[2] Keith Garner was made a Member of the Order of Australia (AM) in the 2015 Queen’s Birthday honours for "significant service to the community and for being an advocate for people who are homeless and socially disadvantaged, and to pastoral care".

[3] “It is pleasing but humbling to be recognised in your adopted country,” Garner said, emphasising that the award bore testimony to the strong team that he worked with at Wesley Mission.

[5] Garner has been an active supporter of the Bible Seminary of Yangon [1], in the Union of Myanmar, which bestowed upon him the Honorary Degree of Doctor of Divinity on 8 March 2008.

Garner completed his Master of Theology through Oxford University in 1995, and has spoken in Africa, Iceland, Europe, North America, New Zealand, China and throughout Asia.

Following his retirement as CEO of Wesley Mission he maintains a weekly radio program with United Christian Broadcasters in the UK.

The first five years marked his arrival and accumulative understanding of Wesley Mission's rich heritage, present complexity and potential for future development.

[10] Garner has been closely involved with welfare and service provision to the aged, families, the unemployed and homeless, those experiencing financial stress, addictions and personal crises.

[12] Garner was until December 2020 a board member of the major religious organisations’ group SEIROS (The Study of the Economic Impact of Religion on Society).

[13] This Board was formed to commission sociological and econometric research to demonstrate the contribution that organised religion makes to Australian society.

In August 2015, Garner launched a new program specially designed to assist Indigenous communities in preventing suicide, explaining that the method of delivery was important.

[15] Garner led the expansion of Wesley LifeForce through its 114 networks across Australia and significant events have been held in Sydney, Brisbane, Newcastle, Adelaide and Darwin and retains a strong commitment to suicide prevention.

[16] In 2014, Garner and the then NSW Premier Mike Baird signed the first contracts in “the most significant reform of homelessness services in a generation”.

[17] Garner said the Going Home Staying Home program – for which the NSW Government spent more than half a billion dollars over three years with partners such as Wesley Mission – was an opportunity to break the cycle of inter-generational homelessness and that he was pleased to see more funding directed to suburban and regional areas given Wesley Mission’s research that more than 70 per cent of homeless people using inner-Sydney services come from suburban and regional areas.

The webinar was broadcast publicly and was well received with commentary on the white paper featured in the Sydney Morning Herald article Report on heightened suicide risk points to hope[23].

[26] Garner journeyed throughout England to trace the story of the founder of Methodism in this “beautifully produced documentary” released by UK-based distributor Gateway Films/Vision Video.

[25] A review describes the documentary, directed by Richard Attieh, as “an inspiration to Christians and principled humanitarians of all faiths, highly recommended especially for public library and church DVD collections”.

[27] During two weeks filming on location Israel, Garner hosted a six-part TV series called The Man of Galilee.

[44] Another article,[45] marking the 2013 birth of Prince George, contrasted the life of a royal baby with that of a child born to a family struggling as part of Australia's "working poor".

In his address, Garner said Walker, called "the conscience of the nation" by the former Governor-General, Bill Hayden,[46] "will always be remembered for his strong Christian leadership … and a preparedness to stand beside the most vulnerable and disadvantaged no matter the personal cost.

[47] Garner wrote a regular blog [48] and hosted a weekly Christian broadcast on Wesley Impact TV via YouTube.

Garner has written a book titled Faith, Compassion and the Challenge of Business,[51] reflecting on his ministry and leadership in readiness for his retirement at the end of 2020.

[52] Rev Tim Costello AO described the book as, "The best textbook I have read on the unusual challenge of combining Christian ministry and professional service delivery in one of Australia's oldest and largest social welfare charities."