to be a Labour MP, Ross recalls the hostility he encountered from his opponents who portrayed his evangelical faith as something to b...

Andy Peck talks to Dan Blythe, Global youth director for Alpha International and has been involved in youthwork for 20 years including serving at Hillsong London. Dan Blythe is the co-author of Facing Fear 365 Daily reflections for hope, peace and courage. They talk of how he has overcome many fears as he has grown into leadership, and how church service styles may be a barrier for many young peop...

Kate Coleman never intended to become a Christian, yet alone blaze a trail for women in ministry. The first Black female minister in the Baptist Union, as well as the denomination’s first Black female president, when she was first asked to be a church elder (itself a miracle as her church had, up until that point, no women leaders) she was wary of saying yes. She knew God had called her, but was r...

Andy Peck chats with Major General Tim Cross (retired) about encouraging godly leadership as a lay Minister. Tim served in the British Army for 36 years, and they discuss his assessment of the Israel-Gaza conflict, the kind of leadership every Christian needs to bring and the tools he finds helpful in developing lay leadership. The Profile is brought to you by Premier Christianity, the UK's leadin...

This week on The Profile, Tony Wilson catches up with the church leader behind the #1 hit podcast, 'The Bible in a Year'. Fr Mike Schmitz explains how he came to faith, why he prays for church unity every week and gives his perspective on Pope Francis' recent comments on LGBT relationships. The Profile is brought to you by Premier Christianity magazine. Take out a print or digital subscription now...

Andy Peck chats with James Poch and Iman Spearman, both part of Regeneration Church, London. James is the pastor who founded the church with his wife, Ruth. Iman came to faith at the church and now leads worship there. They talk about James's book: Holy Grit: Gaining traction on life's journey with Jesus and why he believes discipleship needs to be at the heart of any local church's ministry. Iman...

Francis Spufford is a child of his times. He was raised on a university campus by “serious and convinced” churchgoing parents, in an era when Christianity was “taken for granted” as part of most people’s ordinary lives. His teenage years began two decades in which God was absent. In his 30s, Spufford committed what he calls a “classic, destructive male mistake of midlife”. He politely declines to...

Andy Peck chats with Terry English, director of learning and development for Josiah Venture, ‘a movement of God among the youth of Central and Eastern Europe that finds its home in the local church and transforms society’. They look at the world’s longest continuous study of leadership by Jim Kouzes and Barry Posner which has given rise to the five areas of exemplary leadership. What are they and...

Edward Stourton has been the main presenter of the BBC's Sunday programme for over a decade, and has worked in broadcasting for more than forty years, during which time he has been a foreign correspondent for the BBC, ITN, and Channel 4. In this in-depth interview with Premier Christianity's editor Sam Hailes, Edward recounts the highs and lows of his career, tells us about his Catholic upbringing...

Andy Peck chats with Shauna Pilgreen who has planted a church with her husband in San Francisco, known as Epic Church and is the author of 'Translating Jesus: How to share your faith in language today’s culture can understand' She shares stories from her own life in the US and they discuss so how do we make sure our faith does not sound like gobbledygook, to those outside the church? And why do ch...