BA Staff

Peter Cooper
Undergraduate Programme Director, Head Office (Birmingham)

Peter has an undergraduate degree in Biblical Studies from University of Wales, Bangor, and a master’s degree in Biblical Studies from King’s College London. He is fascinated by New Testament manuscripts and the transmission of the New Testament. Peter has worked for the Abernethy Trust in Scotland and as a church youth worker in Poole, Dorset. Prior to joining ForMission, he worked at Bournemouth University, then at the University of Birmingham. Peter is married with two young daughters. On the rare occasions that he has free time he likes mountain walking. Peter is an Accredited Member of the Association Higher Education Professionals (AMAHEP).

Gabriel Yidana
Missional Leadership Pathway Leader

Gabriel has a Master of Theology degree from the University of Wales, Bangor, and completed a doctorate in 2020 on ‘Chaplaincy and Pentecostal Missiology’ from University of Chester, UK. His research focused on how chaplaincy ministry could serve as a missional model to enable Pentecostals to engage with traditional leadership. He is an ordained minister and has worked for the Assemblies of God in Ghana and England since 1993. Gabriel has been involved in church plants and theological education for over 20 years. He is currently the senior minister of Good Shepherd Church – Leeds, and a member of some theological associations in Africa and Europe. Gabriel is married with four children and his interests include football and gardening. Get Gabriel’s latest book here.

Tyler Patty
European Missional Leadership Pathway Leader

Tyler holds an undergraduate degree in Bible and Youth Ministry from Moody Bible Institute, and a master’s degree in Old Testament and Semitic Languages from Trinity International University. Strongly influenced by his childhood as a third culture kid in the Czech Republic, Tyler returned to Central Europe as an adult to train and release emerging leaders to participate in the mission of God. In addition to leading the European Online Campus, Tyler works as the Director of Theological Education Projects with Josiah Venture. Tyler also serves as an elder in ClicKostel Church, an experimental community reaching unchurched youth. Among his research interests are Old Testament Theology, linguistic approaches to the Bible, and the relationship between ritual and spiritual formation. Tyler and his wife Lara live in Ostrava with their three sons, and enjoy hikes that include exploring castle ruins. Watch his podcast here

Kyle McKinnon
Youth Ministry Pathway Leader

Kyle first felt God’s tug on his heart for the vision of Reign Ministries while ministering to teenagers in Luton in 1994. His vision of bringing discipleship back to the heart of youth ministry was the impetus for the formation of the entire ministry. He has 25 years’ experience working with young people. Kyle directs the daily operations of Reign Ministries and oversees the team to work out the disciple-making vision.

Jennifer MacKay
Administrator

Jennifer is a graduate of Rhema Bible College in Tulsa, Oklahoma where she studied Youth Ministry and General Extended Studies. She and her husband have been missionaries to the UK since 2010. She helped plant GoChurch Bradford and is still heavily involved in running the church doing everything from administration to leading the weekly children’s programme. Jennifer is married with three young children. She enjoys spending time exploring the outdoors as a family, reading, and watching movies.

Paul Abell
Missional Leadership Tutor, Kingdom Faith Hub Leader

Paul has been working with ForMission since 2015, he has been the Senior Leader of Kingdom Faith Yorkshire since 2007 and is part of the National Leadership with Kingdom Faith. Previously, Paul was a Pastor in Kingdom Faith Horsham, including pioneering the children’s work, J24/:7 and GO Generation. His passion for education and equipping comes from nearly 30 years in church and educational leadership. In 2019 Paul achieved a distinction for his MA in Mission and Leadership, the title of his dissertation was: ‘Community on a Hill: The Journey of Kingdom Faith Yorkshire Towards Becoming a Missional Community That Cannot be Hidden.’ This focussed on how a local church can re-imagine itself to being vital in the neighbourhood, the journey from being an attractional congregation to being a missional Trinitarian community.

Nicole McKeever
Missional Leadership Tutor

Nicole is a former ForMission student, having received her MA in Missional Spirituality from the college in 2019. She is currently studying for her PhD in Applied Theology at London School of Theology, looking at food poverty in the UK. She has previously worked with and led various ministries at a local church level, including children, youth, student and women’s ministries. Nicole also holds an MA in Medieval and Early Modern History, with a focus on religious literature and medieval eschatological iconography. Her theological interests include missiology (with a particular interest in food, community and poverty), biblical studies, church history and systematic theology. She lives in London and enjoys making the most of the wide variety of restaurants available as she is a terrible cook.

Landen Llamas
European Missional Leadership Tutor

Landen has an undergraduate degree in Business Administration from California State University, Northridge and a master’s degree in Theology from Talbot School of Theology. His interests are in the areas of Biblical Hermeneutics, Biblical Theology and Systematic Theology. He has a passion for teaching and training up the next generation of Christian leaders in Central and Eastern Europe. He has also worked as the Camps Director for Josiah Venture in the Czech Republic training youth leaders to run Evangelistic English Camps. He is married and loves to surf, hike and drink tea with his wife in his free time.

Ewen Robertson
Missional Leadership Tutor

Ewen did his first degree, in history, at Reading University, and then worked full time with Campus Crusade for Christ (now called Agape in the UK) for two years amongst university students. Later he trained as a careers adviser and then worked for ten years in a Careers Company in Essex, initially as a careers adviser but from 1994-98 as Staff Development Manager for the organisation. Since 1998 he has been involved with Global Horizons, a trust overseeing a group of churches in the UK and USA and involved in global mission, outworking his dual passions for education/training with overseas mission. From 2001 to 2004 he was on the leadership team of New Life Church Dunstable and also worked as a part-time adult careers adviser and careers adviser at Cranfield and Luton Universities. From 2004 to 2009 he was Principal and Director of Training for the Bible College of Wales in Swansea and from 2009 to 2013, Director of Development for Trinity School of Ministry. Over the past twelve years he has made several trips to India, predominantly to teach and train church leaders and Bible college students. He has also been involved in similar work in South Africa, China, Thailand, Sri Lanka and Mongolia. His ministry has been enhanced by part-time study at Regents Theological College from 2004-2006 to obtain a MTh in Applied Theology and through undertaking part-time doctoral studies in the fields of theology and missiology, with the University of Wales from 2009 to 2014. He was awarded his PhD in 2014. Ewen enjoys playing tennis, jogging, fell walking, cooking, gardening, fine art appreciation and listening to a wide variety of music. He also enjoys films and the theatre.

Gail Scholes
Missional Leadership Tutor

Gail is a graduate of ForMission, completing a BA in Theology and Mission at the Manchester Campus in 2019, and her MA in Theology, Mission and Ministry from Luther King Centre in 2023. She is an ordained Baptist Minister, serving on the Ministry team of a local church, where she leads on pastoral care. Gail was born in Australia, moving to the UK in her 20s. She is married with 3 adult children, all of whom live with disabilities. Gail has previously worked in nursing and social care and was a specialist youth worker for 15 years. Gail has a passion for those on the margins and those who experience exclusion both in the church and in wider society. In her spare time, Gail enjoys tracing her family history in her spare time.

Jeremy Thomson
Missional Leadership Tutor

Jeremy’s first career was in electronic engineering in the field of medical x-ray diagnostics. Since his mid-twenties he has been an adult Christian educator, working in diverse formal and informal contexts for over forty years, aiming to build the Church and equip Christians for creative discipleship informed by enquiring Christian minds. Jeremy has a PhD in Systematic Theology (King’s College, London) and an MA in Biblical Interpretation (London Bible College). His theological interests include biblical studies and hermeneutics, systematic theology and ethics, church history, and practical theology (especially emotional literacy and pastoral care). Since retirement in 2017, he has completed co-supervising two PhDs, and continue to write books. Jeremy is a Senior Fellow of the Higher Education Academy. Get Jeremy’s latest book here.

Dan Yarnell
Missional Leadership Tutor & Staff Chaplain

Dan Yarnell has been involved in mission and theological education for over 25 years, teaching in various colleges in the Midlands. He has an MA in New Testament Studies from Lincoln Christian Seminary in Lincoln, Illinois, USA. He is currently the Birmingham Campus leader at ForMission College as well as a visiting lecturer at other theological colleges. He is the co-author of Celebrating the Small Church;, Power and the Powers: the Use and Abuse of Missional Leadership, Forming Multicultural Partnerships; and Missional Discipleship After Christendom. He was previously the National Coordinator of the Fellowship of Churches of Christ in Great Britain and Ireland and is now their National Ecumenical Officer. He has been involved in various church plants, and was for many years the Small Church Officer for the British Church Growth Association, developing resources to help smaller churches engage missionally in their ministry. He is married to Amy and they have two adult children and three grandchildren. They live in Redditch, Worcestershire, leading a mid-week church seeking to re-engage those who have become prodigals. Dan enjoys listening to and playing live music, watching films, supporting Aston Villa, cricket and long walks and good food with friends.