Murray grew up in Baptist churches but it was while he was overseeing Children’s Church at Hamilton Elim that he met Sandra. After marrying they moved to Tauranga to attend Faith Bible College. Upon graduating they relocated and worked in South Auckland before becoming the Chief Operations Officer for Tear Fund NZ, a position he held for 14 years. From there they attended Carey Baptist College, going on to pastor for 12 years in Upper Hutt before moving to Dunedin in May 2019.