National Manager, father of three, husband to Naomi, a child of God & a devoted servant to the Kingdom… Jono Bailey has been a part of Christian Surfers for over 20 years. His passion for adventure, surfing & faith has taken him all over the world, but the hot sandy shores of Australia’s Coolum Beach, & the whisper of God called him back home… This is a snippet of Jono’s story.
Growing up you were drawn to the risk & adventure side of expressing & pursuing faith. How did your grandparents influence this?
Like many of us, I was looking for a life of adventure in my late teens and I'd become disillusioned by what felt like a safe, sanitized version of Christianity in my local church. I'd heard stories throughout my childhood of my grandparents that traveled by ship and train in the 1940's from Australia to live as missionaries with remote communities in the Nuba Mountains, Sth Sudan, Africa. As a boy those stories sounded so epic, I wanted to be a missionary like my grandparents or play football for the socceroos!
How does Christian Surfers relate to you in a similar way?
Christian Surfers has been a community that's invited me to live the adventure and life of a missionary... on my local beach. I've had so many incredible experiences in CS where I've been challenged to live outside my comfort zone and walk a journey of faith with Jesus. I remember one specific camp where I drove a combi van full of grommets to Nth NSW (3 hours south of the Sunny Coast, QLD). It was some of those teenagers' first camp with our local CS crew and they were buzzing. There wasn't much sleep that weekend, but lots of waves and adventures. I remember being completely spent and exhausted toward the end of the camp when several of them responded to an invitation to follow Jesus. It was moments like those that I'd know I was living my childhood dream.
At 17, your faith became your own & you partook in a YWAM & discipleship training in the late 90’s. Tell us about this time…
At the time, CS had partnered with YWAM to run a Surfers Discipleship Training School in Newcastle. It was quite similar to what we are now running with CSALT (Christian Surfers Aus Leadership Training school). I'd finished school and just turned 18 and was ready to surf, travel and learn more about following God. It was the best decision I'd ever made, one of those life altering experiences that was foundational for my faith.
As much as the allure of travel, surf & human connection in far-away lands were, you realised that God wanted you to continue your mission back home?...
Part of my YWAM experience involved a short term mission trip to India. In the late 90's we didn't have any reference to surf locations, however, we knew there must be waves so our team packed our boards and traveled the southern coast. We found lots of beaches with waves and in some locations we were able to run spontaneous surf lessons for local kids. We'd follow with a drama on the beach to share the gospel.
Before leaving on this outreach I'd stood before a huge map of the world at the YWAM base and said a prayer of surrender to God... something along the lines of "send me to wherever you want me to go". At the time I didn't hear an answer to that prayer, however, as I stood on the sands of the beach in India and tried to share the gospel with the kids I was aware of how much the language and cultural barriers stood in the way. I was reminded of my prayer and felt aware that if I was to go somewhere like this, it'd be for the long haul. Standing on the beach I repeated the prayer again, knowing the cost it might take. It was there that I felt like God spoke to my heart that he wanted me to return to my own tribe... the surfers of Coolum and Aus, with the same commitment to love and serve them as I would any other tribe elsewhere in the world.
The ‘open house’ on the shorefront of Coolum that you & a few CS crew lived in sounds like the aussie Jesus version of North Shore’s Pipe house ha!…
Haha - definitely not the same quality of waves or house!!! It was an original fibro beachfront shack that we lived in for several years. Myself and two other CS leaders in our early 20's felt inspired by the original CS house in Cronulla and we saw this little shack and thought it was ideal. Being young and poor (I was at bible college and the other two were apprentices) we couldn't afford the rent so we had 10 couples from church donate $10 per week to help us live there. Others donated furniture, fridges / freezers etc. We moved in and hung a banner out the front with Christian Surfers Coolum on it and being on the main road it became well known as the CS house.
During those years, we'd have grommets join us for a surf, dinner and a bible talk every week on Thursdays and then often on the weekends. It was a safe home for some that were having challenges and needed somewhere to crash for a few nights. Lots of other visitors would stay on their travels too. It was definitely a slightly chaotic time, but full to overflowing with amazing mission opportunities and adventures.
Whilst studying at Bible college, you realised how special CS was… as a surfer & adventurer at heart, I think a lot of us can relate…
In those days I was living in the open house and studying at bible college and there were times that I was struggling with what often feels like the stereotypical path of a "leader" in the church. I think I always felt a bit like a square peg in a round hole. I didn't really want to be running Sunday services and preaching on a stage, I wanted to be running surf events and talking about Jesus with surfers on the beach. I think the battle at the time was realizing that serving in CS was just as legitimate as being a "church minister". I have perspective now that both are important and have their role in seeing God's Kingdom grow in our communities.
The Jesus Pro Am set the standard for equal pay years before the World Surf League recognised the importance. Can you tell us more about this event & how Christian values & morals are a major benefit & influence to society?
My specific involvement in the Jesus Pro Am was helping to bring it to QLD for a few years from 2010 - 2012. The decision to offer equal prize money for both mens and womens was already established by that stage and we fully supported that stand in QLD. Whilst it was innovative in the surfing community in its day, I think it was a reflection of our ancient belief that both men and women are equally image bearers of God and valued as such (Genesis 1:27). In recent times I've been so stoked to see that CS has continued to celebrate women in our movement. Many of our best leaders are women and I'm always so appreciative of their contribution.
I think that's a great example of an area where CS has been innovative and set a higher standard in our society. I believe that as we listen and follow our Creator we will continue to be a blessing to our surfing communities and broader society. Just last week we launched Christian Surfers Aus on TikTok social media platform. Its a space where many young surfers will be influenced and I think it's an arena that CS can be using God's creative genius to bless surfers and share his love for them. Pls be praying for our young crew that are working on creating this content :)
Jono you’ve been involved in CS for over 20 years now… what’s been the most gratifying thing for you over this time?
Without question it's the relationships with so many legends I've had the joy of serving alongside or serving in the mission. It's a big community that has God's love at the centre of it so we are all equal and filled with a genuine love for one another. The events and activities are key moments and provide opportunity ultimately for the relationships to be formed and built stronger. I'm often reminded that CS is the sum of its people.
As national operations manager, what is your role not only in CS but in everyday life?
My most important role is to love... firstly Naomi, my bride of over 18 years, and then the 3 amazing grommies that call me dad - Lydia, Micah and Josiah.
In CS - I also aim to love the surfing community by serving as CSA Operations Manager. My role encompasses working alongside our National Director and Administrator (Steve and Kath Bailey) and Regional Coordinators to plan and implement epic national events, fundraising campaigns, communications and training programs.
I find myself doing a lot of different things in my role...
I was stoked on Saturday to take my 3 kids surfing at our CS Sunny Coast Saturday surf and then host Jordy (new QLD Regional Coordinator) and the QLD Mission Coordinators as they formed goals and strategies for the next 3 years to grow CS in QLD.
Last week I returned from our CS International Gathering in California where we had an amazing time being encouraged by leaders from across the globe that are serving in CS. It was a perfect opportunity to build collaborative relationships on global projects such as the new Surfers Bible which will be an amazing project.
What makes you happiest?
I'm happiest when I live within God's grace for each day. For me, that's like finding yourself in the pocket of the wave and picking the perfect line... it feels effortless and full of His power. When I'm aware of God's face shining upon me. It doesn't matter what I'm doing, it's more about living in the joy of His approval. I tend to be the happiest and truest form of who He has made me to be when I'm in that zone.
Having said that... I do also enjoy the rare times I sneak behind the curtain of an actual wave :)
A line / passage of scripture that has been relevant of late…
Romans 1:17 For in the gospel a righteousness from God is revealed, a righteousness that is by faith from first to last, just as it is written; "The righteous will live by faith."
Favourite worship album?
Hmmm... not really any albums - I've got a spotify playlist of my faves. Probably my favourite song lately has been "Shepherd of my Soul" by Rivers and Robots.
