Tim Collins
I have been a Christian for over 30 years after attending Discovering Christianity classes at St Helens Bishopsgate in London in 1987. I needed to see that Christianity stacked up intellectually and those classes, together with reading Mere Christianity by CS Lewis, were game changers for me.
My wife Bronwyn and I were then mentored in our early years of marriage by a couple from The Navigators who showed us day by day what it looked like to live a victorious Christian life. We started attending Auckland Bible Church (ABC), and I was in Eldership for twenty years. In 2008 I became the Senior Pastor at ABC until 2019, when we moved to Tauranga to take up a new role.
Bethlehem Baptist Involvement
We have been at BBC for three years since our move south. We attend a home group, and I have preached a few times; plus mentor some young people. I believe we are called to serve as Christians, and it would seem to me that serving in Eldership plus preaching and mentoring is an excellent avenue to work out that call.
Family
Bronwyn and I have been married for 28 years and have three adult children. Beth and Hannah live in Tauranga, and Matthew is studying commerce at Victoria University in Wellington.
Employment
I am the General Manager at the Christian Education Trust (Bethlehem College, Bethlehem Tertiary Institute; Bethlehem Early Learning Centres). I have been very fortunate to have been able to study over the years and am a qualified Chartered Accountant with an MBA. When I became the Pastor at ABC, I also completed a Masters in Theology at Laidlaw/Carey Baptist in Auckland; and a Doctorate at Fuller Seminary in California. Without belittling study, which is a privilege and very valuable, I would add that the most profound thing I have ever read is, “Jesus loves me this I know – for the Bible tells me so!”