The crew is made up of a committed bunch of Christian leaders, each bringing unique perspectives and experiences to the Traverse toolbox. They are all quite an educated bunch, yet down to earth too – a rare combination. This is no ivory tower, as each of them are involved in hands on ministry at different levels and in various areas. This gives the Traverse team a unique voice and informed perspective on Church and culture. They are passionate to bridge the gap.
Dave Benson lectures in evangelism and apologetics and Malyon College, and is a PhD candidate in Practical Theology at the University of Queensland, considering the place of religious texts in public education. Having grown up in both Melbourne and Brisbane as two of Australia’s biggest cultural centres, Dave has always felt a deep call to shape secular culture toward understanding Christianity and embracing Christ.
Dave’s background in both public education and Church-based ministry are a reflection of this pursuit. Having earned his Bachelor of Applied Science (Human Movements Education), Dave taught in Queensland public high schools for a number of years (1998-2002) before making the transition into being a youth worker and then youth pastor (2003-2006). After a 2 year hiatus to Vancouver, Canada, to study a Masters of Christian Studies at Regents College, Dave returned to Kenmore Baptist Church to serve for 3 years as Pastor of Evangelism and Community Outreach (2009-2011). Since then Dave has been a student-lecturer, researching his PhD whilst lecturing for Malyon College (2012-2013). Sharing this journey with his lovely wife Nikki, the common call across these various vocations is commending Christ and His Kingdom as a bridge between the church and post-Christendom culture—a culture where the average person is post-Christian in attitude, but pre-Christian in understanding.
Dan Paterson has just started lecturing part-time for Malyon College in apologetics whilst working with Traverse, completing his MA(Th) project, and pastoring at Ashgrove Baptist Church. Having recently returned from studying persuasive evangelism with RZIM at the Oxford Centre for Christian Apologetics, Dan is deeply committed to presenting Christ and the Christian faith so that both the sceptic and the average Aussie come to see Jesus as answering best the questions of the mind and the longings of the heart.
Having become a Christian at 18 through reading the Bible, Dan sensed an early call to present the gospel in the public sphere in a way that connects with the questions of his day. He then was theologically trained through the Australian College of Theology, earning first a Bachelor of Ministry (2009) before embarking on a MA(Theology). After having taught and been involved in ministry amongst schools, universities and churches, Dan took up his first pastoral role in 2009 in youth and young adults at Ashgrove Baptist Church. In 2012 Dan took up the opportunity to spend a year studying under some of the world’s best evangelist/apologists at the OCCA in Oxford. Having returned now to Brisbane with his wife Erin, Dan is passionate about furthering the cause of the gospel through a mixture of academic training, evangelism and church leadership.