Stewart Pieper – Senior Pastor
Stewart Pieper joined our ministry team as senior pastor in April 2007. He is a sixth generation descendant of German Baptist immigrants. He has trade qualifications in Boilermaking, as well as vocational experience in the ancient art of farming – having served a 12 year traineeship in potato farming on his family’s farm in the Lockyer Valley.
Having served the local church in a number of volunteer capacities since his teenage years Stewart began formal ministry training in 1998. He has since completed undergraduate and postgraduate ministry degrees and is an ordained minister with Queensland Baptists. He has previously been employed in pastoral ministry at Tenthill Baptist and Toowoomba Community Baptist.
He is married to Teresa, who has been his girlfriend since High School, and still is. They have three wonderful children and a hyperactive dog.
Stewart is passionate about developing leaders, fostering commitment to Jesus Christ, His church and mission, and helping Christians reach their potential in Christ.
Scott Pasley – Associate Pastor
Scott hails from Sydney and together with his wife, Deb and kids Joshua and Hannah, are proof that some good can come from Sydney. Scott trained as an Electrical Engineer, working in the power industry, but since 2004 has been formally training for Christian minsitry, having served at the University of New South Wales as a ministry apprentice and at Ingleburn, Drummoyne and Chatswood Baptist churches as student pastor.
Scott is a graduate of Moore Theological College and took up the role of Associate Pastor at Gladstone in May 2010. Scott is responsible for Young Families, Young Adults and Mission. Scott’s passion is to challenge all with the call of Jesus to take up our cross and to follow him daily, to seek to develop the gifts of God’s people for service and for preaching the Word of God.
Scott loves depressingly uplifting music, movies that make him think, rugby league games that make him yell and his beloved St. George-Illawarra Dragons! He also dabbles in a bit of woodworking, game playing and has just started touch footy.
Michael Trafford – Associate Pastor (Children and Youth)
Michael Trafford was born and raised in Brisbane. Michael studied Education at QUT and worked for Education Queensland for 5 years. Michael has been involved in running Children’s & Youth Ministries since he was a teenager and felt God’s call to serve Him as a coordinator for these ministries in 2007. Michael has been working part-time for Gladstone Baptist Church as the Pastoral Assistant for Children’s & Youth Work since April 2008. Having finished up as part time Chaplain at Trinity College, Michael commenced full time ministry as Associate Pastor for Children and Youth at the beginning of 2012.
Michael is married to the coolest person he knows, Nicole and have two children who are the raddest kids he knows. Michael is passionate about seeing Children and Youth come to know Christ and to personally understand the extraordinary plans God has for their lives.