Thoughtful Reflections on Faith and Life
I belong to a denomination called the Canadian Baptists of Ontario and Quebec (CBOQ). We recently had our 2020 Annual Assembly, this year online. It was one of the most contentious in a long time. Note: None of this is necessarily the view of Queen Street Baptist Church, the congregation that I pastor. Three motions … Read More “The CBOQ and Deciding the Size of the Tent” »
A Canadian Baptist not just a Baptist who is Canadian, but someone who belongs to a family of Baptists called Canadian Baptists. I belong specifically to a group called the Canadian Baptists of Ontario and Quebec. (Note: Since first writing this post, I have joined the sister denomination Canadian Baptists of Atlantic Canada) The big … Read More “Why I Am a Canadian Baptist” »
This past week was our annual assembly of the Canadian Baptists of Ontario and Quebec. I have only missed only a couple of these assemblies in my twenty years with the CBOQ. This year was great in terms of music and teaching. Music was led by Steve Bell and our speaker was Gordon MacDonald. I … Read More “Good News: Bedards Assemble!” »
No, I don’t mean our marriage anniversary. I’m not quite that old. Today was our 184th anniversary service at Queen Street Baptist Church. That is a long time for a church. When I look in the hymn book at the “old” hymns, I see many of them were not written when this congregation first organized. … Read More “Good News: 184th Anniversary” »
In this episode of the podcast, I interview Dr. Dallas Friesen, Director of Congregational Development with the Canadian Baptists of Ontario and Quebec. Dallas talks to us about his experience in ministry and the developments he has seen, especially within the Canadian context. The book that Dallas recommends in the interview is Gutsy: (Mis)Adventures in Canadian … Read More “An Interview With Dallas Friesen on Christian Leadership” »
One of the things that I enjoy about being a pastor with the Canadian Baptists of Ontario and Quebec is attending our annual Assembly. This has looked a bit different the last number of years as I took three years off from being a pastor. The first year, we didn’t attend Assembly and it felt strange … Read More “Good News: Assembly 2016” »
I have known Tim McCoy for quite a few years now. We first met when he was the Youth Director for the Canadian Baptists of Ontario and Quebec, the denomination I belong to. I was struck by how approachable Tim was and his passion for equipping churches. I was very happy when he became our … Read More “From South to North: A Conversation With Tim McCoy” »
When I went into vocational ministry, I started as a youth pastor. I have always been interested in youth ministry, as it was in my mid-teens that I left the church. Would things have been different if there had been an effective youth ministry in my church? One of the things that I have noticed … Read More “Youth Ministry: Now and Not Yet” »
