From Pagan Teen to Barefoot Archbishop
Bishop Justin’s Wild Journey of Faith and Challenge
The following story is based on the transcript of a podcast episode with Bishop Justin and Vic Francis
If you’ve ever met Bishop Justin, you’ll know he’s not your typical church leader. Dreadlocks, bare feet, and a heart that beats for the margins—Justin’s story is one of radical faith, deep conviction, and a relentless desire to see transformation in Aotearoa New Zealand.
In a recent episode of the For Pastors podcast, hosted by Vic Francis, Justin opened up about his journey from a “pagan” teenager to Archbishop of the Anglican Church in New Zealand. He shared his passions, his challenges, and a prophetic call to the church that’s both confronting and deeply hopeful.
Justin doesn’t sugarcoat his beginnings. “I didn’t grow up in a church-going family,” he says. “I prefer to say I grew up pagan. It sounds far more romantic.” That pagan teenager stumbled into a Youth for Christ group at 14, and everything changed.
“I got to hear about the good news of Jesus. I got to experience it. And that set me on a trajectory I’m forever grateful for.”
From there, Justin was discipled into three core truths that still shape his ministry today:
It’s all about Jesus—intimacy and obedience.
Deep belonging—the body of Christ as a place of radical community.
God’s heart for the poor and marginalised—what Catholics call the “preferential option for the poor.”
“I think the rest of my life has just been trying to live those out,” he says.
Living on the edge
Justin’s early ministry wasn’t in a pulpit, it was in community. He and his wife Jenny ran a home for teenage girls who couldn’t live at home. Later, they moved to the top of Cuba Street in Wellington, living above a Baptist-run drop-in centre.
“It was miraculous,” Justin recalls. “We asked if we could live in their upstairs offices. The downstairs was our dining room and kitchen. If we didn’t close the door at night, the street community would walk in.”
They planted a church, shared life with the homeless, and raised their kids in the thick of it.
Eventually, they dreamed of a place where their friends could live healthier lives. That dream led them to Ngatiawa, where they founded a contemporary monastery called Ngatiawa River Monastery.
Becoming bishop…
The only church in the Ngatiawa valley was a small Anglican one. Jenny had grown up Anglican, and they committed to attending their local church. “We walked in with our three kids. They probably thought we were the youth group,” Justin laughs.
From there, Justin was ordained in the Diocese of Wellington and, in 2012, became Bishop of Wellington. “It seems like an incredible leap,” Vic Francis remarks. Justin just smiles: “That was the story, really.”
Now, as Archbishop, Justin coordinates across the three tikanga of the Anglican Church, Māori, Pākehā, and Polynesian. “It’s a beautiful relationship,” he says. “Mutual diversity enriching the church.”
Despite the titles, Justin hasn’t changed much on the outside. “I still have dreadlocks. Still barefoot,” he says. “What gets me out of bed is the desire to see transformation. To partner with God and see his kingdom come.”
“I want to see the church take its part in partnering with God to see the world transformed.”
That passion led him to co-author In-tensional with Baptist leader Alan Jamieson. It’s a book that’s stirring up conversation across denominations.
“Flabby, insipid, compromised, idolatrous…”
The book doesn’t hold back. It describes the Western church as “flabby, insipid, compromised, and idolatrous.” Justin knows it’s provocative, but he believes it’s necessary.
“If we can’t even talk about it, how can we change?” he asks. “We’re not saying every church is like that. But generically, we’ve got problems.”
He points to the lack of moral difference between churchgoers and non-churchgoers, and the way churches have often failed to challenge the idols of career, money, and comfort.
“We were conditioned into a life of comfort,” he says. “That was a blip in human history. The norm is going to be challenging. But the gospel flourishes in challenge.”
Centre and edge—creative tension
The book introduces the idea of “centre churches” and “edge dwellers.” Centre churches are your typical Sunday congregations. Edge dwellers are small, mission-focused communities living out a particular gospel charism.
Justin believes both are vital, but the relationship is often uneasy.
“We wrote the book to highlight that creative tension,” he says. “Historically, renewal movements like the Franciscans or the Vineyard started out tense. Now we look back and say, ‘Thank God for them.’”
He wants churches to embrace a “mixed economy” long enough to see what’s fruitful. “Some stuff will be loopy. But some will be of God. We need to allow space for that.”
Viable, hopeful alternatives
Justin says deconstruction is easy, but reconstruction is hard.
“I’ve got a lot of time for people who point out problems, if they’re trying to build something better. But if they’re just pulling down, I’m less interested.”
He points to movements like 24-7 Prayer and Te Rautini as examples of hopeful alternatives. “Pete Greig’s Lectio 365 app is used across denominations. Te Rautini has brought worship and decolonisation together in a powerful way.”
These edge movements are small, focused, and deeply transformative. “We can now see God’s been at work in them. We can give thanks and learn.”
Looking ahead, Justin doesn’t expect the form of church to change dramatically. “People will still gather, worship, pray, break bread,” he says. “But my hope is we’ll become more peculiar, more holy.”
He dreams of every community in Aotearoa having a faithful gathering of people offering gospel hope. “Each one should carry the image of God and the context of their local community in a beautiful way.”
And he’s not just talking about Anglicans. “The more diverse expressions of local church, the better.”
A message to pastors: don’t give up
Justin’s message to pastors is deeply pastoral and deeply prophetic.
“Be encouraged. It’s going to get harder. But God is faithful. Reach out to each other. Travel lighter. Don’t carry baggage that will exhaust you.”
He especially honours those serving in forgotten places. “Full credit to those in the main centres. But bless you if you’re faithfully serving in places others have turned their back on.”
“God gives me hope,” Justin says. “Not circumstances, God.”
He sees God’s provision in his own life. And he’s hearing stories that stir his spirit.
“People are turning up at church because they had a dream. They weren’t Christians. They just felt prompted. I’m hearing that more and more.”
Vic shares a story of a woman who walked off the beach and asked to be baptised. “That hasn’t happened in 32 years of pastoring,” he says.
Justin nods. “I’m hearing those stories all the time. God is moving. We just need healthy churches that can receive what God is doing.”
A prayer for pastors
Justin ends the podcast with a heartfelt prayer for pastors across Aotearoa:
“We bless them in Jesus’ name. We pray for resilience, for eyes to see what your Spirit is doing. For greater fruitfulness. For leaders of legacy who sow into the kingdom coming in Aotearoa. May the blessing of God the Father, Son and Holy Spirit be with them. Amen.”
Listen to the podcast episode here
Buy In-tensional here
