Just as you might choose a trainer at the gym according to whether you want to focus on strength & conditioning, cardio or abs, you can choose a Reach consultant with the expertise and background to fit your needs.
Consultants

Piers Bickersteth
Piers has recently retired having been the Rector of Arborfield and Barkham in the Oxford Diocese of the Church of England for the past 26 years. Before this he worked for the Proclamation Trust, served as a curate on the Wirral, and trained at Wycliffe Hall and Moore College, Sydney (both he and his wife were converted in Australia in their mid-20s).
Over the years he had the joy of seeing God at work through the preaching of the Scriptures, holding fast to reformed theology. This led to the 2 existing churches growing (maximum size 120) and to planting 2 new churches in 2004 and 2017. A strong gospel partnership developed between these churches, becoming a family of self governing, self funding and self replicating churches. They faced continuous gospel opposition from the Diocesan leadership which became more and more revisionist – seeking to maintain good relationships while contending for ‘the faith once for all delivered to the saints’. Piers also experienced a painful season of internal conflict and opposition from the leadership of one of the churches which meant years of grievances and complaints (none of which in the end were upheld).
Some of what Piers could offer in Reach consultancy includes…
- Setting and leading a vision for gospel growth (including church planting) in a semi-rural Anglican context
- Recruiting and leading a varied staff team including ministry apprentices
- Planning and planting churches
- Persevering and contending with joy in Jesus!

Matt Waldock
Matt is the co-pastor of City Church Manchester and also Director of Gospel Coaching UK.
He studied Theatre and English Literature and went on to teach at a secondary school before becoming a university campus evangelist. Matt then worked with the charity Emerging Leaders to teach leadership across grass-roots communities in central Africa. Following this he worked as an associate pastor in Liverpool. 8 years ago he moved to Manchester to be part of the planting of City Church. Matt is married to Jacky and they have a son, Reuben.
Matt loves to see leaders and teams built up and thriving. He is a creative thinker, able to think outside the box and by applying coaching skills he is able to help other leaders find creative solutions and apply the gospel deeply to their situations as well.
Matt has particular expertise in analysing the culture and dynamics of a leadership team and understanding the impact of anxiety and unhealthy culture on the effectiveness of a ministry team.

David Anderson
David’s student and early married years and then ordination were in an FIEC church in Glasgow before moving to an assistant pastorate in an independent church in Luton for 3 years. From there he moved back to Scotland to a pastorate of a small independent church for 9 years before a move to an associate pastorate in Carrubbers , a large church in Edinburgh where he served for 20 years. With 30 years of lessons learnt at the coal face in local church experience, and a passion for discipleship and pastoral care, David loves to see more proactive mentoring, coaching and discipling for pastors in their first ten years, and most especially for their long- term growth, development, encouragement and fruitfulness.
As founder of Face-to-Face Scotland David currently mentors around 30 younger pastors, across Scotland, from various networks and denominations, meeting up with them in person to share the Word, prayer, advice and encouragement in godly and effective ministry.

Ray Evans
Ray moved to Bedford in 1980 and served in the leadership of Grace Community Church for more than 40 years. The church was involved in several church plants and saw its main congregation grow to over 500 attendees.
Ray loves to come alongside and assist other leaders in overcoming barriers to gospel growth. He has authored Ready, Steady, Grow and Church Leadership as well as hundreds of short articles providing practical help and encouragement in leadership.
“I like to think of it as clearing away the traffic cones on the motorway, the things that hold us up and slow us down – getting some external input to see what are those blockages to growth and what are those things that can move ministry forward so we can be both godly and effective.”
Ray is married to Jenny and they have four grown-up children and nine grandchildren. He is a keen reader of military history, loves playing sport (especially Bedford Vets hockey), and in any spare time is building a model railway in his loft – for his grandchildren of course.
Ray is Church Leadership Consultant for the FIEC and as a founding consultant of Reach Ministries, he has made himself available to help evangelical pastors and churches across the denominations through 1-to-1 consulting, time with an eldership team or facilitating a detailed church consult.

Richard Coekin
A sinner saved by God’s grace, Richard is married to Sian, a beautiful Welsh GP, and blessed with five children, one grandchild and a permanently moulting dog. After briefly practising as a commercial lawyer in London, Richard trained at Moore College, Sydney and Wycliffe Hall, Oxford, before a training ‘curacy’ at St. Mary’s Cheadle, Manchester and then 29 years as Senior Pastor of Dundonald Church in South London. During those years, he witnessed God growing Dundonald from 35 adults and a few kids through various stages to become a larger church of 800+ adults and 350 kids with nine church plants, through two building projects and despite constant friction with a Liberal Church of England Diocese. God also used Richard to help develop the Co-Mission church-planting network of 30+ churches in London and to launch a variety of gospel ministries (including 9:38, London Men’s Convention, The Planting Collective, a Parliamentary Bible Study) and some books (e.g. Gospel DNA, Our Father, Ephesians for You and The Reluctant Evangelist).
Richard has enjoyed mentoring pastors in the UK and abroad for many years and is regularly invited to speak at ministry training events in the UK and internationally.
Richard is now Director of Reach Ministries UK, Pastor Emeritus at Dundonald Church and Mission Director Emeritus of Co-Mission.
Richard says, “The joy of preaching and pastoral ministry in the local church at different stages of growth and the privilege of serving diverse Co-Mission churches has introduced me to how God can work in variety of church stages and contexts through different leadership patterns. I love mentoring and encouraging Pastors and Network leaders and their leadership teams in effective gospel ministries, especially in preaching and strategic planning. I’m not as confident as I used to be. I don’t have all the answers. But I know the Lord who does! And I’m loving now being available to offer bespoke help and encouragement to leaders on the front-line of gospel work – for the salvation of many and the glory of God in Christ.” ☺