Captain Andrew Payne, Church Army Officer
Licensed to Diocese of Sheffield and St Mary the Virgin, Beighton
Andrew is a Church Army Officer, having trained for ministry in Sheffield he was
Commissioned in 1998. He is licensed both to the diocese as he helps run a
training course, and to St Mary’s as he lives in the parish.
Since Commissioning Andrew has served in the diocese of London as a Deanery
Evangelist; been a Chaplain with the Mission to Seafarers both in the UK and, for
three years in Colombo, Sri Lanka; and worked for the diocese of St
Edmundsbury and Ipswich in a Benefice near Cambridge and then as Diocesan
Adviser for Evangelists based in Ipswich. In 2021 Andrew returned to Sheffield
to take up a national role with Church Army, which he held until early 2024. He
was also elected to the board of trustees for Church Army in 2020.
Andrew is originally from Kent and admits to being an Estate Agent before
coming into ministry. He worshipped and worked at St Mark’s Gillingham and,
for two years, at Truro Church, Fairfax, Virginia USA before starting Church Army
training.
Andrew is married to Gemma, and they have a grown up son Daniel who lives in
Northamptonshire. Andrew and Gemma’s latest ‘hobby’ is spending lots of time
in their camper van.
For more information about the Church Army: Church Army website
For more general information about the different kinds of Lay Ministries in the Church of England: Licensed and Authorised Lay Ministries.