Profiles of the Speakers P

The Revd Canon Professor Leslie J. Francis (Ph.D., DLitt, ScD, DD, FBPsS, FAcSS)

Leslie J. Francis is a well-established Anglican priest and theologian who has combined an academic career with parish ministry. He works as an Empirical Theologian, integrating social science perspectives within a theological framework. He is particularly concerned with the theological nurture of Christian disciples and the formation of Christian leaders. He oversees a BTh in Theology for Discipleship in Newfoundland and a Postgraduate and Postdoctoral Learning Community for clergy in England.

His academic career has been recognised by higher doctorates in theology from the University of Oxford (DD), in psychology from the University of Cambridge (ScD), and religious studies from the University of Wales (DLitt). Currently, he is Professor of Religions and Education at the University of Warwick. He also holds visiting positions in South Africa and Canada.

He has published widely on clergy work-related psychological health and professional burnout. His research also includes work on rural Anglicanism, church schools, Catholic priests, Methodist ministers, Anglican clergy, church leavers, religious education, preaching, ministry with children and young people, and Anglican cathedrals.

Ordained deacon in 1973 and priest in 1974 he served as curate in a ‘London over-spill’ town in Suffolk (Haverhill from 1973 to 1977). In 1977 he took up an academic appointment with the Westminster Medical School in London and became an early House for Duty priest serving two parishes in rural Suffolk (1977 to 1982). Subsequently he has served as House for Duty priest in the Diocese of Gloucester and then as assistant priest in the Dioceses of Oxford, St Davids and Bangor. Between 2002 and 2017 he served the rural parish of Llanedwen on Anglesey. He has been Canon in the Diocese of St Davids and the Diocese of Bangor, and currently serves as Honorary Distinguished Canon in Manchester Cathedral and as Canon Theologian in St John’s Cathedral Newfoundland

Pastor Hartness M Samushonga (MA)

Hartness M Samushonga is a bivocational minister and church planter with many years of pastoral and ministry leadership experience. He has served as pastor and senior leader of Millennium Harvest Church in Hull since its inception over a decade ago. Prior to this, he served in various ministry roles at local and national levels of a church denomination. Hartness has a wealth of leadership and management experience in the cooperate world, which is largely within the Health sector. He blends his cooperate and ministry experience, which has enabled him to be an effective ministry leadership consultant for a number of ministries in the UK and abroad.

After completing undergraduate theological studies at Mattersey Hall Bible College, Hartness subsequently studied and completed an MA in Theology (Christian Leadership) at Moorlands School of Theology in Gloucestershire. Hartness is an emerging practical theologian and academic whose interest is Bivocational Ministry and burnout in pastoral ministry. He is a published author of a devotional book; Lighting Up the Dark Tunnel Moments and a number of academic peer reviwed journal articles on Bivocational Ministry, Bunrout in Pastorra Ministry, Diaspora Missiology and Leadership and Management.

Amongst entrepreneursip, management and leadership attainments, Hartness is an Alumnus of Harvard University’s Harvard Kennedy School - Executive Education in Leadership Decision Making. He is currently undertaking doctoral research in Theology.

He is married to Fungi and together they have two children

The Revd Canon Dr. Susan Helen Jones

Susan H Jones is a priest and the current Dean of Liverpool in the Church of England. She was previously Dean of Bangor from 2011 to May 2015 and Director of Mission and Ministry in the Diocese of Derby from May 2015 to 2018. Dr. Jones was ordained in the Church in Wales as a deacon on 24 June 1995 and priest on 12 January 1997. Before her appointment as dean, she was a chaplain at Swansea University and director of studies at St. Michael's College, Llandaff. In September 2011, she became the first woman to be appointed a dean in the Church in Wales when she was made Dean of Bangor and was, therefore, its most senior female cleric.

Dr. Jones studied at Trinity College Carmarthen, graduating with a Bachelor of Education (BEd) degree in 1992 and a Master of Philosophy (MPhil) degree in 1994. From 1993 to 1995, she trained for Holy Orders at Ripon College Cuddesdon, an Anglican theological college near Oxford. She later undertook postgraduate studies at the University of Wales, Bangor, and completed her Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) degree in 2002. Her doctoral thesis was titled "The personality profile of Anglican clergy 1992-1996".

Pastor Doug Williams (MTh)

Doug is the Senior Pastor at Emmanuel Community Church with many years of pastoral and minister leadership experience. Doug was converted to Christ in 1978. He quickly became actively involved in children’s and youth ministry for a group of local churches. He then went on to become the main communicator for the outstanding London gospel band, ‘Paradise.’

Doug has subsequently spent many years in church-planting and pastoral work in South London and involved in a number of ministry facets. Doug served for ten years with the National Assemblies of God General Superintendency team and is a well-respected minister. He has a burden for the whole body of Christ and as a result travels internationally to the USA, Africa, India and the Caribbean speaking at pastor’s conferences and local church teaching seminars. Doug is a much sought after motivational Conference speaker, worship leader and musician.

He studied for a pastoral diploma at Christian Life College and earned his Bachelors and Masters degree at Spurgeon’s College, London. The church he leads has recently opened a school and has a great focus on loving God passionately, building church biblically and serving the community relevantly

He is married to Joan and they have four children.

Dr. Shingi Albert Munyeza

Dr. Shingi Albert Munyeza is a visionary leader, harnessing decades of experience as an influential entrepreneur and an African Christian businessman; to transform the lives of those around him. Grounded in his faith as a Christian Pastor since 1992, Dr. Munyeza’s ultimate goal is to leave the world a better place for those he serves. Built up from this strong Christian base, are his academic and professional backgrounds in Leadership, Business, Accounting, Marketing and Hospitality.

With decades of a strong Christian base, coupled with professional and leadership skills, Shingi Albert Munyeza continues to contribute to the socio-economic growth of Zimbabwe and sub-Saharan Africa. Following his resignation from African Sun Limited, Shingi Albert Munyeza pioneered international food franchises into Zimbabwe, boosting the visibility of other businesses and therefore customer service, engagement and productivity. Under the guidance of Shingi Albert Munyeza, his holding company, Vinal Investments has partnered with Africa’s biggest Entrepreneurship Incubator Raizcorp, set up to provide a structured, guided platform for young entrepreneurs’ success in Zimbabwe as of January 2019. Raizcorp Zimbabwe is a world-class incubation programme, accelerating success amongst young entrepreneurs; training corporates to think more entrepreneurially; educating school children to become more entrepreneurially minded; assisting clients and developmental agencies to set up entrepreneurial infrastructure at country level.

Shingi Munyeza’s continued work with young people and young entrepreneurs emanates from his strong Christian base as a youth Pastor from 1992 to the year 2000. He has since led, influenced and transformed the lives of increasing numbers of not only youth, but of all those around him. His Pastoral journey continued on as a Lead Pastor of the local town, Mbare, in the year 2000, to be a Senior Pastor of Faith Ministries, one of the leading denominations in Zimbabwe. From 2014 to 2018, Shingi Munyeza was elected as the President of the Evangelical Fellowship of Zimbabwe. Faith Ministries has over 50 congregations in Zimbabwe, and the Evangelical Fellowship of Zimbabwe has over 500 denominations countrywide.

In recognition of his business, leadership and ingenuity in economic growth, Dr. Munyeza was awarded amongst other numerous awards, a Lifetime Leadership Achievement Award by the Zimbabwe Institute of Management in 2017; the Most Influential Entrepreneur after Independence by Empretec Zimbabwe in 2013; an Honorary Doctorate in Business Administration and Development from Solusi University; and is a recipient of ‘Investing in Zimbabwe’s future’ Corporate Social Responsibility Award by the American Business Association of Zimbabwe (ABAZ), just to name a few

Dr. Shingi Albert Munyeza is married to Wilma Munyeza and has one daughter, Nomsa Munyeza.