Jono was born and raised in Brisbane to Finnish parents. He grew up attending the Brisbane Finnish Pentecostal Church which had a strong connection to Missions. This had a rather strong impact on his life with Jono giving his life to Jesus at a young age and later sensing a call to Missions while in Sunday school. This calling led Jono to serve in Youth With A Mission (YWAM) first in Brisbane and then in Finland for about 14 years with various leadership and training roles locally, nationally, and in the Northern European region.
It was during his time in YWAM Finland that Jono met a primary school teacher called Hanna, a Swedish-speaking Finn. They first shared their feelings for each other in Estonia, got engaged in Kenya, and married in Finland in December 2004. They have 5 beautiful children.
Most recently, prior to joining CCFC as Associate Pastor in January 2025, Jono served in Finland for 5½ years as Associate Pastor of an International church alongside being CEO and African coordinator of Good News Networking, a mission association focused on reaching unreached people groups.
Jono and Hanna desire to share their love for Jesus in a way that will inspire others to seek Him and grow in knowing Him more. They hope to see people discipled and stepping out in their calling, as well as to see a new generation take up the challenge of missions afresh!