I grew up in the small town of Burks Falls, Ontario and attended two small churches during my childhood and teenage years. While small in numbers, those churches provided me with three things that laid a foundation for all of my future ministry – the opportunity to serve while still in my teens, Christian friends in our youth group, and adults who cared about my spiritual growth.
I married my high school sweetheart right after she graduated from high school and together we served for three years with International Teams as part of a church planting team in Colombia. Living in a different cultural setting was great experience for my future as a pastor in that it taught me patience with people who thought and acted differently from me.
I attended Tyndale University College and Seminary from which I graduated with a BTh degree in 1980. While attending Tyndale I helped lead a youth group in a church near the school and after graduation I was asked to become the pastor of that church. As a result I spent the next thirteen years in the Toronto area pastoring a small church in a big city. During that time I completed a Mdiv program at Tyndale.
In 1993 I accepted the position as Senior Pastor at Grace Bible Chapel in Parkhill, Ontario where for eight years I pastored a small church in a small town. Altogether I have about twenty-three years experience serving as a pastor in small churches. Overall I loved being a pastor and am thankful for the lessons learned and the friendships made during that time.
In 2003 I rejoined the mission organization with whom I had served in Colombia. Over the course of the past twelve years I have served as Director of International Programs, Director of People Development, and Director of Pastoral Development. Perhaps the best aspect of this job was that it gave me the opportunity to visit churches in Canada, the United States, Austria, Netherlands, Greece, Turkey, Kenya, Rwanda, Uganda, Guatemala, Costa Rica, Honduras, Ecuador, Colombia, and Bolivia. I developed a deep appreciation for what God is doing around the world through people deeply dedicated to Him.
During my time with International Teams I enrolled in a Doctor of Ministry program at Acadia Divinity College from which I graduated in May 2012. I wrote my thesis on the subject “Evangelism in the Small Church.”
In October 2013 I published a book entitled Reality Check for the Church. A major focus of the book is the small church. More details concerning the book can be found elsewhere on the web page.
I have always had an interest in the small church in that I have spent my life serving churches that were small. That interest has turned into a passion over the past decade. My goal now is to spend the rest of my ministry years serving small churches across Canada.