Stephen Standfast: Where is the Overseeing Shepherd of Gloriavale Now?
| Cinemaholic | Shivangi Sinha |
Stephen Standfast was no stranger to life within the Gloriavale community. Having grown up there, he was familiar with its way of life. In 2023, he was appointed interim overseeing shepherd, a leadership position responsible for handling many of the community’s executive and administrative functions. By 2025, Stephen had formally assumed the role on a full-time basis. Since taking on the position, he has become one of the public faces of the community during a period marked by legal challenges, allegations, and convictions involving senior members. Paramount’s ‘Devotion: Obedience or Betrayal’ traces the timeline of these developments and examines Standfast’s leadership as it exists today.
Stephen Standfast Faced Legal Losses Soon After His Appointment as Leader
Stephen Standfast was born in 1977 in Richmond, Virginia, but he was only two years old when his parents decided to relocate to New Zealand. The family joined the religious group that was then known as the Springbank Christian Community, which would later become Gloriavale. As a result, Stephen spent his entire childhood within the community and was raised according to its teachings and traditions. As he grew older, he took on a number of responsibilities within the group, including working as a teacher and later as a farm manager. Through his work and long-standing commitment to the community, he gradually rose through its leadership structure.
In 2013, Stephen was appointed a “shepherd,” a position that made him one of the community’s senior leaders and entrusted him with greater authority and responsibility within Gloriavale. In the series, Stephen spoke about the rules and regulations that have long been followed within the community. He acknowledged that, over the years, various government agencies and private individuals have raised concerns and allegations regarding some of Gloriavale’s practices. However, Standfast maintained that the community’s lifestyle represents an alternative way of living rather than something inherently improper.
Before Neville Cooper passed away, he had reportedly identified Standfast as the eventual successor to Howard Temple, effectively making him the second successor in the leadership line. During Standfast’s time in senior leadership, the community also faced significant legal challenges. In May 2022, the Employment Court ruled that three former male members had been employees of the community. The following year, six former female members brought a similar case. Standfast was named as one of the defendants, and the ruling in the women’s favor meant that they became entitled to compensation for their labor.
Stephen Standfast is Promising a Change in Opportunity for Women in His Group Today
In 2023, following Howard Temple’s arrest, Stephen Standfast became the interim overseeing shepherd of the Gloriavale community. After Temple’s conviction in July 2025, he formally stepped into the position and has overseen the group’s affairs ever since. His tenure has coincided with a particularly challenging period for the community. In December 2024, as part of his leadership responsibilities, he was ordered to pay the legal costs of former members who had successfully brought claims against the group. In 2025, Standfast also publicly opposed the Ministry of Education’s decision to cancel the registrations of Gloriavale’s private schools.
In January 2026, he met with Social Development Minister Louise Upston during her visit to the community, after which she stated that she had no concerns regarding the welfare of children being raised there. A father of 13 children, Standfast remains the leader of the community amid mounting pressures, including a multi-million-dollar class-action lawsuit alleging slavery and exploitation, disputes over school closures, ongoing police investigations into alleged forced labor and servitude, and pressure from banking institutions to close Gloriavale’s accounts. While he has previously spoken about expanding opportunities for women within the community, he has been more cautious when discussing whether they might eventually hold formal leadership positions. Critics of the group have continued to express skepticism regarding the pace and scope of the changes he has proposed.