Category: Support Pastors

By Erik Cave, Director of NextGen Ministries, PacNWC
Enjoy this interview with Gail Song. She is the new Lead Pastor at Quest Church.

Personal and Ministry Background:

I’m a 2^nd generation Korean American, deeply formed in the intersections of both Korean immigrant and black communities, and the Pentecostal faith tradition. While my mother was a pastor and believed I was called to ministry early on, my hope was to become the first Asian American female conductor of a major symphony orchestra. I had devoted my life to music from the age of three and even attended an elite music conservatory in New York. Upon her sudden death in 1994, however, I felt the undeniable call on my life, and have been serving vocationally in local church ministry since 1997.

I’ve had the privilege of being formed by and working within various denominational settings (UMC, Non-Denominational, COGIC, Four Square, Pentecostal Korean Immigrant, and ECC), which has allowed me to appreciate the breadth of the Church and the beauty that’s found amongst diverse traditions of faith. I believe all of these experiences have deeply shaped my life and expanded my leadership capacity to fluidly and authentically serve within a culturally diverse context like Quest.

What are you passionate about in ministry right now?

I’m passionate about leading a church that longs to be radically generous and wholeheartedly devoted in our pursuit of the multi of God’s kingdom here on earth. We hear from people over and over again, who walk through our doors at Quest for the first time, and tell us that this is the “last chance they’re giving God” (and the Church) before giving up on faith altogether. That sentiment alone ignites a fire in me and compels me to strive more faithfully to create a space where our collective human desire to belong and be whole is realized more fully. The Church is the tangible demonstration of Christ’s presence here on earth and we’ve got to do better at bearing witness to a God whose table is longer and wider and more expansive than what we imagine and currently make possible.

On a tangible ministry level, I’m excited about a couple of new initiatives that Quest will be launching this year, one of which is a new partnership with a group of diverse therapists in the area to create a multiethnic counseling center here on site—not just for the benefit of Quest but for the wider community of Seattle as well. Holistic wellness, liberation, and thriving in general are what I’m deeply passionate about as a pastor in this season.

How can we pray for you?

I would love your prayers for my marriage, my three sons, my health, and my team of friends, colleagues, mentors, and confidants who hold me accountable in this season. If I am thriving and healthy as a leader, I believe it’ll trickle into every area of my leadership and ministry life. My soul is deeply well and I covet your prayers for the continued, sustaining power of the Holy Spirit.

Five things you didn’t know about Gail:

What three traits define you?

Passionate. Empowering. Conviction.

What’s one thing you couldn’t live without?

Meat.

What would you do (for a career) if you weren’t doing this?

I would want to be a secret service agent for Michelle Obama or Beyoncé’s Tour Production Manager.

What is/was the greatest challenge you have had to overcome in your life thus far?

Losing 20+ years of relationship with my father was probably the hardest and most heartbreaking challenge, especially because it didn’t have to be that way. I’m grateful for the reconciliation that happened before he died in 2017.

What is the one thing you cannot resist?

A warm Bojangles chicken biscuit with hot sauce.

[Click Here] to visit Gail’s Facebook page

[Click Here] to visit Quest Church’s web page

By Erik Cave, Director of NextGen Ministries, PacNWC

Enjoy this interview with Jeff Reed who recently started as the new Lead Pastor of Highland Covenant Church

What is your personal and ministry background?

As the son of an Army chaplain, I have been in the proverbial front pew of the church all my life.  Having said that, growing up I never thought I would actually end up as a pastor. After Westmont College with a degree in English, I went to seminary to undergird my interest in worship, music, the arts, and worship leading, and that was the field that marked the first season of my working life, serving as a worship pastor at two churches in Portland, and then at Hillside Covenant Church in Walnut Creek, CA beginning in 1997.  In an unexpected turn of events I transitioned to the Senior Pastor position from the Worship Pastor position at Hillside in 2001, and it has been a wonderful and challenging learning curve ever since.  I have been married to Susan for 33 years, and we have three adult married children, two living in the Portland area and one living in Seattle.

What are you passionate about in ministry right now?

I am an idea person, and in the past I have tended to flit from new idea to new idea, often leaving in the wake a trail of half-baked ventures.  Older now, and starting anew at Highland, I am passionate about methodically working off of a high-level blueprint and staying with it for the long-haul.  It has been so rewarding to set this blueprint in place and begin to execute off of it in an intentional and steady manner.  I am finding that adhering to a master plan from the get-go doesn’t need to eclipse creativity. Rather it actually enhances creativity by providing many solid places of predictable connection to what is passing by and what is coming.

How can we pray for you?

The first season of pastoral leadership in a church requires that careful discernment around scope and pace: what things to build on, what things to tinker with, where to bring innovation, when to do this or that, and how fast or slow to move.  I would love prayers for wisdom to see what needs to be clearly seen at each juncture, and that I would know the gentle leading of the Holy Spirit as distinguished from the pushing and shoving of my own insecurities or the imagined expectations of others.

Five things you didn’t know about Jeff:

1. What three traits define you? 

Easy going.  Playful.  Trusting.

2. What is the one thing you cannot resist?

A chance to hang out with any of my kids for a day.  Either that, or a Hostess white-powdered donut.

3.  Where is your favorite place to be? 

We have a small family cabin 20 miles east of Chehalis, WA on a tree-thick parcel of five acres with a small stream running through it. 

4.  What is your favorite thing to do?

I love reading and writing and talking about poetry.

5.  What would you most like to tell yourself at age 13?

Relax, kid. You’re normal.

[Click Here] to visit Jeff’s Facebook Page

[Click Here] to visit Highland Covenant Church’s web page

By Pastor David Robinson, Lead Pastor, Cannon Beach Community Church

If you are kind of person who does not make New Year’s resolutions, welcome to most of humanity. 80% of people who do make them break them by February. Try something different in 2020. Why not surprise yourself this January by slowly reading a six hundred year old classic of Christian spirituality? You can do this by picking up the newly published translation/paraphrase of The Cloud of Unknowing, in a daily devotional titled, Cloud Devotion: Through the Year with The Cloud of Unknowing, released on January 7, 2020 by Paraclete Press. This is my seventh book in publication. Cloud Devotion, a book of 366 short, daily devotional readings with daily reflection questions, draws upon an anonymous spiritual classic, The Cloud of Unknowing, written in the 14^th century. Over the past five years, I’ve worked on translating and paraphrasing the original Middle English text of The Cloud of Unknowing, phrase-by-phrase, sentence-by-sentence, into language familiar to readers in the 21^st century, while remaining true to the linguistic voice of this classic Middle English book.

Cloud Devotion is for people who are seeking an ancient pattern of spirituality that transcends popular self-help books or mainstream devotional books. Every phrase and every chapter of The Cloud of Unknowing is included in Cloud Devotion. The chapters in Cloud Devotion are short and personal, inviting readers to leave behind empty ways of spiritual living and press forward into ancient but new ways of prayer, encouraging you to love God and love others more fully. I invite you to walk closer with God as you read this book. My hope is that you will hear Christ’s personal invitation to come closer to God within the Cloud of Unknowing. As the writer of the Book of Hebrews proclaims, “We are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses” (Hebrews 12:1). Along with the great cloud of witnesses across the centuries who have encountered God through The Cloud of Unknowing, may you also enter more fully into the brightness and glory of God’s presence.

As a full-time Lead Pastor of a Covenant Church, I take time weekly, on Mondays to study, pray, and write. I mark Mondays on my weekly calendar with the letter “S”, reminding me to practice the spiritual discipline of study as a pastor at least one day a week. Monday is not a Sabbath day, but a working day, where I engage in the work of prayer, study and writing. It takes me three to five years of Mondays to write a book. Over the past twenty years, I’ve written seven books that have been published by traditional publishers. The books I write are all non-fiction, based upon classic works of Christian spirituality from the Middle Ages. Five of the books I’ve written are based upon principles and practices from The Rule of St. Benedict (early 6th century), including The Sacred Art of Marriage: 52 Creative Ways to Grow Your Married Life (Cascade, 2016); Ancient Paths: Discover Christian Formation the Benedictine Way (Paraclete, 2010); The Busy Family’s Guide to Spirituality: Practical Lessons for Modern Living from the Monastic Tradition (Crossroad, 2009); The Christian Family Toolbox: 52 Benedictine Activities for the Home (Crossroad, 2001); and The Family Cloister: Benedictine Wisdom for the Home (Crossroad, 2000, winner of national book award for “Best Family Life Book” from The National Catholic Press Association in 2001). I’ve written one book based upon Gregory the Great’s Pastoral Rule (from the late 6th century), a book titled Soul Mentoring: Discover the Ancient Art of Caring for Others (Cascade, 2015). My most recent publication coming out in January 2020, Cloud Devotion,is based upon a classic of spirituality from the 14th century, The Cloud of Unknowing, written by an anonymous author.

When I write, I like to think of the spiritual life as water flowing in a mountain stream. Every summer over the past two decades, I’ve gone hiking with my wife for a week or more in the mountains. In the summer of 2018, we hiked for a week and a half, 100 miles around Mont Blanc, the tallest mountain in Europe. Over a ten-day period, while hiking along alpine mountain trails, we came upon beautiful mountain streams, full of cold, clear water flowing down from the heights along water paths. We also came upon dry stream beds where water once flowed but had dried up. My attention went up the mountain to the source of water. Without a connection to clouds, glaciers, mountain springs, or snowfield melt, a mountain stream dries up. A spiritual life in Christ that is healthy and full experiences an unceasing flow of pure, refreshing water that brings life and renewal in and out of seasons. When our spiritual life is unhealthy or empty, our life becomes like a dry stream bed devoid of water where very little grows. Dryness in the spiritual life is one of the most common challenges I’ve heard from people in my 36 years in active pastoral ministry. Cloud Devotion seeks to address this challenge by leading you step by step, day by day, through a full year of days, into the heights of Christ’s life-giving presence, to the source of living water where life may once again be filled and renewed. Cloud Devotion is available on Amazon, Barnes and Noble, or through my author website, http://waterpaths.org/. Happy New Year and may Christ renew your life through daily devotional practices that bring refreshment to your thirsty soul.

By Erik Cave, Director of NextGen Ministries, PacNWC

Enjoy this interview with Ben Zable, who just started at Shoreline Covenant Church as the new Lead Pastor.

What is your personal and ministry background?
I grew up in the Covenant, as the son of a Covenant pastor. We moved all over North America throughout my childhood, from Illinois to California to Alaska to Washington to Saskatchewan to Rhode Island. I went to North Park University for undergraduate studies and worked at Pilgrim Pines for four summers during college. After graduating from NPU I served as a Youth Pastor in Connecticut for two years, before getting married and moving back to Chicago to study at NPTS. While in Chicago my wife, Dre, and I served at Resurrection Covenant Church in part-time capacities with worship and outreach. After spending 2 years in Chicago we moved to Michigan where I took a Youth Pastor position while finishing up seminary at a distance. After 6 years there, graduating with my MDiv from NPTS, and getting ordained I transitioned to serve as a Lead Pastor in South Dakota. After five years there my family made the transition to Washington at the beginning of August. We are excited to become a part of the community at Shoreline Covenant Church and the larger church family that is the Pacific Northwest Conference!

What are you passionate about in ministry right now?
Right now I am passionate about learning. There is so much to learn in a new church and context. I am excited to know people and be known by them! I am also passionate about sharing with them from God’s Word. I love sharing my heart and helping scripture come alive in new ways. Lastly, I am excited to dream with my leaders and staff. I can’t wait to see what God is leading us toward and who God is calling us to reach in our community!

How can we pray for you?
I would love if you would pray for my family as we continue the adjustment away from a place we knew and where we were known. Please pray for God’s wisdom for me as I seek to lead and shepherd with grace and truth. Please pray for Shoreline Covenant Church as we walk into the future that God has laid out before us. May we be faithful to follow wherever the Spirit leads us, whether it’s beside quiet waters or raging rivers.

Five things you didn’t know about Ben:

1.       Where is your favorite place to be?

At the campfire in the backyard with my wife

2.      What is your favorite thing to do?

It’s a toss-up between playing soccer and sitting at a campfire

3.      What’s the weirdest job you’ve ever had?

I worked the afternoon shift at a bakery when I was in high school. I was allowed to eat as much as I wanted of anything that we made in house. I ate a lot of donuts…

4.      What would you do (for a career) if you weren’t doing this?

Professional soccer player, although that wouldn’t be a reality. I guess I’l stick with my day job.

5.      What are your three most overused words/phrases?

Right now it’s “transition” and “season”

[Click Here] to visit Ben’s Facebook page

[Click Here] to visit the Shoreline Covenant Church web page

By Becca McNurney, Youth Director, Alive Covenant Church

What a year in youth ministry!! I have had so many great experiences this year, getting to know the kids involved in my youth group, their parents, our community partners, and of course other youth pastors who are passionate about letting kids know God’s love for them. 

Having the opportunity to be a part of the Pacific Northwest Cohort had a large part of my first year of ministry being successful. The experience was not only valuable to my ministry, my spiritual formation, but my confidence in taking on a new job with a lot of different and very important responsibilities. This cohort was a safe place for me to be vulnerable and share what was going on with my students and get feedback, but also share what was going on in my life.

Our cohort was diverse in many ways. We all had very different student populations, different levels of education, locations of the covenant churches we represent throughout the PNW, and length of experience as youth pastors. The best part is that these differences were celebrated. 

Our meetings were something I looked forward to each quarter. We spent time together at YWC, and at Cascades multiple times for overnight trips. Together we got to share what was going on in our ministry and our lives. Our time together was a safe place to be vulnerable, and intentional. I experienced a lot of growth because of these focused sessions. 

I’m so grateful for this opportunity. As a first year youth pastor my cohort uplifted, taught, and mentored me. I looked forward to each of our meetings whether they were in person or over google chat. It was so nice to know that I had a place where I could ask questions and get feedback. I am so glad that I did because it helped me plan and execute many events and youth nights while avoiding common mishaps etc because of the tips and advice that my peers shared with me. 

Overall the cohort experience was amazing. I would 100% recommend this experience to all youth pastors whether you are new to the profession, or not. We have so much that we can learn from each other when we commit to being intentional and vulnerable in community with each other. This cohort was such a support for me in my first year of ministry, and provided community and advice for me when I needed it most. I’m so thankful for the experience.

[Click Here] for information on our next Youth Ministry Cohort

By Peter Sung, Conference Coach, PacNWC

What does it even mean to assess someone? And on top of that, to project that assessment into the future to predict performance? And while we’re at it, factor in marital health, spiritual vitality, and God’s work in and through their life? It’s a ridiculous task, to say the least. And yet, here we are, decades of assessing successfully, for the most part, still at it, hoping for the best, mitigating for the worst. That phrase, “and yet…” curiously reminds me of that other phrase in Scripture that has meant the difference between life and death, “But God…”

The “mission impossible” nature of assessing someone is not just for church planters. The NFL, the teaching industry, job interviews – the analysts tell us with statistical certainty that most people get it wrong most of the time. Pastor Tim Keller, one of America’s best church planters, failed his assessment center. Tom Brady was passed over six times. Incorporating personal interviews yields worse results than forgoing them. How, then, have the Covenant Church Planters Assessment Centers continued to bear fruit with industry leading results? I brought this question with me to our latest national Church Planters’ Assessment Center, and here are the three distinctives about us that set us apart, and why I continue to believe in our Assessment Centers.

One, we do not try to imagine potential, but seek to reward faithfulness. After all, it’s what Jesus taught us to do: to acknowledge faithfulness with little by giving more, to know a tree by its fruit, to understand the heart by what falls from the tongue. Simply, God does not ask human beings to know what only He can know – the human heart, the future, the potential. He asks us, rather, to deal with the actual. What do you see that I have already been doing? What do you want to acknowledge and reward? Don’t play God, not even a lesser one, but as servants of God, serve your fellow servants in the name of God. Have they already gathered? Then they might have gathering gifts. Do they communicate well? Then they might preach well. Are they already trustworthy? Then they might be be trusted. If assessors are willing to humble themselves and stop trying to play God, then the wisdom from God, the kind from above, tends to descend.

Two, we work towards, not the same conclusions, but an integrated one. No one assessor knows the whole story, but each one sees clearly something, and when those pieces are put together, a clearer picture begins to emerge. For example, one assessor might be holding an outstanding question or insight. Another assessor might have a cultural or gender lens that informs a way to better appreciate that insight. Still, another assessor may know more about their specific project or context. If further light is necessary, then we bring the question to the candidate and we ask them directly instead of pretending we know. Eventually, when sufficient light has been shed, a sufficient truth emerges, and by that point, we’re not so much as making a decision as we are submitting together to the revealed truth. In short, we engage in a robust, integrating process. It’s humble, it’s relational, and it’s disciplined.

And three, we really, really, really try to join God in what He is already doing, not just in the candidate’s life but in our own lives. We try hard to be constantly aware of our own “issues” – the subjectivity, the limitations, the countertransference that is so common in how we see others. Think log and the speck. We name and minimize the power differential between assessor and candidate and acknowledge that we are only fellow servants, playing a role, at this time, and that really, we all sit at the same level, on the same side of the table, seeking God’s heart and mind together. At its core, the Assessment Center is a spiritual discipline, practiced together, intensely, deliberately, for three days, with great humility, and with great hope. It is not perfect, but we hope to God, it gets close.

[Click Here] for more information on Church Planting in the Pacific Northwest Conference

By Nick Edmonds, Youth Ministry Director, Columbia Grove Covenant Church

I was two months into taking over the middle school youth ministry at Columbia Grove in Wenatchee and I was desperate to find some kind of retreat to help build up my adult leaders. Just my luck I found the PNW Youth Ministry Network Retreat and signed us all up. Now in my head I am assuming this is a retreat where I get to rub elbows and tap the knowledge of more experienced youth pastors with in my denomination. I figure that this can only help me become a better leader.

This event turned out to be so much more, and exactly what God had in mind, not only for our group but the event as a whole. With a small group of fifteen I was able to meet and truly get to know everyone there. The “workshops” were perfect and not only were created to help us become better leaders, but also helped us become better versions of ourselves. We had to face truths we might not have faced at any other time and learn to be transparent with those within our group.

I now have a foundation of people, that without hesitation will come along side me and help me work through any youth ministry struggle I run into. I was deeply humbled by these amazing people and programs put on by Eric Cave. If there was a date already listed for next year, I would sign up today no matter the cost. I don’t want to miss anything that was as impactful as this retreat was to myself and my leaders.

By Shaun Higgins, Children’s Intern, Midway Covenant Church

In reflection of my first Midwinter experience, there is no one phrase that I can think of to describe it.

What I understood going into this week was that there would be several workshops and worship services that we would attend. I was excited about the workshops since many of the ones that were offered were relevant to our church’s ministry. In respect to the worship services, I thought that it would be relaxing to attend a service in which I had no responsibilities. There would also be the opportunity to learn about the many aspects of the Covenant and meet with other ministry leaders. As someone who is new to the Covenant, I was looking forward to getting a better feel for this denomination. I was looking forward to Midwinter, but I wasn’t anticipating anything extraordinary. However, what would seem to be a typical organizational conference of professionals and clergy was nothing short of amazing.

The worship services were simply incredible. The worship team definitely raised the temperature in the room. Though I am one who is both rhythmically and melodically challenged, I had no reservations about worshiping and praising along with the rest of the congregation. There was also something exceptional about worshiping with other ministry leaders.

There was this sort of unspoken feeling of unity that one finds in small-town church congregations, the kind of churches where everyone knows everyone and has lived and worshiped together their entire lives. Yet here, there may have been close to two thousand individuals present, the overwhelming majority of whom I had never met. With each person I had the pleasure of meeting, it was as if I had known them from somewhere but just couldn’t put my finger on where. With every interaction, it seemed like a wink of the eye saying, “Welcome, it’s good to see you again for the first time.” It was surreal that, no matter who I spoke to, my familiarity of their circumstances in ministry felt reassuring and prophetic. It was comforting to hear stories of how God worked through some of the same situations that I felt were failures in my own experiences. It was so gratifying and amazing to hear how God had opened so many doors and touched so many lives through so many different areas of ministry. I am still absorbing how astonishing it was to witness so much diversity yet uniformity of mind and motive. To see the different age groups, ethnicities, and nationalities worshiping and fellowshiping together gave perspective to Revelation 7:9.

My experience at Midwinter was phenomenal. Then again, there was not any tangible aspect of this conference that stood out. Don’t get me wrong, everything was professionally done and organized. It was obvious that a lot of preparation, time, and resources went into this event. But, that’s not what made this event special; it was the people. To feel such fellowship, to see such dedication, to hear the passionate pleas for the pursuit of justice, mercy, and diversity in ministry-this was everything I needed to sense that I am right at home in the Covenant.

[Click Here] to see videos of many of the sessions and workshops from Midwinter 2019 in Denver

By Becca McNurney, Director of Youth Ministry, Alive Covenant Church

I’m home from an amazing trip to Denver for Youth Workers Connection (YWC)! YWC is an opportunity for youth workers in the ECC from all over the country to get together and share their experiences and encourage each other in their ministries.

This was my first YWC and my first time in Denver, CO. I arrived a few hours early because I wanted a chance to check out the area and relax a bit. I signed up for a one on one coaching session before the conference officially started. This session was amazing! Shout out to Ruby Varghese for taking the time to meet, encourage and talk through being a new youth pastor. It was so helpful for me to hear her story and some tips and tricks that have helped her along the way in Youth Ministry. This was a great way to get some of my really specific questions answered.

Being new to a job uncomfortable because it seems like when you go to these types of events, everyone seems to know each other. I had gone into this weekend not knowing many people, including even the people I was rooming with. But let me tell ya… SO MANY PEOPLE were excited to see a new face, say hi, and actually remember not only my name, but where I was from too. By the second session I felt right at home.

Denver was a fun adventure. The sun was so bright I even had to buy sunglasses! We made our way to Voodoo donuts, Lark burger, Maggiano’s, Hard Rock Cafe, Lucky Strike and more! It was great to have some free time after break out sessions to have fun and explore Denver together.

The Cov-Talks, break out sessions, and worship were amazing. To be honest I couldn’t even tell you which one was my favorite! I has happy to walk away with some books and resources for my church and fellow youth workers to check out from these sessions. Needless to say, I was over the moon each day to be in a room with so many like minded people who are passionate about being involved in Youth Ministry.

Since leaving Denver I’ve reached out to many of the people I met asking for advice etc. Believe me….I’m so relieved to have so many resources just one text or email away!

I’m looking forward to sharing the information from the break out sessions with my youth leaders and my church. I’m beyond thankful for the opportunity to spend a weekend with so many incredible leaders and speakers!