Last week, Bishop Steve was pleased to announce our new diocesan manager: Graeme Mitchell. 

Graeme, also known as “Mitch” to many, is based in Christchurch. Bishop Steve described him as someone with “a deep and contagious faith, a passion for mission, and strong governance and management skills”. 

For the past few days, Graeme has been introducing himself around the office and getting to know the team. Now let’s get to know him!

What’s your personal background?

Graeme: My story actually begins in Blenheim, where my Dad was born and I spent many occasions visiting my grandparents there. I also have close family friends in the Awatere Valley which has been like a second home for me over the years.

I grew up in New Plymouth and I started my faith journey through the St Mary’s Anglican Cathedral there. 

I spent my high school years as a boarder at Nelson College, loving the outdoors and tramping around the region, but at the time wasn’t quite so animated about being required to attend the Cathedral every Sunday in our suits and boaters!

My faith really became a personal relationship with Jesus when I was at Lincoln College. I then spent the next seven years involved and then leading Scripture Union beach missions at Kaiteriteri over the Summer New Year season. Funnily enough it's where my future wife Jane and I reconnected after initially meeting years earlier!

We married in 1990 and have lived in Christchurch for all our married life, now having three adult children, and we attend our local Anglican church. 

What sort of work have you been involved in?

Graeme: I’ve never regarded my jobs as work, but always as a calling. 

I’ve contributed to the lives of at-risk people on the streets using horticulture as a rehabilitation tool through the Salvation Army, been general manager of a Christian Māori trust providing second-chance training especially via environmental projects, then for the past 20 years served as the general manager for the Archer Trust ministering in residential care and retirement village living. 

I took an “early retirement” last year to follow another passion I have. For the past 14 years I’ve been building relationships and initiating village-church development projects in Fiji. Since 2012 I’ve been leading short term mission trips for anyone wanting to experience an adventure and learn about missions and ministry. 

My interest in missions has also grown through being a board member of NZCMS for 12 years and chairperson since 2020. Finally, added to this, Jane and I are involved in a local community trust in Shirley where we live. The trust was born out of our church as a way to help bring God’s love to a troubled suburb. 

Now, 25 years later, with much prayer and through the efforts of many wonderful people – including 250 volunteers – the trust has been instrumental in helping to develop a more connected community while slowly growing faith for some.

What drew you here, to the Nelson Anglican Diocese?

Graeme: A number of things.

I really like what the diocese stands for. It's about mission and evangelism and discipleship.

When I asked Bishop Steve what his vision was for this diocese, he said to me that it is to take “church outside church”.

I really like the idea of the church not looking inward, but looking outward. The light looking into the darkness of those who haven't had the opportunity to come to know Christ.

Around that time, my wife happened to muse to me about how light isn't effective in light. Light is effective in darkness, like “church outside church”.

And I then realised I’d pinned a Scripture to the wall above my desk, months ago: “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” John 8:12.

And I saw the light of life was like the church outside church: the light penetrating the darkness.

That was what I liked about the Nelson Diocese. It’s all about church looking outside to the community, bringing Christ to the people that everyone comes into contact with every day in an intentional way.

Looking ahead – what’s the plan for now?

Graeme: It's early days, and while I feel this is where God's called me, we need to discover if the people feel that I'm the right person to be part of this team.

So far, I've loved every moment of it. Loved everybody I've talked to, and what they’re all about. It’s been even better than I thought.

At this early stage in the role, while living in Christchurch, I want to get to meet as many people in the diocese as possible. So I plan to be in Nelson each week this month – except for the week of the synod, where I’m looking forward to meeting everyone in Greymouth. It’s a different way of managing an organisation by commuting to Nelson on a regular basis. Yet with technology and Zoom there is a lot we can do from remote locations. 

I look at the vastness of this diocese and already how much everyone embraces Zoom for meetings to improve efficiencies and save on travel time and costs. Over time I will assess with Bishop Steve how it’s working for us all and continue to discern God’s leading in this style of management delivery. 

My passion is to serve God’s mission in whatever situation it may be.

I am a visionary, strategic thinker, and see our challenges as merely an opportunity for God to lead in growth and sustainability. All this needs to be encompassed in guarding the vision and values of the diocese, developing strong relationships, and building a culture that we all feel valued and excited to be contributing to.

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We also talked about his hopes for the diocese going forward, and Graeme had an inspiring vision to share. But I’ll let him explain that in Kōrero next week!