Leaders Lunch with Rev. Dr. Ash Barker

Risky Compassion | Finding fullness of life in our local communities

Husband to a force of nature (Anji) and Dad to two amazing young people (Amy and Aiden), Ash has spent over 30 years living and serving on the front line of urban poverty and has a passion to release the unique potential of urban people and places.

Since 2014, the Barkers have been based in Winson Green, inner city Birmingham, UK. They founded Newbigin House which started two new local congregations as well as innovative organisations such as Newbigin Community Trust (NewbiginTrust.uk), Red Letter Christians UK (RedLetterChristians.org.uk) and Urban Shalom Society (UrbanShalomSociety.org). Ash and Anji are also United Reformed Church Ministers of Lodge Road Community Church in Winson Green with Anji also leading Newbigin Community Trust.

A strategic focus for Ash is leading Seedbeds (the public name forNewbigin School for Urban Leadership). Through responsive, practical and innovative programmes, Seedbeds grows local leaders and communities into fullness of life, believing that every local community can flourish, but few neighbourhoods realise their unique potential.Seedbeds equips local people and places to discover, connect andrelease their unique potential together from the inside out.

An inspiring speaker and lecturer, Ash earned his PhD on the rise of urban poverty from the University of Divinity, Melbourne. He has lectured in Theological Colleges around the world, as well as designing and leading accredited programmes with Nazarene Theological College (University of Manchester), Stirling Theological College (University of Divinity, Melbourne) and Tabor College (Melbourne). Ash is the authorof nine books including Risky Compassion, Make Poverty Personal and Slum Life Rising with his new book No Wastelands published in December 2023.