Revd Dr Joshua Cockayne

Josh is a Lecturer of Mission and Evangelism and the Director of the Centre for Church Planting Theology and Research.

He is a proud Yorkshireman; growing up in Sheffield, and spending nearly a decade in York, where he wrote his PhD on Christian spirituality and the Danish theologian, Søren Kierkegaard. Josh then spent four years teaching and researching at the School of Divinity at the University of St Andrews, where his research focused on liturgy and ecclesiology. Josh has published 3 books: Contemporary with Christ, which focuses on Kierkegaard’s understanding of spirituality and our knowledge of God; Dawn of Sunday (with Scott Harrower and Preston Hill), which considers how the church might respond to issues of trauma and abuse; and Explorations in Analytic Ecclesiology, in which he gives a philosophically informed account of the church’s unity in Christ.

Josh is an experienced church planter. Before he was ordained, he spent many years on the leadership team of G2 York, a large fresh expression, from which he led a small church plant in 2016-17. After being ordained in the Scottish Episcopal Church in 2020, and serving a part time curacy in St Andrews, he spent 2 years leading Holy Trinity Boar Lane, a church plant in the city centre of Leeds which was started to engage with the working population of the city through midweek mission and worship.

He is passionate about theological work which informs and inspires the church, especially theological engagement with the ministry of church planting.

Josh is married to Eleanor, and they have 3 young children. He can often be found trying to make the perfect cup of coffee.

To find out more about Joshua’s academic work and publications, visit https://joshuacockayne.weebly.com/