36 Best Thought Leaders in Christian Schooling AUNZ

Last updated: June 2026

If you lead a Christian school in Australia or New Zealand, the voices you follow shape how your school thinks about formation, leadership, culture, and purpose. The right influences sharpen your strategy, surface frameworks you had not considered, and connect you to a wider community of practitioners who understand what faith-based education is actually for. As of June 2026, the AUNZ Christian schooling sector represents one of the most dynamic and fastest-growing segments of independent education in both countries, with enrolment growth consistently outpacing the broader independent sector. The people on this list are the ones genuinely shaping how that growth is led, governed, researched, and sustained.

This list puts together 36 thought leaders who are actively contributing to the Christian schooling conversation in Australia and New Zealand right now. Rather than recycling the same handful of names that appear on every global Christian education list, this directory surfaces the voices who are specifically embedded in the AUNZ context, working inside the associations, colleges, schools, and institutions that Christian school leaders in both countries actually engage with. Each person was selected on the basis of verified current role, active public contribution to the field in 2025 or 2026, and substantive impact on how Christian schools think, lead, and operate.

The list spans association executives, researchers, principals, formation specialists, public theologians, and leadership consultants. It covers every major Christian school network in Australia and New Zealand, including Christian Schools Australia (CSA), the Australian Association of Christian Schools (AACS), Christian Education National (CEN), Associated Christian Schools (ACS), the National Institute for Christian Education (NICE), Laidlaw College, and the New Zealand Association for Christian Schools (NZACS). If you are a principal, board member, or school executive looking to know whose work you should be reading and whose thinking belongs in your formation diet, this is your starting point.

To book a facilitator for your next leadership team session, offsite, or Working Genius workshop, reach out to Jonno White at jonno@consultclarity.org. Jonno is a Certified Working Genius Facilitator and author of Step Up or Step Out (10,000+ copies sold) who has worked with Christian school leadership teams across Australia, New Zealand, and beyond.

Why Christian Schooling in Australia and New Zealand Matters

Christian schooling in Australia and New Zealand is not a niche segment of independent education. Together, the two countries are home to hundreds of Christian schools serving hundreds of thousands of students, and the sector has been growing steadily for more than a decade. In Australia, Christian schools operate under several distinct network umbrellas: CSA, AACS, CEN, ACS, and SCEA are among the most prominent, each serving different denominational streams and governance models, but all unified around the conviction that education is inherently a formational activity that cannot be separated from a coherent view of the world and of the human person.

The challenges the sector faces in 2026 are significant. Religious freedom legislation remains contested across multiple Australian jurisdictions, and the sector's ability to hire staff, govern schools, and maintain distinctively Christian culture is under ongoing legal and political pressure. Workforce shortages that affect the broader independent sector are felt acutely in Christian schools, where the requirement that staff embody the school's faith culture narrows the talent pool. And the rapid growth in enrolments, while a sign of genuine community confidence in the sector, creates its own pressures around infrastructure, governance capacity, and the risk that fast-growing schools lose the formational distinctiveness that made them attractive to families in the first place.

The thought leaders on this list are the people grappling with these pressures honestly and constructively. They are building frameworks that give Christian school leaders language to hold formation and excellence together. They are advocating in parliaments and media for the sector's right to exist on its own terms. They are training the next generation of teachers, principals, and board members through rigorous programmes built on a biblical worldview. And they are connecting AUNZ practitioners to international research and peer networks that prevent the sector from reinventing wheels already tested elsewhere.

Book Jonno White to facilitate your next leadership team offsite or Working Genius session by emailing jonno@consultclarity.org. As a Certified Working Genius Facilitator who achieved a 93.75% satisfaction rating at the ASBA 2025 National Conference, Jonno helps Christian school leadership teams build the shared language and practical alignment that makes every other investment in school improvement more effective.

How This List Was Compiled

Every person on this list was selected on three criteria. First, a verified current role in an organisation or capacity directly connected to the Christian schooling sector in Australia or New Zealand, confirmed through a current primary source. Second, active public contribution to the field in 2025 or 2026, whether through writing, speaking, research, advocacy, or leadership of a significant organisation. Third, a substantive contribution that has tangible relevance for school leaders, board members, or practitioners working in AUNZ Christian schools today. The list is arranged across six thematic categories that reflect the different dimensions of the sector's ecosystem.

Category 1: National Association Leaders

The associations that represent Christian schools in Australia and New Zealand do more than advocacy. They set the intellectual and theological agenda for the sector, build the peer networks that sustain principals through difficult seasons, produce the research that informs governance and pedagogy, and negotiate with governments on behalf of their members. The people leading these associations are among the most influential thought leaders in the sector, whether or not they hold a high public profile outside it.

Each person in this category shapes how hundreds or thousands of Christian school leaders think about the purpose and practice of Christian education. Their leadership of peak bodies means their decisions ripple through classrooms, staff rooms, and boardrooms across both countries.

1. Dr Daniel Pampuch

As Chief Executive Officer of Christian Schools Australia, Dr Daniel Pampuch oversees one of the most significant leadership positions in the AUNZ Christian schooling sector. CSA represents more than 200 schools across every Australian state and territory, serving approximately 65,000 students. The scope of his role encompasses everything from government relations and legal compliance to professional development, leadership formation, and international partnership building.

Dr Pampuch holds a PhD in Next Generation Leadership alongside Masters degrees in Business Administration, Educational Leadership, and Theological Studies, making him one of the most academically credentialled leaders in the sector. Under his leadership, CSA developed the Pedagogies enabling Redemptive Learning (PeRL) framework and built a research partnership with Harvard University's Human Flourishing Program, connecting AUNZ schools to global research on what makes school communities thrive. His 7 Questions interview on the Consult Clarity website remains one of the most read resources on the Jonno White platform, and he regularly addresses CSA members across Australia on formation, leadership development, and the theological foundations of Christian schooling.

2. Vanessa Cheng

Vanessa Cheng is the Chief Executive Officer of the Australian Association of Christian Schools, the longest-running and only truly national peak body representing Christian schools across every Australian state and territory. In her role, she is the sector's most visible public advocate, appearing regularly before parliamentary committees, meeting with federal and state politicians, and speaking at national and state conferences on behalf of Christian school communities.

In 2026, Cheng was re-elected as a Director of Independent Schools NSW and reappointed as Deputy Chair, extending her influence into the broader independent schools sector. Her advocacy work in 2025 and 2026 has focused on the intersection of religious freedom legislation, anti-discrimination reform, and parental rights in education. Her LinkedIn writing is among the most consistently substantive in the sector, with regular posts connecting legal and political developments to the practical implications for school leadership.

Engage Jonno White for your next Christian school leadership conference or Working Genius team session at jonno@consultclarity.org.

3. Mark Steyn

Mark Steyn became Chief Executive Officer of Christian Education National in late 2023 and took up the full-time role in 2024, bringing a background that spans industrial psychology, strategic planning, and 16 years as CEO of Rehoboth Christian College in Perth. CEN is one of Australia's most significant Christian school networks, established in 1966 and now serving more than 25,000 students across parent-governed schools in every state and territory.

In 2026, CEN is celebrating 60 years, and Steyn has been actively shaping the organisation's next chapter through conference programming, leadership development, and governance support for member schools. His chapter contribution to the recently published National Institute for Christian Education book Educating for Hope signals his engagement with the intellectual life of the sector beyond operational management. His LinkedIn writing in 2025 and 2026 has addressed AI in education, teacher formation, and the theological underpinnings of Christian school leadership.

International travel to facilitate Jonno White's Working Genius workshops for CEN network schools costs less than many organisations assume. Email jonno@consultclarity.org.

4. Dr Darren Iselin

Dr Darren Iselin serves as Director of Research and Innovation at Christian Schools Australia, making him one of the most important research voices in the AUNZ Christian schooling sector. His background spans the presidency of Christian Heritage College, university lecturing, and a career that has consistently connected academic rigour with the practical questions facing school leaders. His 2025 award of the Frank S. and Elizabeth D. Brewer Prize from the American Society of Church History recognises the calibre of his scholarly work in the sector.

In 2026, Iselin has been writing about AI in education from a distinctively Christian perspective, exploring what it means for schools to equip students for a world shaped by artificial intelligence while remaining grounded in a biblical anthropology. His podcast conversations with international Christian education thought leaders, including a notable episode with Andy Wolfe of the Church of England on the CSA leadership framework, have become important resources for principals and curriculum leaders seeking research-informed perspectives on Christian school development.

Bring Jonno White in to facilitate your CSA network's leadership team conversations at jonno@consultclarity.org.

5. Dr Maria Varlet

Dr Maria Varlet is Director of Member Services at Christian Schools Australia, overseeing the professional development, leadership programmes, and direct school support that CSA delivers to its member network. Her work is particularly significant in the area of leadership formation for middle leaders, having personally delivered the Step Up CSA Middle Leaders Program to cohorts across multiple states. Her collaboration with Bedford College on a partnership announced in late 2025 reflects CSA's commitment to expanding the professional pathways available to people working in Christian schools.

Her contribution to the daily practice of Christian school leadership, through direct engagement with aspiring and current leaders across Australia, makes her one of the most practically influential people in the sector. Whether facilitating a state-based leadership intensive or advising schools on their registration compliance, her work shapes the professional culture of Christian schooling in ways that are not always visible from the outside.

6. Dr Dave Benson

Dr Dave Benson became Executive Director of Associated Christian Schools at the start of 2026, bringing a distinctive formation in practical theology, faith-work integration, and Christian education philosophy. His PhD, entitled Schools, Scripture and Secularisation, examines the competing curricular visions in contemporary schooling and the place of sacred texts in secular education, giving him a theological framework that is immediately relevant to the questions Christian school leaders navigate every day.

Before joining ACS, Benson lectured at Malyon Theological College (now Morling College Brisbane Malyon Campus) and established Traverse, a centre for bridging church and culture. His 2026 devotional writing series Questioning the Teacher, published on the ACS website, works through the Gospel of Matthew as a resource for Christian educators seeking to understand what it means to teach from a Christ-centred perspective. He is also a consultant for Seed on vocation and faith-work integration, and an Associate for Culture and Discipleship at the London Institute for Contemporary Christianity.

7. Steven Kryger

Steven Kryger is Director of Public Affairs and Communication at the Australian Association of Christian Schools, working alongside Vanessa Cheng to represent the sector's interests in Canberra and across state capitals. His background spans public policy, political communications, and membership organisation management, giving him a skillset that is critically important in a period when religious freedom legislation, anti-discrimination reform, and education funding debates are reshaping the operating environment for Christian schools.

In 2025 and 2026, Kryger has been a visible presence at federal Parliament House alongside Cheng, meeting with senators, shadow ministers, and policy advisers on behalf of the AUNZ Christian school community. His LinkedIn writing gives regular updates on the legislative and policy developments that matter most to Christian school leaders, making him a valuable source for boards and principals who need to understand the external environment their schools are operating in.

Category 2: State, Regional and Network Leaders

Christian schooling in Australia is decentralised by design. Each state has its own regulatory environment, and many Christian schools operate through state-based networks or associations that provide the day-to-day governance, compliance, and professional development support that national bodies cannot deliver at the local level. The people in this category lead the state-based systems, regional associations, and operational networks that keep the sector functioning.

These leaders are less visible nationally than the peak body executives, but they often have more direct and sustained influence on the schools in their network. A CEO who attends a school's Commissioning Dinner, a QLD executive officer who runs a state-wide leadership intensive, and an events manager who designs a teacher conference programme are all shaping school culture in ways that matter enormously to the communities involved.

8. Andrew Taylor

Andrew Taylor is the Queensland Executive Officer of Christian Schools Australia and the national portfolio leader for School Improvement, a combination of responsibilities that gives him both state-level practitioner knowledge and national-level influence on how CSA thinks about and supports school improvement across its network. His dual role reflects the reality that CSA's thought leadership on pedagogy and school culture is often generated and tested at state level before being codified nationally.

Taylor featured as a speaker at CSA's state-based professional development events, and his work connecting CSA schools to external research partnerships reflects a commitment to ensuring that Australian Christian school leaders have access to the best available thinking on school improvement. His podcast appearance on the CSA podcast alongside Andrew Stone from Stone Creative explored the relationship between leadership and communication in Christian school settings.

9. Ian Liney

Ian Liney serves as Executive Officer for NSW and ACT at Christian Schools Australia, one of the most significant state-based roles in the sector given that NSW contains a large proportion of Australia's Christian school enrolments. His role involves direct school support, compliance advice, principal mentoring, and stakeholder engagement with the NSW regulatory environment. The CSA and Bedford College partnership announced in late 2025, in which Liney was present alongside Dr Maria Varlet, reflects the kind of practical partnership-building that characterises his approach to school support.

For principals navigating the NSW Education Standards Authority requirements, AACS advocacy dynamics, and the operational complexity of a large Christian school, the Executive Officer network that Liney represents is the connective tissue that makes the sector function. His work on the ground with NSW and ACT Christian schools gives him a depth of practical knowledge about what principals actually face that no amount of national conference programming can substitute for.

10. Dr Graeme Cross

Dr Graeme Cross has been Chief Executive Officer of the Swan Christian Education Association (SCEA) since 2019, overseeing a system of seven Christian schools across Perth's metropolitan area that collectively represent one of the most significant Christian school networks in Western Australia. His background includes years in the WA Department of Education and school principal roles in the Christian schooling sector, giving him a professional perspective that bridges the government and independent sectors.

At the SCEA Celebration Day in February 2026, Cross keynoted alongside Dr Darren Iselin on the theme of grace in leadership, demonstrating an approach to school system leadership that integrates theological formation with practical management. SCEA operates an annual revenue of more than $50 million and employs staff across seven schools, making it one of the larger Christian school systems in Australia. His leadership of SCEA positions him as an important voice on Christian school system management for leaders across the country.

11. David Gillman

David Gillman is Chief Executive Officer of Christian Schools Tasmania, an association that operates four Christian schools in southern Tasmania and has been led by Gillman since his appointment in 2017. Christian Schools Tasmania is a smaller system by national standards, but its community of Christian school leaders faces the same formation and governance challenges as their counterparts in larger states, often with fewer resources and a more constrained talent market.

Gillman's testimony before parliamentary inquiries on discrimination issues in recent years has made him a visible advocate for Christian school autonomy in Tasmania, and his public engagement on regulatory and compliance questions affecting independent Christian schools reflects a commitment to giving smaller state systems a voice in national conversations. His background includes prior roles at Independent Schools Tasmania, giving him strong working relationships across the Tasmanian independent school sector.

12. Ethan Kuss

Ethan Kuss is the Executive Officer and Events and Operations Manager of Associated Christian Schools, the Queensland-based network that operates the ACS Leadership Summit, Teachers Summit, Women's Symposium, and a range of other professional development events serving Christian school educators across South-East Queensland and beyond. The ACS 2025 Teachers Summit attracted 800 educators to Citipointe Christian College Brisbane, with another 100 joining online, making it one of the most significant Christian school professional development events in the country.

Kuss's work designing and delivering the ACS conference programme gives him a practical understanding of what Christian school educators want and need from their professional development experiences. The calibre of speakers ACS attracts, from Kara Martin and Max Jeganathan to other significant voices in the sector, reflects the quality of network relationships he maintains.

Book Jonno White for your next ACS network event or school leadership day at jonno@consultclarity.org. Jonno's Working Genius workshops have received some of the highest satisfaction ratings of any session delivered at AUNZ Christian school conferences.

13. Alistair Macpherson

Alistair Macpherson serves as Executive Director of Public Policy and Advocacy at Associated Christian Schools, a part-time role he combines with his work as Managing Director of Corney and Lind. He was recognised as an ACS Fellow in 2021 and appointed to this expanded role in 2023. His legal background and deep understanding of the religious freedom landscape in Australia make him an important voice in ACS's engagement with government and policy processes.

His advocacy work has focused on protecting the rights of Christian schools to maintain their distinctive culture and to appoint staff who share their faith commitments. In a period when this right is under active legislative challenge in several Australian jurisdictions, Macpherson's combination of legal expertise and Christian school sector knowledge makes him a valuable resource for school boards and executives navigating an increasingly complex regulatory environment.

14. Dr Lynne Doneley

Dr Lynne Doneley is the founding Executive Director of Associated Christian Schools, having led the organisation from its inception and building it into the nationally recognised institution it is today. She retired from the full-time Executive Director role in 2022 and continues as an ACS Ambassador, providing a connection to the sector's institutional memory and international network that no newcomer could replicate. Her contribution to building the ACS Leadership Summits, international study tour programmes, and the ACS Leadership Institute represents decades of deliberate sector investment.

Among AUNZ Christian school leaders who have been in the sector for more than a decade, Lynne Doneley is one of the most widely known and respected figures. Her retirement from day-to-day leadership does not reduce her relevance to the conversation, and her ongoing ambassador role means she remains connected to the sector's development.

Category 3: School Leaders

The following principals and school executives lead some of the most significant Christian schools in Australia and New Zealand. Their inclusion on this list reflects not just the size or reputation of the schools they lead, but their active contribution to the broader sector conversation through speaking, writing, advocacy, or leadership of sector associations.

A principal who leads a school of 1,000 students and never speaks or writes beyond their own community is an excellent school leader, but not a thought leader in the sense this list intends. Each person in this category has demonstrated a pattern of contributing to the sector beyond their own school.

15. Brendan Corr

Brendan Corr is Principal of Australian Christian College Marsden Park in Sydney, the flagship campus of the Australian Christian College network, which is one of the largest Christian school networks in Australia. ACC Marsden Park serves approximately 1,400 on-campus students alongside 900 distance education students, making it one of the larger Christian school campuses in NSW. The ACC group as a whole is the largest provider of non-government online distance education in Australia.

Corr has written for School News Australia on topics including student engagement and the digital learning environment, and has been active in shaping ACC's distinctive approach to reimagining Christian education in a 21st century context. His background includes leadership at Pacific Hills Christian School, where he led the NSW CSA registration system, giving him deep experience in both school leadership and the regulatory framework that governs Christian schools in NSW.

16. Dr Darnelle Pretorius

Dr Darnelle Pretorius is Principal of Swan Christian College, the largest of SCEA's seven Perth schools. Her LinkedIn writing in 2026 has been among the most thoughtful in the AUNZ Christian school principal community, with a post on the concept of grace for leaders across SCEA in 2026 attracting significant engagement from Christian school educators across Western Australia and beyond. Her approach to school leadership integrates theological formation with practical culture-building in ways that resonate with practitioners across the sector.

Her engagement with the SCEA network's shared professional development, including her participation in SCEA Celebration Day alongside Dr Graeme Cross, reflects the culture of collaborative leadership within the SCEA system. For Christian school principals seeking a model of how to lead from both theological conviction and practical wisdom, Pretorius represents a significant voice in the WA context and increasingly in the national conversation.

17. Jennifer Argue

Jennifer Argue is Director of AVENIR Leadership Institute and the former Executive Principal of Carey Baptist College in Perth. Her transition from leading one of Perth's most significant Christian schools to directing AVENIR's leadership development work reflects a deliberate choice to invest in the broader Christian school leadership ecosystem rather than remain focused on a single institution.

At AVENIR, Argue leads leadership formation work for Christian organisations, including school boards, executive teams, and senior leaders who want to develop a more reflective and theologically grounded approach to their practice. Her background as a school principal gives her work a practitioner credibility that purely academic leadership development programmes often lack.

Organisations can hire Jonno White as a complement to AVENIR's formation work, particularly for Working Genius facilitation and team alignment sessions. Email jonno@consultclarity.org.

18. Peter Wells

Peter Wells spent years as Executive Principal of Chairo Christian School in Gippsland, Victoria, building one of the most respected Christian school communities in Victoria while also becoming a visible voice in national Christian education advocacy. In late 2025, he announced his appointment as incoming General Manager of the Presbyterian Church of Victoria from January 2026, a transition that reflects the depth of leadership he brings to any faith-based organisation.

During his time at Chairo, Wells presented at the Christian Education National 2025 Conference in Melbourne and was a regular presence at federal Parliament House, advocating alongside Vanessa Cheng and other sector leaders for the protection of Christian school communities. His LinkedIn writing on faith, leadership, and the intersection of Christian conviction with public life remains among the most thoughtful from a practitioner background in the AUNZ sector.

19. Larne Edmeades

Larne Edmeades is Principal of Bethlehem College in Tauranga, New Zealand, one of the largest Christian schools in Aotearoa with a roll of approximately 1,937 students across Year 1 to Year 15. His background includes 20 years at ACG Education schools in Auckland before his appointment to Bethlehem, and his leadership of a school of this size in a New Zealand context gives him experience directly relevant to the challenges of governance, culture, and growth that many AUNZ Christian schools are navigating.

His openness about his faith as a formative influence on his leadership practice, combined with his commitment to bicultural education and learning te reo Maori, reflects a distinctively New Zealand expression of Christian school leadership that is attentive to context and community. Bethlehem College is one of the most significant Christian schools in Aotearoa, and Edmeades' leadership of it positions him as an important voice for NZ Christian school principals.

20. Graeme Budler

Graeme Budler is Executive Principal of KingsWay School on the Hibiscus Coast north of Auckland, a non-denominational Christian school of approximately 1,996 students in Years 1 to 13. He has served at KingsWay since 2002 and as Executive Principal since 2015, making him one of the longest-serving leaders of a major New Zealand Christian school. His longevity in the role, and the sustained growth of KingsWay during his tenure, are a testament to the durability of the culture he has helped build.

KingsWay is one of New Zealand's most visible Christian schools, and Budler's leadership of it positions him as an important reference point for any discussion of what long-term, mission-aligned Christian school leadership looks like in the New Zealand context. His willingness to speak publicly about the school's Christian character and its approach to servant leadership development reflects a commitment to keeping the school's formative purpose central.

21. Jonno White

Jonno White is a Certified Working Genius Facilitator, author of Step Up or Step Out (10,000+ copies sold globally), and host of The Leadership Conversations Podcast (230+ episodes, listeners in 150+ countries). As the founder of Consult Clarity, he works with Christian school leadership teams across Australia, New Zealand, and beyond, facilitating Working Genius workshops that give teams a shared language for contribution, frustration, and collaboration. His 7 Questions series with Christian school leaders has featured CEOs, principals, and board chairs from across Australia, New Zealand, the United States, and the United Kingdom.

At the ASBA 2025 National Conference, Jonno achieved a 93.75% satisfaction rating for his Working Genius masterclass, the highest-rated session at the event. He delivers keynotes on conflict resolution, team alignment, communication across different personality styles, and building high-performing leadership teams. His workshops include Working Genius facilitation, DISC: Behaviours That Bond, and StrengthsFinder Amplified. Christian school leadership teams consistently find that the shared language Working Genius provides transforms their ability to navigate conflict, distribute work according to genuine strengths, and lead through change with greater cohesion.

International travel is often far more affordable than organisations expect. Email jonno@consultclarity.org to explore what a session might look like for your school or network.

22. Colette Budler

Colette Budler is an Associate Principal at KingsWay School and a member of the New Zealand Association for Christian Schools Executive, roles that give her both a school-level and sector-level perspective on Christian education in Aotearoa. Her position on the NZACS Executive reflects the trust the broader NZ Christian school community places in the KingsWay leadership team as stewards of the school culture and values that define the sector.

Her work supporting the KingsWay executive leadership team alongside Graeme Budler, combined with her association responsibilities, positions her as an important connector within the New Zealand Christian school community.

Category 4: Research, Academic and Formation Leaders

The National Institute for Christian Education and Laidlaw College are the two most significant institutions for Christian education formation and research in Australia and New Zealand respectively. The people in this category are building the intellectual and theological foundations that undergird the sector, training the teachers and leaders who will carry Christian education forward, and producing the research that gives school communities language for what they are doing and why.

Formation is the word the sector increasingly uses to describe education's deepest purpose, and it is a word that requires the kind of sustained theological and pedagogical thinking that these researchers and academics provide.

23. Dr Fiona Partridge

Dr Fiona Partridge is the Principal of the National Institute for Christian Education, the postgraduate teacher training arm of Christian Education National, having taken up the full-time role in 2023. Her background combines a career as a teacher and school leader at Torrens Valley Christian School in Adelaide with doctoral work in preservice teacher education, and a period as South Australian Executive Officer for CEN schools. She brings to the NICE principalship a distinctive combination of classroom experience, educational leadership, and research expertise.

As editor of the Christian Teachers Journal and as a lecturer in core NICE subjects, Partridge shapes the intellectual formation of the teachers and leaders studying with NICE across Australia. Her particular interests in teacher formation, leadership, and cross-cultural perspectives reflect the breadth of NICE's mission to equip people to think, act, and teach in ways that take seriously the public truth of the Christian gospel.

24. Dr Julia Verdouw

Dr Julia Verdouw is Senior Lecturer and Research Coordinator at NICE, having joined the institute in 2021 to oversee its MEd programme and faculty research. Her PhD in Sociology from the University of Tasmania gives her a research lens that is attentive to the social and institutional dimensions of Christian education, complementing the more explicitly theological focus of other NICE faculty members.

Her teaching focuses on biblical research frames and on forming educators whose scholarly practice is grounded in a coherent theology of knowledge. For Christian school leaders who want to understand what it means to do research in a way that is genuinely shaped by faith rather than simply conducted within a faith context, Verdouw's work provides an important framework.

25. Dr Christopher Rayner

Dr Christopher Rayner is a Senior Lecturer at NICE with a focus on coaching and mentoring in educational contexts. His PhD from the University of Tasmania and his background as a Christian school educator give his work a practitioner grounding that connects theoretical frameworks for coaching and mentoring to the specific relational dynamics of Christian school settings.

For principals and middle leaders working through NICE's MEd programme, Rayner's teaching on coaching provides tools for the kind of developmental, relationally attuned leadership that Christian schools are well-positioned to model. His work represents the intersection of professional learning research and the distinctively Christian conviction that leadership is fundamentally about the formation and flourishing of persons.

26. Dr Charlie Justins

Dr Charlie Justins has been a Senior Lecturer at NICE since 2010, bringing one of the longest institutional memories of anyone in the sector. His career includes 32 years of teaching and leadership at Tyndale Christian School in Blacktown, Marrara Christian School in Darwin, and Mountains Christian College at Blackheath, where he served as Principal. His EdD from Australian Catholic University, focused on Christian Parent-Controlled Schools in Australia: Foundational Values and Prevailing Practices, remains one of the most comprehensive examinations of the theological and institutional foundations of the Australian Christian schooling movement.

His interests in learning styles, educational leadership, and mathematics education reflect the breadth of a career that has spanned classroom teaching, school administration, and tertiary education. For Christian school leaders seeking to understand the history and foundational values of the movement they are part of, Justins' research provides essential context.

27. Sam Burrows

Sam Burrows is Manager of Biblical Foundations at Christian Education National and a Lecturer with NICE, a combination that gives him a distinctive bridging role between the theological foundations of Christian education and the institutional practice of delivering it. His research interests span systematic theology, epistemology, cultural engagement, metamodernism, new spiritualities, and the study of emerging generations, reflecting a formation shaped by both rigorous academic theology and attentiveness to cultural context.

Before joining CEN, Burrows served as a theology and education lecturer in the School of Social Practice at Auckland in New Zealand. His keynote at the ACS Teachers Summit 2025 in Brisbane, described in the post-event writeup as providing powerful cultural framing, demonstrated his ability to connect abstract theological questions to the immediate practical concerns of Christian school educators.

International travel to bring Jonno White in for a Working Genius session with your CEN network school team costs less than many organisations assume. Email jonno@consultclarity.org.

28. Miriam Jessie Fisher

Miriam Jessie Fisher is an interdisciplinary Lecturer in the Schools of Theology and Education at Laidlaw College in Christchurch, New Zealand. Her research and teaching sit at the intersection of theology, education, embodied practice, and bicultural engagement, reflecting a commitment to Christian education that is attentive to the specific context of Aotearoa. She has qualifications in Theology, Education, Supervision, and Drama, and her work integrates creative modalities including spoken word, poetry, textile art, and performance into her theological method.

Her keynote address at the NICE Educating for Hope Research Symposium 2026 demonstrated that her contribution to the Christian education conversation extends well beyond Laidlaw's walls. Her research on bicultural partnerships in Christian education, honouring te reo me ona tikanga Maori and New Zealand Sign Language, represents an important dimension of what contextualised Christian schooling means in the New Zealand setting.

29. Rebecca Gibson

Rebecca Gibson is the Graduate Diploma in Education (Secondary) Programme Lead at Laidlaw College, a role that positions her at the front line of preparing the next generation of secondary teachers for New Zealand Christian school classrooms. Her recent representation of Laidlaw College at the Philosophy of Education Society reflects her engagement with the broader research community in Christian education, and her work building the practical teacher education programme at Laidlaw connects the theological vision of the college to the daily realities of classroom teaching.

For New Zealand Christian schools seeking to attract and retain well-formed secondary teachers who understand what Christian education is actually for, the Graduate Diploma programme that Gibson leads at Laidlaw is a critical pathway. Her contribution to this programme makes her one of the most practically influential people in the NZ Christian schooling formation ecosystem.

30. Dr Rod Thompson

Dr Rod Thompson is Emeritus Principal of the National Institute for Christian Education, having served in the role for many years and left a formative mark on the institution's theological character and academic culture. His PhD from Macquarie University explored the foundational impact of the Bible on Christian schooling in Australia, one of the most thorough scholarly examinations of the biblical and theological roots of the Australian Christian schooling movement. He also served as the National Principal and CEO of Laidlaw College in Auckland, New Zealand, giving him a unique cross-Tasman perspective on Christian higher education formation.

For Christian school leaders seeking to understand the deep roots of the movement they are part of, Rod Thompson's scholarly contribution provides a foundation that remains relevant long after his formal leadership tenure ended.

Category 5: Public Christianity, Theology and Culture

Christian schools operate in a culture that is increasingly unfamiliar with the Christian story. The leaders in this category work at the intersection of Christian conviction and public life, helping school communities understand the culture they are forming students to inhabit and engage with intelligently and graciously. Their work provides Christian school leaders with frameworks for thinking about faith, culture, vocation, and public Christianity that have direct application to how schools talk about their purpose with staff, students, and families.

31. Dr Brian Harris

Dr Brian Harris is the Managing Director of AVENIR Leadership Institute, an initiative of the Carey Group in Perth committed to fostering leaders who will make a positive impact on the world. He spent 17 years as Principal of Vose Seminary before establishing AVENIR in 2021, and his work since has focused on leadership formation for Christian organisations, including boards, senior executives, and emerging leaders who want to develop a more reflective and theologically grounded approach to their practice.

His book The Tortoise Usually Wins: Biblical Reflections on Quiet Leadership has shaped the thinking of many Christian school leaders who do not see themselves as natural leaders but who carry deep convictions about what they are called to do. His work formulating CSA resources, speaking at SCEA Celebration Days, and serving on the boards of the Australian University of Theology and Baptist World Aid Australia reflects the breadth of a ministry that has shaped Christian institutional leadership in Australia for decades.

Bring Jonno White alongside Brian Harris's formation work for a comprehensive approach to team alignment and leadership development. Email jonno@consultclarity.org.

32. Simon Smart

Simon Smart is Executive Director of the Centre for Public Christianity, Australia's most prominent organisation dedicated to providing mainstream media and the general public with thoughtful, well-reasoned material about the relevance of Christianity in the 21st century. CPX was established in 2007, and Smart has served as executive director since 2018. A former English and History teacher with a Masters in Christian Studies from Regent College, Canada, he writes regularly for major Australian publications including The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age, and appears frequently on ABC Radio and Religion and Ethics.

His appearance at the ACS Teachers Summit 2025, described in the post-event writeup as offering a vision of Christian schools as vehicles of hope, demonstrates the direct relevance of his public Christianity work to the Christian schooling context. His LinkedIn posts in 2026, including a contribution to the book Cultivating a Culture of Thinking in Australian Schools, reflect a sustained engagement with education as a public good.

33. Max Jeganathan

Max Jeganathan is a Senior Research Fellow at the Centre for Public Christianity, a Sri Lankan Tamil refugee who became a lawyer and political and policy adviser to the Rudd and Gillard governments before joining CPX. His background in law and politics gives him a distinctive perspective on the public square dimensions of Christian faith, and his writing in publications including The Guardian, The Sydney Morning Herald, and The Canberra Times reaches audiences well beyond the Christian community.

At the ACS Leadership Summit 2026, Jeganathan led two sessions on current cultural currents and how faith-based education can serve the common good, and on how the truth, beauty, and goodness of the Christian message can be communicated faithfully to students, families, and the public square. His combination of political realism, theological grounding, and genuine warmth makes him one of the most compelling public voices on Christian faith and public life in Australia.

34. Kara Martin

Kara Martin is an Adjunct Professor at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary in Boston and a lecturer at Mary Andrews College in Sydney, and the author of the Workship series, which includes Workship: How to Use Your Work to Worship God and Workship 2: How We Can Flourish at Work, both shortlisted for the Australian Christian Book of the Year. Her third book, Workship 3: How to Shape Christians for the Workplace, extends her work into the formation question most directly relevant to Christian schools: how do you educate young people to see their future work as an act of worship rather than a compartment separate from their faith?

Her keynote at the ACS Leadership Summit 2026 focused on vocation as the central activity of any school, for staff, students, and the wider community. The Workship framework she has developed over many years provides Christian school leaders with some of the most practically useful theological vocabulary available for answering the question of why Christian education matters beyond academic outcomes.

35. Dr Dan Anderson

Dr Dan Anderson is Director and CEO of the Lachlan Macquarie Institute in Canberra, an organisation whose mission is to train wise Christian leaders for politics and culture. His PhD from Macquarie University, combined with earlier work in Christian ministry with university students in Sydney, gives him a formation that bridges theological rigour and public engagement. He has served as Chair of the Australian Fellowship of Evangelical Students and as Board Chair of Emmaus Christian School (a CEN member), giving him direct experience of Christian school governance.

His keynote at the NICE Educating for Hope Research Symposium 2026 positioned him as a significant voice for the intersection of Christian faith, education, and public life. For Christian school leaders grappling with how to prepare students for engagement in a post-Christian public square, Anderson's work on training wise leaders for politics and culture provides a framework directly applicable to the formational goals of Christian schooling.

Category 6: Communications, Advocacy and Leadership Development

The final category covers practitioners who work across the Christian school sector in consulting, communications, advocacy, and leadership development roles that do not fit neatly into the previous five categories. Each person in this category provides a distinctive contribution to the sector's capacity to communicate effectively, develop leaders, and think clearly about its public role.

36. John Watson

John Watson is the founder and director of Good Mahi, a New Zealand-based PR and communications consultancy that works with Christian organisations to promote their good work in the public domain and help them navigate crises faithfully and wisely. His background as an award-winning journalist gives him a credibility in media engagement that many Christian organisations lack, and his specific experience presenting to the Association of Integrated Schools NZ, Christian Media and Arts Australia, and Christian Schools Australia makes him directly relevant to the Christian schooling sector.

His appearance at the Christian Savings Governance Conference 2026 in New Zealand, alongside other significant voices in the NZ Christian institutional community, reflects his standing as a trusted voice in NZ faith-based organisations. For Christian schools navigating media inquiries, community controversy, or the challenge of communicating their purpose to a public that is increasingly unfamiliar with Christian education, Watson's combination of journalistic experience and Christian formation is a rare and valuable resource.

Notable Voices We Almost Included

Several individuals came close to inclusion on this list but were ultimately not included for one of three reasons: their primary work is global in scope rather than specifically AUNZ-embedded, their contribution to the AUNZ Christian schooling conversation is primarily indirect, or their thought leadership profile was not yet sufficiently independent of a single school context.

From the global Christian schooling world, voices like Dr Lynn Swaner (ACSI's Flourishing Schools research), Andy Wolfe (Church of England Education), and Larry Taylor (ACSI CEO) have significant influence on how AUNZ practitioners think about Christian school culture, but their primary context is not Australia or New Zealand and they have separate global-scope coverage elsewhere.

Within AUNZ, several state-based association leaders and innovative school principals are building thought leadership profiles that may well see them on future editions of this list. The Christian schooling community in both countries is producing new voices regularly, and the next generation of AUNZ thought leadership is already forming in the middle leadership programmes of CSA, CEN, ACS, and NZACS.

Common Mistakes to Avoid in Christian Schooling Leadership

The most common mistake in Christian school leadership is treating the Christian and the school as separate problems to be managed in parallel. Schools that fall into this pattern tend to treat academic outcomes as the real accountability metric and faith formation as an add-on that happens in chapel or Scripture class. The result is a school that could be excellent by secular standards but has lost the integrated vision that makes Christian education distinctively valuable.

The thought leaders on this list, almost without exception, are arguing for something more coherent: a vision of education in which the Christian worldview shapes not just what is taught in religion classes but how every subject is approached, how students are treated, how staff are formed, and what outcomes the school is actually trying to produce. The PeRL framework developed by CSA, the Workship framework articulated by Kara Martin, the biblical foundations work at CEN, and the theological architecture work at ACS are all attempts to give schools tools for a more coherent and intentional approach to formation.

A second common mistake is confusing activity with formation. Schools often have rich programmes of events, camps, retreats, and service projects that reflect genuine faith commitment, but which do not accumulate into a coherent formational vision. Formation is not what happens at the margins of school life; it is what happens in every interaction, every subject, every hiring decision, every governance meeting.

A third mistake is under-investing in leadership team health. The research on school improvement is clear that the quality of the principal-staff relationship and the quality of collaboration within the senior leadership team are among the strongest predictors of school culture outcomes. Yet many Christian schools invest heavily in student formation programmes while neglecting the relational and structural health of the team that is responsible for delivering them.

Hire Jonno White to facilitate a Working Genius workshop or leadership offsite for your senior team. The shared language it produces transforms the team's ability to navigate conflict, distribute work according to genuine strengths, and sustain the culture they are trying to build. Email jonno@consultclarity.org. Working Genius has been completed by more than 1.3 million people globally.

A fourth mistake is treating advocacy as someone else's responsibility. The legislative and regulatory environment in which Christian schools operate is actively contested, and the sector's ability to maintain its distinctiveness depends on school leaders being willing to engage with that environment, not just delegate it to Vanessa Cheng and Steven Kryger at AACS, or Alistair Macpherson at ACS. Every Christian school principal is, whether they choose it or not, an ambassador for the sector in their community.

Implementation Guide: Getting the Most from This List

The most effective way to engage with the thought leaders on this list is not to follow all 36 of them simultaneously. That produces information overload, not formation. The more useful approach is to identify two or three voices whose work speaks most directly to the challenge your school is currently navigating, and to engage with their work deeply rather than broadly.

If your school is working through questions of formation and theological coherence, the academic voices in Category 4 are worth sustained engagement. The NICE MEd programme, the CEN Biblical Foundations resources developed by Sam Burrows, and the Laidlaw College teacher education programme led by Miriam Jessie Fisher and Rebecca Gibson are all places where these questions are being worked through rigorously. The Workship books by Kara Martin provide accessible theological vocabulary that works well with staff who are not academic theologians.

If your school is navigating governance, compliance, and the regulatory environment, the association executives in Categories 1 and 2 are your primary resources. The AACS website, the CSA professional development calendar, and the ACS conference programme provide structured access to the thinking of Vanessa Cheng, Dr Daniel Pampuch, Dr Dave Benson, and their colleagues. Attending an AACS Advocacy and Policy Summit or an ACS Leadership Summit is not just a networking opportunity; it is an investment in understanding the external environment your school is operating in.

For New Zealand Christian school leaders, the NZACS conference programme, the Laidlaw College teacher education pathways, and the work of John Watson at Good Mahi provide the most directly relevant AUNZ resources. The global Christian schooling community, including the work of voices like Andy Wolfe and Lynn Swaner, is accessible through the connections that CSA and ACSI maintain with international networks.

If your team is struggling with conflict, communication, or the relational health that makes everything else work, do not wait until the damage is done. Bring Jonno White in early. His Working Genius workshops give teams the shared language they need to name what is going well and what is causing friction. Email jonno@consultclarity.org. Jonno is host of The Leadership Conversations Podcast with 230+ episodes and founder of The 7 Questions Movement with 6,000+ participating leaders, many of them Christian school principals.

Frequently Asked Questions

What makes Christian schooling in Australia and New Zealand distinctive?

Christian schooling in Australia and New Zealand is distinctive in that it operates within a common law framework that still, for now, protects the right of faith-based organisations to maintain a distinctive culture and to hire staff who share their faith commitments. Both countries have strong peak bodies representing Christian schools at a national level, and both have significant research and formation infrastructure through institutions like NICE and Laidlaw College. The AUNZ sector also has a specific engagement with bicultural education in New Zealand, and with the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander dimension of education in Australia, that shapes how contextualised Christian schooling is understood and practised in each country.

How do I find a keynote speaker or workshop facilitator for a Christian school conference?

The most reliable approach is to ask within your association network for referrals from principals who have direct experience of the speaker or facilitator's work. For Working Genius workshops, DISC sessions, StrengthsFinder facilitation, and keynotes on leadership, conflict resolution, and team culture, contact Jonno White at jonno@consultclarity.org. Jonno is a Certified Working Genius Facilitator who achieved a 93.75% satisfaction rating at the ASBA 2025 National Conference. Jonno works with schools around the world and is available for both in-person and virtual delivery.

What are the main Christian school associations in Australia?

The four main associations serving independent Christian schools in Australia are Christian Schools Australia (CSA), the Australian Association of Christian Schools (AACS), Christian Education National (CEN), and Associated Christian Schools (ACS). Each serves a different network of schools, with some overlap and varying denominational emphases. The Swan Christian Education Association (SCEA) in Perth and Christian Schools Tasmania are examples of state-based networks that sit within or alongside the national associations. The National Institute for Christian Education (NICE) provides the postgraduate teacher training arm for the CEN network.

Who are the key thought leaders shaping Christian school culture in New Zealand?

The New Zealand Christian school community centres on the New Zealand Association for Christian Schools (NZACS) and the work of Laidlaw College, the largest interdenominational theological tertiary institution in Aotearoa. Graeme Budler at KingsWay School, Larne Edmeades at Bethlehem College, Miriam Jessie Fisher and Rebecca Gibson at Laidlaw, and John Watson at Good Mahi are among the most active thought leaders in the NZ context. The NZACS conference, held biennially, is the most significant gathering of NZ Christian school leaders.

Final Thoughts

The 36 people on this list are not a complete picture of the Christian schooling thought leadership community in Australia and New Zealand. Every state has school principals, association volunteers, and passionate practitioners whose contribution to the community is significant even if it does not generate a visible public profile. This list captures the people whose work extends beyond their own school or organisation to shape how the sector thinks.

What is most striking about this community, having mapped it carefully, is the coherence of conviction that runs through it. These are people who share a fundamental belief that education is a formational activity, that formation requires a coherent worldview, and that the Christian worldview provides the most truthful and life-giving account of what human persons are, what they are for, and how they should be educated. They disagree about many things, including governance models, pedagogy, the place of biblical literacy in curriculum, and the appropriate relationship between Christian schools and the state. But the common conviction underneath those disagreements is what makes this sector distinctive and what sustains its continued growth even in a culture that is increasingly indifferent or hostile to Christian faith.

For Christian school leaders who want to strengthen their team's capacity to live out that conviction in practical ways, the Working Genius framework is one of the most effective tools available. Jonno White, author of Step Up or Step Out and founder of The 7 Questions Movement with 6,000+ participating leaders, brings Working Genius facilitation to Christian school leadership teams across Australia, New Zealand, and globally.

Email jonno@consultclarity.org to book a session for your team.

About the Author

Jonno White is a Certified Working Genius Facilitator, author of Step Up or Step Out, and leadership consultant who has worked with schools, corporates, and nonprofits around the world. His book Step Up or Step Out has sold over 10,000 copies globally, and his podcast The Leadership Conversations has featured 230+ episodes reaching listeners in 150+ countries. Jonno founded The 7 Questions Movement with 6,000+ participating leaders and achieved a 93.75% satisfaction rating for his Working Genius masterclass at the ASBA 2025 National Conference. Based in Brisbane, Australia, Jonno works globally and regularly travels for speaking and facilitation engagements. Organisations consistently find that international travel is far more affordable than expected.

To book Jonno for your next keynote, workshop, or facilitation session, email jonno@consultclarity.org.

Sources

Australian Catholic University, Principal Occupational Health, Safety, and Wellbeing Survey reporting, 2025.

Next Read

If this list sparked your thinking about leadership in AUNZ Christian school settings, the companion directory on the global Christian schooling landscape goes deeper into the international research and frameworks that AUNZ practitioners are drawing on.

Keep reading: 35 Best Thought Leaders in Christian Schooling (2026)

For a broader perspective on independent school leadership in Australia and New Zealand, see my blog post '50 Essential Thought Leaders in Independent Schooling' at https://www.consultclarity.org/post/thought-leaders-independent-schooling.