About 50 people gathered in the Hutton Theatre to hear University of Otago Centre for Theology and Public Issues director Prof Andrew Bradstock interview Mr Beck, who talked candidly about his life before and after the Christchurch Cathedral.
Born in Yorkshire, Mr Beck "got caught up in the mystery of God" when he moved to Oxford, and was ordained in 1972.
"I developed this passion to break through the divide and engage with people where they are at, and try to make sense of our understanding of Jesus and the gospels ... and I've never changed from that," he said.
After marrying a New Zealander and having three children, he and his family moved here "to explore" the country.
He spent nine years as the dean of Christchurch Cathedral, a church he described as the "heart of the city" and "the people's place".
"It is a building ... but the building stood with the spirit of our city, and when it went down on February 22 ...it was very powerful and emotional.
"It felt like the heart of the city had been broken, but the spirit lived on."
The quake was "not an act of God; this is the planet doing what the planet does".
The act of God revealed itself in how the community reacted, rallied and supported each other, he said.
"This feels like we've restored the memory of community and that's something we have to hold on to.
"This event is stamped on the DNA of our city: we will never be the same again."
As the June, then December quakes struck, each at a point when the city felt like it was gaining some form of traction, the community suffered "an exhaustion of spirit", but also showed "huge resilience", he said.
Mr Beck believed much of the community's anger, pain and frustration was focused on the cathedral and its demolition because it was "the focal point of the city".
"Its going down was devastating and I think the church had to make agonising decisions around it.
"It's about safety and it's the most dangerous building in the inner city ... It's very seriously damaged," he said.
He hoped the "transitional" cardboard cathedral would be a "beautiful symbol of hope" and the community's engagement would continue with it.
"My own view is that a new cathedral will pay homage to the past and build for our future."
When Mr Beck decided to leave the church and run for a seat on the Christchurch City Council, he believed it was a calling.
"I made a decision to pass the baton on as dean.
"It was a hard decision to make, but something was moving in me.
"I know, for me, I could not just resign as the dean and leave Christchurch ... I needed to continue to serve God or ministry."
Now, at the age of 64, he was on the "steepest learning curve ever".
"Around the council table, I'm the new boy on the block," he said.
However, he was glad to be able to "help make a difference" for those in the eastern suburbs who were "living in limbo" in the "most damaged areas".
"I'm fascinated by it. It's intriguing; it's very challenging. I'm beginning to enjoy it."
When asked if he would run for mayor, he replied: "I'm not going to say yes; I'm not going to say no".
He did hope, and expect, there would be others "of real quality" who would "stand up" before the next election.
The future opportunities for the city were "phenomenal", although rebuilding would take about 20 to 30 years.
"When we design things, we've got to design them in a way that's about people and about beauty.
"We need to put people before cars.
"Out of the midst of all this tragedy has come a huge opportunity to build a new city.
"It's an amazing time to be alive."
