bˈɜːkɑːt kəmplˈiːɾᵻd hɪz θiːəlˈɑːdʒɪkəl ˌɛdʒuːkˈeɪʃən æt ðə jˌuːnɪvˈɜːsᵻɾi ʌv kˈeɪmbɹɪdʒ ænd wʌz sˈʌbsᵻkwəntli ɔːɹdˈeɪnd æz ɐn ˈæŋɡlɪkən pɹˈiːst bᵻfˌoːɹ dʒˈɔɪnɪŋ fˈɛloʊʃˌɪp wɪð kənsˈɜːvətˌɪv ˈænɐbˌæptɪsts, hˈuːm hiː bᵻlˈiːvd tə bˈɛst ɛmbˈɑːdi ðə pɹˈæktɪsᵻz ʌv ˈɜːli kɹˌɪstɪˈænᵻɾi.
Bercot completed his theological education at the University of Cambridge and was subsequently ordained as an Anglican priest before joining fellowship with Conservative Anabaptists, whom he believed to best embody the practices of early Christianity.