Alastair McKay co-founded Bridge Builders in 1996 and returned to the organization as director upon completion of his M.A. in conflict transformation. Bridge Builders serves in the ministry of peacemaking and reconciliation, seeking to transform the culture of the church in the United Kingdom in the way that leaders lead, and how conflict is handled. Bridge Builders provides training courses and workshops, as well as coaching, mediation and consultancy services for all Christian churches and denominations in Britain. It has two staff who lead most of the organization’s work, along with a team of five associate trainers and two support staff. Originally founded as a program of London Mennonite Centre, Bridge Builders was established as an independent organisation in 2011, when the centre closed.
Alastair re-submitted his dissertation for a doctorate of ministry in September 2013. His research project was a case study looking at how the staff teams of two large Anglican churches dealt with disagreement and low-level conflict within their staff team meetings.
Alastair is currently training part-time for ordained ministry in the Church of England at St. Mellitus College. He continues to listen to Bruce Cockburn and English folk music, to follow Leeds Utd and Arsenal football clubs, and to play tennis regularly.
He and his family live in Muswell Hill in North London, where they are part of St. James’ Church. Alastair’s wife Sue, an architect by training, is a gifted textiles and mixed media artist. Eleanor (born 1995) is studying biomedical sciences at the University of Oxford, and has sporting and musical interests, playing violin in one of the university orchestras. James (born 1997) is studying locally at high school, is a passionate road cyclist, and plays trumpet in the Haringey jazz band and symphony orchestra.