Our People.

Elders, Trustees, Staff Team & Ministry Team Leaders

The Elders have responsibility for spiritual care and leadership of the Church.

The Trustees have responsibility for legal and financial aspects of Church life, including ensuring that we conform to the requirements of our Regulators.

The staff team, led by the Pastor, has responsibility for week-to-week leadership and running of the Church.

Meet The Leadership

Graeme Shanks

PASTOR / ELDER
Originally hailing from Glasgow, Graeme is married to Alex and they have 3 girls Chloe, Grace and Eve. Having qualified as a solicitor and worked in Commercial Property for a few years upon graduation he joined the staff team back in 2012 and has been our Pastor since 2017. He has studied at both the Cornhill Training Course and latterly at Edinburgh Theological Seminary. In his spare time he enjoys most sports and is a long suffering fan of Airdrieonians and West Ham United.
email: Graeme@bruntsfield.org.uk
Peter Ervine

YOUTH PASTOR / ELDER
Peter grew up on a farm in County Down, Northern Ireland, before coming over to Edinburgh University and joining BEC as a student. After completing an MEng in Electrical Engineering, God gave Peter a passion for working with all ages of children and young people and led him to become a Youth Worker for a Church of Scotland. He gained a PGDE in Primary Teaching before starting work at BEC in 2011. He is married to Hazel and they have four children, no car but many bikes.
Ian Naismith

ELDER
Ian has been in the church family since he was 5 years old and an elder since 1990. He and Bridget married in 1985 and have three adult children. Ian worked for an insurance company for 36 years and continues to write on pensions. He enjoys volunteering for Ferrywell Youth Project and Foodbank+, as well as being taught online games by grandson Archie and researching family history.
Alastair Mackintosh

ELDER
Alastair is married to Gill and they have 2 adult sons. Having recently retired from Police Scotland, he now enjoys a new career as a driver/tour guide with Rabbie’s Tours. He has been a member at Bruntsfield Evangelical since 2010 and joined the Eldership in 2020. A keen golfer in his spare time he also enjoys walking and rugby, although his playing days are long since gone.
Jonathan Thomson

ELDER
Jonathan grew up in East Lothian before studying Product Design Engineering at Glasgow University and the Glasgow School of Art, where he met his wife Corrie. They now have a daughter Sanna, with another child due shortly to keep them busy this summer! Jonathan enjoys working in his family fish business, reading books, learning new skills and spending time outdoors with family and friends.

Staff Team

Käete Wiese

WOMEN’S MINISTRY LEADER
Kaete is originally from California. She first came to Scotland to complete her MA in German and MTh in Biblical Studies. She joined BEC as the Women's Ministry Leader in Oct 2021. She is passionate about studying/teaching the Bible and equipping others to study/teach it too. She enjoys learning new languages, getting outside, savouring a good cup of coffee, and is newly married to Ben.
Archie Winnington-Ingram

PASTOR IN TRAINING
Archie studied History and Classics at Glasgow University and loved it so much that he hung around to do postgraduate study in Theology. A keen rugby player he then spent two years working for Christians in Sport, including a year in Oxfordshire, and he continues to work for them part-time alongside church. He still plays a lot of rugby, now with Edinburgh Accies and really loves good coffee.