Stuart is married to Joyce, and they have two young children, Greg and Steph.

Born in Liverpool in 1966, Stuart moved from the North West to London at the age of two. In 1977 the family moved to live in the Peak District where he developed his love of the countryside and outdoor activities.

He made a clandestine commitment to Christ at the age of 13, and 'came out' at 17 when he began attending the local Brethren chapel. After failing most of his exams he eventually scraped enough A levels together to be accepted at Bishop Grosseteste Teacher Training College in Lincoln, where he started to attend New Life Christian Fellowship.

 He became close friends with the Bowater Tribe and as an Everton supporter shared the roller coaster ride of following a team as inconsistent as Aston Villa.

Having qualified as a primary teacher he taught in Runcorn, until in 1990 he left to work at a school for missionary's children in Senegal. On his return, and after their marriage (so it is all Joyce's fault after all) Stuart began to get into theology in a big way, attending Regent's Theological College in Nantwich obtaining a B.D. as an external student with London University.

His appetite for study whetted, he went on to gain an M.A. in Biblical and Patristic Theology, then a Ph.D. in Patristic theology studying the spirituality of the Early Church, both from Leeds University. Some of his friends refer to this as his study of his 'Dead Mates'. During this time he was also heavily involved with an independent evangelical church in Runcorn, (Brook Fellowship) in which he was part of the leadership team for seven years, four as team leader.

Moving to Leicester in 1999 with Joyce's job led to a period of reflection and seeking God's guidance regarding his future. After time spent tutoring, lecturing and teaching Stuart was accepted for ordination training in the Anglican church.