WHO WE ARE

Our Staff

Senior Pastor

Phil Stedman

Senior Pastor

Following 13 years as an Engineer and Strategic Planner, Phil became Senior Pastor at RCC in 2008. He leads a passionate and experienced team, with a focus on driving the vision of the church and building RCC’s outreach capacity and effectiveness. Phil is married to Cath, a medical specialist, and has three children actively involved in church life. Whenever possible, Phil enjoys multiple outdoor pursuits, including trail running and skiing.

Our staff

Mark Wells

Associate Pastor

Big visions and flourishing communities need a stable base and a strong organisational spine, and Mark’s role focuses on building and maintaining that structure so RCC can continue to grow. He is also involved in leadership development and helping coordinate the teaching programme. Mark is married to Denise who works in the agricultural sector, and they have one daughter, Daisy. Mark enjoys running, commuting on his bike and painting toy soldiers.

Christy Parry-Jennings

Children & Life Groups Pastor

Christy is passionate about discipleship and developing leaders who can positively influence others. She has many years of experience directing the Children’s ministry and overseeing teams of leaders. Christy is married to Jonny and they have two children. When she is not working, Christy enjoys coffee dates, walking and running, and spending time with family and friends.

Matt Meek

Lead Youth Pastor

A passion for youth and a desire to make a difference led Matt into Youth ministry 17 years ago. His role at RCC is responsible for the Intermediate, Youth and Young Adult ministries, overseeing all pursuits and supporting over 40 exceptional volunteer leaders across those ministry areas. Nothing excites him more than seeing young people meet Jesus and step into their full potential. Matt has two young sons and he loves most sports, but particularly cricket, football, volleyball and basketball.

Laura Hewett

Youth Pastor

Arriving in New Zealand from America via Germany, Laura has always had a passion for conversations with young people about theology. After ten years as a Bible teacher at an international high school, Laura took the opportunity to join the RCC team as youth pastor to continue ministry focused on discipleship and transformation. Outside of work, she loves to spend time reading and writing and watching trees change through the seasons.

Lilee Checketts

Administrator

Since experiencing for herself the life-change that a relationship with Jesus brings, Lilee has dedicated her working years to enabling others to discover Jesus too. A networker at heart, she is energized by connecting people with the opportunities and resources available. Lilee is married to Steven who is a teacher, and they have three young children. She loves exploring Christchurch and its amazing parks and libraries.

Kath Weir

Personal Assistant to the Senior Pastor

Kath enjoys making things better, robust discussions, and time to reflect. She’s known for asking great questions and brings her acumen and insight to the team. Kath is married to Andrew who works as a dairy vet and they have three children. In her down time Kath enjoys pottering around at home, knitting, and sitting in the sun.

Andrew Button

Pastoral Care Coordinator

Retiring after 26 years as a business tax advisor, Andrew is now our Pastoral Care Coordinator. Andrew brings to this role a heart to see people cared for, and a keen mind for administration. He and his wife Lynne have been at RCC since 2017 and have been actively leading and caring for people in churches and life groups for over 30 years. In his role as Coordinator, Andrew leads the pastoral care team, and is available to meet with people who need to talk or pray. He enjoys gardening, nature, reading, mentoring people and spending time with his family.

Nicki Aitken

Outreach Coordinator

Nicki’s role focuses on helping people to share their faith in natural ways with the people in their lives. She is married to Alan and they have three grown up children who are all involved at church. Nicki leads the MyTime@10 Community Craft group and she is also involved in visiting local people and helping them to connect in to community activities and with each other. In her free time Nicky enjoys reading, puzzles and swimming.

Steph Sanders

Worship Coordinator

Born across the ditch in Brisbane but always proudly attached to her Kiwi roots, Steph moved to New Zealand in 2025. She has an extensive background in the Arts, growing up playing music, being involved in professional musical theatre and church worship teams back in Australia, as well as running her own photography business. She is passionate about seeing the Church pursue and embody a heart of worship and seeing different areas of creativity flourish as wider expression of worship. Her passion for capturing Creation through landscape and nature photography led has also led her to pursue a Master of Environmental Policy and Management through Lincoln University. An introvert at heart, she loves filling her spare time with worship music, reading, and spending time with her family and friends

Elders & Trustees

The Elders/Trustees are responsible for the governance and leadership of the church and act as the Trustees of our church trust. They are a dedicated group with a diverse range of backgrounds, skills and experience. The current Elders and Trustees are Phil Stedman, Bevan Burgess, Andrea Hotter, Caleb Meyer, James Sheat, and Alan Aitken.