OUR EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

My life’s passion is to see people meet and be transformed by Jesus. I was raised in a loving Christian home in Winnipeg, MB, but God didn’t get a hold of my life until I was 18. I would say I knew about Jesus growing up, but I didn’t actually know Jesus. When I met Jesus, everything changed: my priorities, interests, and life purpose.

I attended Capernwray Bible School, Trinity Western University and eventually graduated from the University of Winnipeg, majoring in Economics and Administrative Studies. I enjoyed various business ventures in my 20s but ultimately followed God’s leading into a life of vocational ministry, beginning with Youth for Christ Winnipeg.

Following Youth for Christ, I joined Forest Grove Community Church (Saskatoon) as an intern, later serving as Pastor of Young Adults. My wife joined me in ministry at Forest Grove, after which we attended the Mennonite Brethren Biblical Seminary in Fresno, CA, graduating with a Master of Divinity in 1994.

While at seminary, God birthed in us a deep vision for an outreaching Christ-centered church.

God led us to express the dream he placed in our hearts by starting a Christ-centered outreaching church in south Calgary. I served as lead pastor at SunWest Church for 19 years, where we focused on developing a culture of reaching out to the community, providing a context for people to discover who Jesus is and what it means to follow him authentically.

In 2011, our desire to see all Canadians impacted and transformed by the reality of a personal relationship with Jesus Christ led me to serve as Executive Director of the Canadian Conference of Mennonite Brethren Churches (CCMBC) for six years. This role expanded our vision for kingdom collaboration to reach Canadians with the gospel. One of the highlights of this work was participating in launching the C2C church planting network, a denominationally based interdenominational church planting network.

Following denominational ministry, I served as Pastor of Discipleship Ministries at Willingdon Church in Burnaby, BC, from 2017 to June 2022. Willingdon, a multicultural congregation with people from 75 nations, provided an excellent education in multi-ethnic disciple-making.

In the spring of 2023, God showed us that our time at Willingdon was ending. Gwen and I are thrilled that God led us to lead a new ministry startup, 78.7 Collective, focused on seeing Psalms 78:7 becoming an increasing reality across Canada.

We live in a time of great spiritual interest and searching. I believe this is the time for God’s people to work together for God’s glory and the transformation of lives across Canada.

On a personal note, I am a huge Flames fan, and I love to explore new places with my wife Gwen and waterski (old school slalom) and hang out with my kids and grandkids. You’ll notice that I often refer to “our” ministry. My wife, Gwen, has been my loving life and ministry partner for 35 years and counting.