Academic career
Following his doctorate, he was a British Academy postdoctoral research fellow in the Department of Politics and International Studies of the University of Warwick from 2001 to 2003. [5] He was then a lecturer in Southeast Asian politics at the School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London, before moving to the University of Bristol as a lecturer in development politics in 2005. [5] He was promoted to reader in 2008, and was made Professor of Development Politics in 2012. [4] He is an expert on the politics of modern Vietnam, having published widely in this field. His writings in theology straddle ecclesiology, missiology and political theology.
As well as numerous journal articles, he is the author of Changing Political Economy of Vietnam: the Case of Ho Chi Minh City (2002), Vietnam: Rethinking the state (2010), and Politics and Mission: Rediscovering the Political Power of What Christians Do (2023).
Ordained ministry
Having trained on the Southern Theological Education and Training Scheme, Gainsborough was ordained in the Church of England as a deacon in 2010 and as a priest in 2011. [3] He served his curacy at St Luke's Church, Barton Hill in the Diocese of Bristol from 2010 to 2013, and then served as its priest-in-charge from 2013 to 2016. [3] After that he was canon theologian at Bristol Cathedral from 2016 until 2018, and then as Bishop's Chaplain to the Bishop of Bristol until his appointment to the episcopate. [3]
In 2013-14 Gainsborough undertook commando training with the Royal Marines for which he was awarded the coveted green beret. He served as Chaplain to Royal Marines Reserve Bristol until 2023.
On 16 December 2022, it was announced that Gainsborough would become the next Bishop of Kingston. [6] He was consecrated a bishop on 2 February 2023 by Justin Welby, Archbishop of Canterbury, during a service at Canterbury Cathedral.
Gainsborough is Chair of Trustees of St Augustine’s Theological College, Chair of Council of Lambeth Research Degrees in Theology, and a member of the Church of England’s Environment Working Group. Gainsborough also leads the Diocese of Southwark’s Covenant Agreement work with the Diocese of Jerusalem.
In 2025 Gainsborough ran the 267 mile Pennine Way with his Border Collie, Jem, covering the equivalent of ten marathons in ten days and raising £40,000 for the Kingston-Matabeleland Link, which he leads.
