Jo Gibbs joins the team at Anglican Deaconess Ministries
ADM is pleased to announce the appointment of Jo Gibbs as its new CEO, effective 17 November 2020.
Jo Gibbs joins ADM from St Pauls Castle Hill, where she has been the Care and Assistant Discipleship Minister. Prior to this, Jo spearheaded work in international and cross-cultural settings.
Announcing Jo’s appointment, ADM’s Chair, Rev Jenni Stoddart said: “Jo is passionate about seeing women use their gifts for the glory of God and creating spaces for women of diverse backgrounds to grow deeper in God’s Word as they engage with the world around them.
“Jo loves Jesus, and she has a particular heart for lifting up women to serve in gospel-shaped ministries of mercy and justice.
“She has been developing and leading teams for over 25 years in a range of settings. Her experience both in Australia and overseas has given her a heart for the needs of the world, as well as cross-cultural ministry in Australia.
“Jo was chosen after a rigorous selection process from a strong field of candidates. She is known for her commitment to seeing women transformed by the gospel and for her collaborative and innovative approach to her work. The Board is delighted that she has accepted this appointment.”
Jo has been connected with ADM over a number of years, through the work of Neringah Hospital as a Social Work student, as a recipient of a scholarship for postgraduate study, and then more recently through the Annual Funding Event. She has also been shaped by deaconesses and female deacons through her involvement in parishes across the Sydney Diocese.
Jo’s background in social work will serve to strengthen ADM as it seeks to pursue growth in its mercy and justice work. Jo studied Social Work at UNSW focusing on cross-cultural development work, then worked in local government in community development and social planning across Sydney, developing the Liverpool Neighbourhood Plan and the Pittwater Social Plan.
“I’m passionate about creating spaces for women to use their gifts for the glory of God, supporting the work of women in our Diocese and beyond and continuing the ground-breaking work of ADM. I’m excited to see what God has in store.”
Jo completed her Master of Divinity at Sydney Missionary and Bible College with her final thesis focusing on the worldview of Muslim women as seen in the Hadith. She then served with her family for 11 years with CMS in a megacity in South Asia, and was involved in development, discipleship and reading the Bible with her neighbours. During this time, she trained and equipped national women as well as expatriate women from a range of backgrounds, and provided ongoing development for overseas workers.
Returning to Australia in 2015, she served first as the Families Minister at St John’s Beecroft before moving to St Paul’s Castle Hill. Over the last two years, in her role as the Care and Assistant Discipleship Minister at St Paul’s, she has been building teams in practical, emotional and spiritual care and working across issues including domestic abuse, mental health and grief and loss.
More recently, Jo has expanded her ministry, working in women’s discipleship including small groups, 121 ministry, and developing women’s preaching as well as a women’s training initiative for the North-West of Sydney.
Reflecting on her appointment, Jo said: “I’m so thankful to God to be taking up the role of CEO of Anglican Deaconess Ministries.
“It’s an incredible honour and privilege. ADM draws on a rich history of ordinary women doing extraordinary things for God, grounded deeply in God’s Word and taking the life-giving gospel to the world, in even the hardest places.
“I’m passionate about creating spaces for women to use their gifts for the glory of God, supporting the work of women in our Diocese and beyond and continuing the ground-breaking work of ADM. I’m excited to see what God has in store.”
Jo, who was born and educated in Australia, is married to Mike and they have two children. She is currently completing an MA (Theol) at Moore College and is a candidate for ordination in the Sydney Diocese.
Watch this video of a conversation between Jo and ADM’s Chair of the Board, Rev. Jenni Stoddart, to get to know Jo better.