In Accordance with New testament principals, Grace Christian Fellowship has two Pastors (also known as overseers or Elders). They are responsible to the Lord for the oversight of all spiritual matters of the church family and they lead by example and exhortation.

Tom Burke - Senior Pastor

From a local family, Tom was born & raised in Cork, just a few minutes walk from where Grace Fellowship now meets at Deerpark. All of his exposure to the Bible in the earlier part of his life came from his Catholic upbringing. During his mid teens he drifted away from any kind of church involvement & considered himself an atheist for a while. When he realised this was not a realistic option for going through life, he began searching at the age of 19.

In April 1980 he attended a non-denominational house church that met nearby & became a believer and follower of Jesus Christ. About a month later Denise, his girlfriend, also became a Christian. Tom & Denise married in 1982 and have 2 children, a son Dillon & a daughter Dara, both of whom are also very active in the church at Grace.
11 friends founded Grace Christian Fellowship in December 1996, with Tom voted in as the first pastor of the new church. Tom has continued in this capacity having been voted in by the church through secret ballot every 3 years. He works full time in this & has been active with a lot of
other mission groups & Christian think tanks. He also has pastoral input into a number of other local churches in the Cork & Waterford areas.