Phil Barnard

Dr Phillip Barnard is committed to helping more people engage practically, intelligently and compassionately with the issue of poverty in our world. With two decades of experience in ministry, education and research, he has seen first-hand the positive impact that groups of committed and intentional people can have in addressing the most pressing needs of society.

In his 10 years as a pastoral staff leader at Hillsong Church London (a thriving multi-campus church with a weekly attendance of 13,000 people), Dr Barnard would draw upon his unique meld of research expertise and practical experience as he taught and spoke for groups of up to 10,000 people. As a young church leader, he directed the 150-person Hillsong team that together built the largest children’s ministry of its kind in the United Kingdom and produced multi-day children’s events at iconic London venues including Royal Albert Hall. Shortly afterwards, Dr Barnard became the senior lecturer Hillsong Evening College, and oversaw all teaching activities at Hillsong Church London. Alongside regular teaching at Hillsong, he delivered keynotes and panel sessions at Willow Creek Community Church, Launch Conference and Kidshaper Conference.

Academically, Dr Barnard’s expertise spans theology, education and international development. His extensive, field-based investigations on education and schooling in the slums of Mumbai, India, was built on his interest in using education as a tool for transformation for those experiencing generational poverty. These research findings were catalytic in the establishment of a school in the Kalwa community of the Indian megacity, and for this dissertation he was awarded a Master in Education from Newcastle University. In 2017, Dr Barnard’s exploration into the development of an innovative framework for understanding the causes of poverty culminated with him earning his doctorate in theology from King's College London.

More recently, Dr Barnard's focus has been on addressing the cycle of poverty in one of Denver's most underprivileged neighbourhoods. Through his daily work with children in an inner-city elementary charter school (where almost 90% of the students come from families living below the poverty line) he has been directly applying his extensive research and attacking the causes of poverty at a very tangible, grassroots level.

Dr Barnard offers engaging, evidence-backed and personalized consulting and training, to help you and your team fully engage with issues related to poverty, and in turn increase your positive impact when you want to help those in need.