| Biography | Gerald Coates (1944- ) is the founder of Pioneer, a Christian community established to "develop new churches across the UK and engage in mission globally." The Pioneer network is a neocharismatic group of evangelical churches. It is part of the British New Church Movement and can also be described as Restorationist. Coates himself was responsible for coining the term "New Church" to replace the more confusing former name "House Church Movement," of which he was also a founding member. Along with Roger T Forster of Ichthus Christian Fellowship and Lynn Green of Youth with a Mission, he was one of the founders of March for Jesus. He and his wife Anona have been married since 1966 and have three sons, one grandson and two grand daughters. Gerald and Anona live in Bookham, Surrey.
Coates is an author and a broadcaster, in both secular and religious media. He leads a church in Leatherhead called Engage which was planted in the former Thorndike Theatre but now meets elsewhere. He founded and ran a series of training courses called Insight, which is, in charismatic idiom, a "school of prophecy." He is the chair of the Charismatic Evangelical Round Table. He is involved with Pioneer's National Churches Forum, and CRAC (the Central Religious Advisory Council).Ge |