With SCEA staff regularly interacting with more than 260 churches in Perth, the task of connecting with our congregations continues to grow.
This week, we meet Mr Amit Khaira, who will be joining the SCEA Central Office team in 2026 as the Ministry Partnerships Coordinator in a part-time role.
What can a new Ministry Partnerships Coordinator bring to our SCEA schools and the Central Office?
Connection.
Connections between churches and their local SCEA schools, between church attendees and fulfilling roles in SCEA schools, and connections that lead to an understanding of a gospel-centred life fixed on Jesus’ purpose for an abundant life.
SCEA schools are busy teaching students each day, but we also want local churches to better understand the nature of our mission and the opportunities we have to be a blessing in the communities we serve.
Enter Mr Amit Khaira.
Amit was born in Singapore and raised in Perth, where he currently lives with his wife and four children. He blends a deep understanding of our local area with experience across the educational, pastoral, church, and not-for-profit sectors on a regional and global scale.
Starting at Armadale Christian College (now Southern Hills Christian College) in 2003, Amit’s background in teaching and chaplaincy sparked his passion for seeing young people come to faith, as he worked with teenagers in the midst of their most difficult situations.
“Those years shaped my heart for pastoral care, student formation, and helping young people encounter faith in real and personal ways,” Amit says.
From there, Amit’s work has taken him through a range of roles in leadership and ministry, including co-directing an international not-for-profit, co-owning a social enterprise café in Perth, and pioneering a Global Education Program for students to undertake a Certificate II in Leadership and Social Justice.
Amit recalls his experiences ministering among some of the poorest and most marginalised global communities as being some that have “profoundly influenced how I understand hope, dignity, and the power of education and faith to transform lives.”
A pivotal moment came for Amit in 2020.
Facing significant health challenges, he turned to prayer for his situation, stating, “If my story is going to keep being written, then You’ve got my yes. No matter what it is, You, O Lord, ask.”
It was this moment of prayer and re-dedication that opened doors for Amit to work as an ‘urban missionary’ through Red Door Community church, aiming to reach young people as they increasingly move into urban areas.
Over the last few years, God has continued to lead Amit in various missional assignments both locally and internationally, as a hospital chaplain and also as an evangelical speaker in Southeast Asia.
He is passionate about seeing young people connected to churches and empowered to engage with their own families, workplaces, and communities through the lens of Christ.
It’s this heart for young people in connected communities that Amit brings to his new role at SCEA, a step he describes as coming “full circle, returning to where it all began”.
Alongside our schools and the Central Office marketing team, the Ministry Partnerships role will build strategic partnerships with local churches that connect SCEA students and families with church communities in their areas.
As preparations for the opening of the CHARIS Teacher Training School (CTTS) begin in 2026, Amit will play a crucial role in recruiting the next generation of SCEA teaching staff.
Amit Khaira begins his time with SCEA in January 2026.
