Steffan Job is the Ministry Director of the Evangelical Movement of Wales, and an elder at Capel y Ffynnon, Bangor.
1. How did you become a Christian?
I became aware of my need for a Saviour at a young age through church, Christian camps, and a Luis Palau mission. However, I struggled with assurance until my late teens, when my faith began to deepen. I still remember the freedom I felt the first time I spoke to God with confidence, knowing my sins were forgiven.
2. What lessons have you learnt since that you would want to pass on to a younger Christian version of yourself?
It feels as though my whole life has been a lesson! As a young Christian, I struggled with understanding the Trinity. Over time, however, I have come to find the truth that God is Father, Son, and Holy Spirit to be one of the most comforting and transforming aspects of the Christian faith. I would therefore tell my younger self to throw himself wholeheartedly into seeking and knowing God as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
3. How would you describe your prayer life?
Unstructured, but constant. I’ve always struggled with long periods of prayer and felt guilty about this during university. A pastor encouraged me instead to live in a spirit of prayer, which has helped me find freedom in speaking with God throughout the day whenever I can.
4. Which two or three Christian books apart from the Bible have most influenced your faith?
The Pursuit of God by A.W. Tozer was very influential when I was younger, and I have also benefitted greatly from The Prodigal God by Tim Keller. Most influential of all, however, has been Geiriadur Ysgrythyrol Charles, a Welsh-language theological dictionary written in the early 1800s by Thomas Charles.
5. Who or what have been your biggest Christian influences?
I have been blessed by many godly influences through my work, but my greatest influences have been my mother and father. Their love for the Saviour and sacrificial faith have shaped me profoundly.
6. What are the main challenges you believe Christians face today?
In Wales, I believe the greatest challenge is wealth. So much competes for our time and affection, and I find this a constant struggle myself. Jesus’ words about wealth and the kingdom of God remain deeply challenging.
7. What encourages and what discourages you?
I am always encouraged by seeing spiritual fruit in the lives of my Christian brothers and sisters. What discourages me most, however, are my own failings. It is precisely at those times that Christ’s forgiveness and transforming power become especially precious to me.
8. What makes you laugh?
My cricket teammates. There are some real characters among them.
9. What would you want to say to the wider Evangelical world?
Be kind – or perhaps “gentle” is a better word. Much of my work involves serving Christians, and I am increasingly seeing a hard edge and polarisation within Reformed Christianity. There is a growing tendency to focus on certain sins, to expect society to be Christian without genuine conversion, and to fight with other believers over secondary issues. While we must stand firm on matters of truth, we must never forget that we are called to reflect Christ’s loving character without compromise. It has been said often, but it remains true: we are simply beggars showing others where to find food.
10. Which Biblical person (other than Jesus) do you most look forward to meeting in glory and why?
As someone who studied science at university, I’ve spent a lot of time thinking about Genesis 1-4. If Adam is there (and if not, perhaps Abel!), I would love to ask what it was like at the very beginning, when the world first came into being.
