After eight years of high school teaching, Bruce trained to become a pastor in the Churches of Christ and was a senior pastor with the Churches of Christ in Cairns ( eight years) and Tweed Heads (nine years). Along the way, he had a lot of involvement with mentoring and coaching theological students, facilitating pastors' retreat groups, facilitating recovery groups and men's groups, as well as leading contemplative worship experiences in an evangelical context.

He took a couple of years away from employed ministry after that to study spiritual direction and attend various courses, workshops, groups, and retreats. This led to him setting up a ministry of retreats and spiritual direction called 'Soul Whispers'. It involves those who are no longer attending church as well as pastors and church leadership teams, prayer teams, and entire congregations. Individuals, couples and groups regularly come for retreats at  'Come Aside', his retreat house on Coochiemudlo Island, near Brisbane. He is employed part time by the Churches of Christ in Queensland as Pastor to Pastors and as a Formation Director working with students of the Australian College of Ministry. He also pastors a small community church on Coochiemudlo Island. His wife, Cheryl, is currently training as a spiritual director, and joins him in Soul Whispers ministry. She has extensive experience with retreats and groups for women, including pastors' wives. He have two grown up children living in Brisbane and the Gold Coast.