Neurodiversity Within God’s Call to Ministry

Lieutenant Andy Connor was diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and autistic spectrum disorder (ASD) during his officer training at Booth College of Mission (BCM). He reflects on his journey of receiving his adult diagnosis and how this has impacted him.

I was born in the early 1970s in London. As a child I was an absolute handful. I wasn’t naughty, but I would have been classed as a very energetic kid. I struggled at school, and I remember always being in the ‘special’ classes. I’d move around the classroom and have to sit next to the teacher. I now understand that when you have ADHD and ASD you really cannot keep still.

At home I looked things up in encyclopedias and read books. I was quite smart, but because I was not smart at school, the teachers called me stupid. I failed all my exams, and left school at 16 years old after being told that I would never make anything of my life.

My dad encouraged me to get a trade. I applied to motor vehicle companies to become an apprentice mechanic. They asked me to sit a series of logic tests. These were different from the assessments, and I excelled at these tests. I was offered multiple positions and accepted an apprenticeship at Mercedes Benz.

There were procedures to follow at Mercedes Benz. This built structure into my life, which was exactly what I needed. I thrived in that environment. My apprenticeship required me to attend college one day per week. I didn’t enjoy being back in the classroom, but during this time I taught myself how to learn in an unorthodox way. The most important lesson for a young adult is to discover is their own way of learning. I found that out at college and completed my A-levels and a diploma in management.

Faith and family

I was brought up as a Christian and came to faith at age seven. Bible stories excited me and I knew them well. I found it hard to pray, as I would hear every single noise around me. Throughout my life I never doubted God, even when things got hard.

I married my wife, Lieutenant Tamsyn Connor, when I was 20 and she was 18 years old. We had difficulty having children so decided to do lots of travelling. We always included time to visit New Zealand on our trips. When we had our first child in 1998, we assumed we would stop travelling, but we still had the travel bug. We emigrated to New Zealand in 2000, with eight suitcases and a two-year-old daughter. We settled in Ōrewa.

I had a range of jobs including starting up a toy shop and being a house husband. Our second child arrived in 2002. I became heavily involved at Ōrewa Baptist Church as a deacon. Tamsyn and I continued with the things we enjoyed like travel and scuba diving. People said we were busy, but my brain enjoyed moving fast and being busy.

Faith-filled struggle

When I turned 40, I felt like I should be slowing down, but I could feel myself becoming more hyperactive. My doctor suggested that I might have ADHD and I could go on medication, but the doctor couldn’t get me into the system to get tested. I decided that I didn’t need medication as I had managed without it and I wasn’t aware of the impact ADHD could have on my life.

We had begun attending another Pentecostal church, and both Tamsyn and I undertook theological study through Laidlaw College and pursued the possibility of missionary work. I dedicated myself to running and completed five marathons in my first year. Things began to feel out of control. I had become lost in a big church. I recognised that I needed structure in my life and began attending the Hibiscus Coast Salvation Army. Tamsyn and I became involved in our corps and were put forward to attend a Delve weekend to consider becoming officers within The Salvation Army. We were accepted as candidates in 2021 and entered BCM in early 2022.

Crisis at college

I went into college (BCM) thinking this was going to be fun because I loved learning, but everything was about to collapse. I had left a familiar environment. I had stopped running and I started to get depressed. My marks went down, and I became very distracted. In my second year I had an ADHD breakdown. I shut off from everything and everyone. This resulted in a formal diagnosis by a psychologist of severe ADHD and later ASD. I then had a six-month wait to see a psychiatrist before I could begin taking medication. When I resumed my college work with an individual learning plan that supported my brain, my marks began to improve.

Through all of this I didn’t question God, but I wondered why I was at college. It turns out that my brain is chemically different to a neurotypical brain. I am learning how to juggle my ADHD and ASD with being an officer. While I still struggle with my late-in-life diagnosis, my role as a Salvation Army housing chaplain in West Auckland has been very fruitful. My ADHD breakdown and diagnosis were reminders from God that he has given me a gift to do things differently, so I need to use my abilities in a different way.

I have a strong desire for people to be more aware of neurodiversity within the Army. I am grateful to the many BCM lecturers who walked with me and worked with me on this journey, particularly Susan Howan. I know that I can help others and speak into their lives. I believe that the main ministry for my life is to be a voice for other neurodivergent people who struggle to fit in.