Pastors and Partners (Part 2)

Last week I talked about the how Ryan and I are partners in ministry—a “dynamic duo” minus the crazy costumes.  What does our partnership actually look like?  Who does what?  Let’s start with Ryan’s role.

A big part of Ryan’s time (50%) is spent with the younger members of our church.  He oversees Melanie Reynders’ work with teens and he gives leadership and pastoral care to young adults.  The other 50% of Ryan’s time is spent preaching (on average once per month) and in giving leadership in two areas of Bethel’s mission:  Bannerman and the World. 

Let me explain that last bit a little more. As a church we have three mission emphases.  They are:  Our neighbourhood (Bannerman) our region (where each of us lives, works, studies, and plays), and the world.  In this breakdown Ryan gives primary leadership to the Bannerman ministries--he supports all our Bannerman ministry leaders and sits on the Bannerman Community League.  He also gives leadership in our ministry to the world.  This involves chairing the World Missions Team and gives strategic leadership in mission planning.

What is my role?  I am responsible for vision development and vision casting, meeting with the church’s leadership, preaching most sermons, supervising the staff, and giving pastoral care to the older adults.  With respect to our mission I am responsible for the second area:  where we live, work, study, and play.  In this capacity I lead the Small Groups Support Team, encourage regional connection (I initiated last summer’s neighbourhood barbeques, for example) and strategize for growth through programs like Alpha.

Doing all this pastoral work is a big challenge for us, and we have to do it all without superpowers or even a bat mobile.   But God s been faithful, and we have found it an exciting journey so far.—Pastor Tom

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