BACKGROUND

John is an author, a cultural anthropologist, a most challenging business speaker, a teacher and lecturer, a biker, a defender of the poor and marginalised, a lover of jazz and blues music, and a prominent social communicator.

He was a member of the Prime Minister's Australia 2020 Summit, "Strengthening Communities, Supporting Families and Social Inclusion" stream.

He is as much at home talking to business leaders, academics, church leaders, politicians and the media, as he is with school children, university students, the poor and marginalised, and outlaw motorcycle club members.

He has spoken in Australia and around the world at music and arts festivals, has shared the stage with former President Jimmy Carter and has addressed the United Nations Human Rights Commission.

He was arrested, sentenced to death and narrowly missed execution (in part due to the involvement of the media) in the Philippines in the 1980's for defending the rights of rural peasants.

John is Superintendent of St Martin's Community Church in the inner city Melbourne suburb of Collingwood which seeks to meaningfully communicate and contextualise the message of the Gospel and a Christian worldview to the holistic needs of all, especially those who feel alienated or outside the influence of other churches.

John Smith has also written five books and has another two in the final stages of editing. His first book "On the Side of the Angels" has sold over 85,000 copies in two printings. Another of his books "Advance Australia Where – A lack of meaning in a land of plenty" was awarded religious book of the year in 1989. One of his earlier books "Cutting Edge" which was published in the UK in 1992 has been re-written and published under the title "Sharpening the Cutting Edge". His PhD dissertation on the subject "The Jesus Movement" is currently being edited for publication in the USA, UK and Australia.

He has been married to Glena (also a passionate worker with the disadvantaged) for over 40 years. They have three adult children and 15 grandchildren.

Concern Australia, of which John is the Founding Director, is a well established Christian mission and welfare organisation helping change lives by responding to physical, relational and spiritual needs of marginalised and disadvantaged people (especially youth) through love, justice, mercy and compassion.