Jen Charteris is the Executive Director for Crosslands in England.
When did you trust Christ?
I trusted Christ for the first time at the age of eight after my parents' failing marriage was saved when they turned to Christ. It simply made sense to me that if Christ could change them so much, then I needed to respond to His call on my life. For almost 50 years since then, by God's grace and the power of His Holy Spirit, I have grown to trust Him more deeply and richly.
What have been the defining moments of your Christian walk?
After my conversion as a child, the next defining moment was going to university (in South Africa during Apartheid) where I was challenged to stand firm or deny my faith. Praise God, I grew more confident in Christ and His Word than ever before. This is also when I first found myself leading others in discipleship and evangelism. Finding unexpected career success was another defining moment when the Lord provided people who encouraged me to show up as a Christian rather than trying to be a 'below the radar' believer in the leadership roles I was given. Becoming a mother brought a new depth and simplicity to my prayers and trust in Christ. Planting a church with my husband, and the deep spiritual attack which accompanied that over several years, has also shaped me deeply as we learned to endure and press on in our weakness.
What do you hope to gain from participating?
I look forward to training and encouraging other leaders and to being encouraged through fellowship with other mature disciples who are also navigating the demands of leadership.
What is your ministry?
I lead a theological training organisation serving churches around the UK and Europe with in-context training programmes, making theological study and ministry training possible for many who would not otherwise be able to access this kind of training. We have now become one of the larger evangelical training providers in the UK. I also teach, train, and coach widely on Christian leadership for both workplace and ministry leaders.
What is your leadership role or what were your past leadership roles?
I have served as the Managing Director of a management consulting firm, a Lecturer in leadership and complexity at the UK Defence Academy, a leader of various Bible study and other ministry teams in our local church, and in non-executive director and trustee roles.
Why should someone invest in your ministry?
My own ministry organisation runs on an extremely tight budget, far less than other comparable ministries. In the past, I used my own income and resources to invest in others' ministries. This means I no longer have such resources at my own disposal, and it would be such an encouragement to be invested in now that I am investing my time and experience on the frontline of ministry training.
