12 Influential Faith Leaders in Queensland 2026

Last updated: August 2026.

Queensland’s religious life is carried by many traditions, institutions and community networks. This recognition directory highlights 12 current faith leaders whose public roles help people understand that wider landscape, from statewide church bodies to interfaith groups and local places of worship.

The list is intentionally broad. It includes leaders whose roles are based in Queensland, lead Queensland organisations or connect Queensland faith communities through shared work. Read each profile as a useful starting point, then follow the linked organisation page for the latest detail.

1. Abdul Aziz Khan

President, Islamic Council of Queensland

Abdul Aziz Khan is President of the Islamic Council of Queensland, a role that places him in the public leadership of one of the state’s broad Muslim community bodies. The council’s current site connects his presidency with community conversations, youth leadership and statewide representation.

He belongs on this Queensland list because the role is both faith-specific and community-facing. Readers looking for a clearer picture of Queensland’s religious landscape can start with the council’s own current work, rather than assuming that one mosque or one city speaks for every Muslim community. Read the current ICQ leadership and news page.

2. Gail Paratz OAM

Chair, Queensland Faith Communities Council

Gail Paratz OAM is a current Queensland faith and community leader whose work connects Jewish community representation with interfaith networks. Queensland Government material places her in the state’s multicultural advisory conversation, while the Queensland Police Service’s advisory profile identifies her as chair of the Queensland Faith Communities Council.

That combination makes her a useful person to know when the topic is faith leadership across Queensland rather than leadership inside one denomination. Her public work helps show how community representation, interfaith relationships and broader civic conversations can overlap. Read the Queensland Government’s current advisory profile.

3. Jason Steinberg

President, Queensland Jewish Board of Deputies

Jason Steinberg is President of the Queensland Jewish Board of Deputies, the state’s recognised roof body for Jewish community representation. The board’s current pages show a leadership role that includes public communication, community representation and engagement with Queensland’s wider civic life.

He is relevant to a broad Queensland faith leadership guide because the role is representative as well as organisational. It gives readers a way to understand Jewish community leadership through a current state body, without reducing the community to a single congregation or suburb. Read the board’s current leadership page.

4. Calvin Yu

President, Buddhist Council of Queensland

Calvin Yu is President of the Buddhist Council of Queensland. The council describes itself as a statewide body that brings Buddhist centres and societies together, represents different traditions and contributes to public conversations where Buddhist perspectives are needed.

His inclusion adds a statewide Buddhist voice to the guide, not just a single temple or local group. It also highlights a practical form of religious leadership: creating shared representation across a diverse network while keeping the traditions within that network visible. Read the council’s current committee and purpose.

5. Gurlal Singh

President, Brisbane Sikh Temple

Gurlal Singh is President of Brisbane Sikh Temple, a longstanding Sikh institution serving south-east Queensland. The temple’s current contact page places him alongside its other office holders and describes the organisation’s role as a primary place of worship and community life.

He is a useful inclusion because faith leadership is often lived through institutions that welcome people week after week. In this case, the leadership story is about stewardship of a place, a congregation and a public community presence. See the temple’s current office holders.

6. Emil Rahimov

Director for Ethnic and Multicultural Services, Queensland Baptists

Emil Rahimov is Director for Ethnic and Multicultural Services at Queensland Baptists. The role gives him a clear place in the movement’s statewide leadership and a specific brief connected with ethnic and multicultural communities.

He belongs in this guide because it shows how religious leadership can be both pastoral and organisational. A role like this sits at the point where a church movement’s internal life meets the practical work of serving communities with different languages, cultures and histories. Read Queensland Baptists’ current leadership page.

7. Rev Bruce Moore

Moderator, Uniting Church in Queensland

Rev Bruce Moore is Moderator of the Uniting Church in Queensland. The Synod describes the Moderator as the spiritual head of the Queensland church, with pastoral leadership responsibilities across the state and a current second term running to October 2029.

His role is a strong example of leadership that combines spiritual care with statewide responsibility. For readers, it offers a clear way into the scale and structure of a church that operates across many local communities rather than one central site. Read the Synod’s current leadership overview.

8. Archbishop Jeremy Greaves

Archbishop of Brisbane, Anglican Church Southern Queensland

Archbishop Jeremy Greaves leads the Anglican Church Southern Queensland as Archbishop of Brisbane and Metropolitan of the Queensland province. The church’s current leadership page records his installation in December 2023 and places him within the state’s Anglican leadership structure.

He is included for the reach and clarity of that role. Readers can see how a major Christian tradition is organised through an archbishop, regional bishops and local ministry, with the leadership page providing a current starting point for further exploration. Read the Anglican leadership page.

9. Archbishop Shane Mackinlay

Archbishop of Brisbane, Archdiocese of Brisbane

Archbishop Shane Mackinlay is the current Archbishop of Brisbane. The Archdiocese of Brisbane’s profile records his appointment as the seventh Archbishop in June 2025 and his installation in September 2025.

His inclusion gives the guide a current Catholic leadership perspective from one of Queensland’s largest religious organisations. The useful reader takeaway is simple: the archbishop’s page is the place to check the role, the timeline and the wider life of the archdiocese. Read his current archdiocesan profile.

10. Dr Kate Power

General Secretary, Queensland Churches Together

Dr Kate Power is General Secretary of Queensland Churches Together, an ecumenical body that brings churches into shared work across the state. The QCT site describes a model built around cooperation, relationship and common action rather than one denomination acting alone.

That makes her a valuable inclusion in a guide about Queensland faith leadership. The role shows the connective work that often sits behind public interfaith and ecumenical activity: keeping different traditions in conversation and helping shared projects move from intention to action. Read how Queensland Churches Together works.

11. Kym Korbe

Chair and Executive Officer, Uniting Church in Queensland Synod, Queensland Churches Together ATSICRG

Kym Korbe is Chair of the Queensland Churches Together Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Christian Reconciliation Group and Executive Officer of the Uniting Church in Queensland Synod. The QCT page places her in a role that joins church cooperation with a specific reconciliation focus.

She is included because this is leadership with a clear purpose, not just a title. It gives readers a practical example of how faith communities can create structures for listening, relationship and shared responsibility across Queensland. Read the QCT reconciliation group page.

12. Aunty Shirli Congoo

General Manager, Territorial Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Ministry Team, The Salvation Army Australia

Aunty Shirli Congoo is General Manager of The Salvation Army Australia’s Territorial Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Ministry Team. Her role appears in the current Queensland Churches Together reconciliation group material, connecting a national ministry responsibility with Queensland’s ecumenical conversation.

She belongs in this guide because it broadens the picture of religious leadership beyond senior denominational office. Her work sits at the intersection of ministry, culture and reconciliation, giving readers another way to understand how faith leadership can serve relationships across communities. Read the current QCT reconciliation group page.

A practical way to use this guide

A good next step is to move from the person to the organisation. Read the linked leadership page, look for the local community connected with the role and notice whether the leader’s work matches the kind of relationship or contribution you have in mind.

Faith leadership is not one job description. It can mean pastoral care, representation, reconciliation, education, community welcome or the patient work of keeping a network connected. That is why a useful directory needs more than one tradition or one type of institution.

If your organisation is working through a leadership challenge, I help leaders build organisations people would move cities to work at. You can read more about practical keynotes and workshops at Consult Clarity.

About this guide

This guide was prepared for readers who want a current, broad view of faith leadership in Queensland. Roles and organisations can change, so follow the linked first-party pages for the latest information.