He studied for the priesthood at St John's College, Nottingham, and was ordained as a deacon in 1989 and a priest in 1990.
He began his ordained ministry as curate at St. Paul's Church, Ealing, and then as vicar at St. Cuthbert's, North Wembley, for nine years.
In 2002, Stewart and his family immigrated to British Columbia, where he became an associate priest at St. Matthew's Anglican Church in Abbotsford.
[1] Around the time of Stewart's arrival in Canada, St. Matthew's delegates, along with delegates from eight other churches in the Anglican Diocese of New Westminster, walked out of the diocesan synod and asked for alternative episcopal oversight in objection to the synod's approval of same-sex blessings.
[5] After Trevor Walters was elected to serve as ANiC suffragan bishop for western Canada, Stewart succeeded him as rector of St.