Our Pastors

Nathan Smith | Senior Pastor

Nathan is the founding and senior pastor of Grace Church.

He grew up in a Christian home and responded to the gospel at an early age. At the age of 11 his family moved to South Wales, where they became members of Christchurch. It was during his time growing up in that church that Nathan grew to more fully understand the truth of the gospel and the amazing implications for his life.

He sensed a call to pastoral ministry in his early twenties and after a period of consideration and assessment was asked by the pastors of Christchurch to attend the Sovereign Grace Pastors College, in Maryland, USA.

Nathan graduated from the Pastors College in 2001 and returned to Christchurch to undertake a church-planting internship that lasted 18 months. In September 2002, he led the church planting team to establish Grace Church in Bristol.

Today, Nathan serves as the senior pastor, leading the pastoral team and church on our mission together. He is primarily responsible for preaching and teaching and for the evangelistic outreach of the church.

Nathan married Clare in 2000 and they have triplets sons and two little girls.

Peter Bowley | Pastor

Peter grew up in a non-Christian home in the South East and became a Christian at the age of 12 when God broke in on him and opened his eyes to the gospel.

He entered pastoral ministry in 1982, joining the team at Slough Christian Centre (formerly Gospel Tabernacle), having previously been in the rag trade, working for Ladybird Children’s clothes.

In 1990, Peter moved his whole family to South Wales to take on a new role pastoring a church in Cardiff and in 1995 he became one of the founding pastors of Christchurch, Newport.

In 2005, by God’s good grace, Peter accepted a role as pastor at Grace Church and joined the team here. He is primarily responsible for the church’s administration and finances, the children’s ministry, overseeing the home groups and counselling.

Peter has been married to June for 40 years. They have three married daughters and an ever-growing number of grandchildren.