Month: June 2025

The guest on this episode podcast is Simon Marriott. Simon is originally from Lurgan in Northern Ireland, and now lives in Mullingar in the centre of Ireland. He has worked with Youth for Christ in the Czech Republic and the Irish Republic, and has served as pastor of Mullingar Christian Fellowship. More recently he has been appointed director of Foundation for the Nations – a group that has helped to resource Youth For Christ projects in scores of nations around the world by connecting them with generous donors. He is married to Hannah, and they have three children.

In our conversation, Simon talks the work he is currently involved in (which you find out about here) and reviews much of his leadership journey, including the influence of some key people, and how his philosophy of Christian leadership has evolved. He speaks powerfully about a deeply challenging personal moment at the time of the birth of one of his children and how significant he has found the meaning of his name to be in his relationship with the Lord.

There are some great leadership takeaways in the conversation.

You will notice a couple of commercial plugs through the conversation – one for the Irish Bible Institute where Simon is a recent MA graduate, and one for his sister’s stationery business. Feel free to pay them a visit, along with the Foundation for the Nations and Youth for Christ.

The guest on this episode of the podcast is Alain Emerson. Alain lives with his wife and three children just outside Lurgan in County Armagh. He pastors Emmanuel Church in Portadown alongside his work with 24-7 Prayer and his oversight of the Tobar network of churches.

Alain has just released his third book – The Cruciform Leader. The book is a rich combination of biblical reflection and personal story that aims to call Christian leaders back to the heart of New Testament leaders, embodied in Jesus and lived out by his first followers.

In our conversation we talk about Alain’s own leadership journey as well as delving into what lies behind the book and outlining some of its themes.

You can get hold of a copy of the book (which includes a helpful study guide at the end of each chapter) from various outlets, including Emmanuel Church in Lurgan (if you are in the area), the various Faith Mission bookshops, and online, including from the publisher, Muddy Pearl.

Click here to access the episode.