News

Arise Church Appoints New Senior Leaders
2023-08-01

The Arise Board is delighted to announce Ben & Amy Kendrew as the new senior leaders of Arise Church.

Following an exhaustive search and a rigorous selection process, Ben Kendrew has been appointed in the Lead Pastor role. This process involved creating a Selection Panel that interviewed the candidates and made recommendations to the Board. The Board have made their decision based on the recommendations of the Selection Panel, intensive discussions, and prayer. Ben will take on the role of Lead Pastor effective immediately and Amy’s day-to-day role will be Head of Life groups and Pastoral Care. Together, they will be the new leaders of Arise Church.

Ben and Amy Kendrew have been part of Arise for 20 years. In 2008, Ben and Amy moved to Christchurch to be a part of the fledgling campus of Arise in that city. They have served and led in various areas of church life, before becoming Campus Pastors in 2020. In 2022, Ben and Amy became Interim Lead Pastors of Arise during a time of difficult changes and intense scrutiny. They have navigated Arise through this year with poise and integrity. Together they are excited to continue engaging with the Church community, building an inclusive environment that fosters a deeper connection with God and develops resilient disciples of Jesus.

The appointment of a Lead Pastor is the initial step of a larger leadership restructure. As described in our Church Update Night, we have committed to forming our leadership structure based on biblical principles and our internal review recommendations. Following this appointment of Lead Pastor, the board will be looking to appoint a General Manager in the very near future. This role will have distinct responsibilities from the Lead Pastor and equal authority in day-to-day processes and in decision-making. This will be another important step for our church.

We look forward to formally celebrating Ben and Amy with a commissioning service on Sunday 10th September, 2023. These services will be linked to all campuses nationwide and available to watch online. We invite you to join us. We eagerly anticipate all that is ahead as Ben and Amy lead Arise towards a brighter and healthier future.

If you have any questions about the Lead Pastor appointment, the restructuring of our leadership, or the commissioning service, please email us at info@arisechurch.com or visit Our Leaders page for more information.