The Sowers Podcast – Details, episodes & analysis

In this episode, Tyler Wigg-Stevenson shares his journey of planting St. George's Grange Park in downtown Toronto. He discusses the church's mission to serve the community, the revival within the Anglican Church, and his personal faith journey from a secular upbringing to becoming a pastor. Tyler emphasizes the importance of collaboration among churches in Toronto and the need for leaders in ministry. He also shares stories from the first month of the church's reopening and offers insights for other leaders navigating ministry in a diverse urban environment.

Tyler is the Vicar of St. George’s Grange Park, a new Anglican church plant in the heart of Downtown Toronto. He also serves as Associate Priest at St. Paul’s Bloor Street (Toronto), the planting church. Prior to entering pastoral ministry he founded and led the Two Futures Project, a Christian organization committed to the abolition of nuclear weapons. He is the author of several books, including the award-winning "The World is Not Ours to Save," and holds a Ph.D. in theology from the University of St. Michael’s College. He and his wife, Natalie, a theologian, have three young daughters and live in Toronto’s east end.

Takeaways:
+St. George's Grange Park aims to serve downtown Toronto.
+The Anglican Church is experiencing a revival, especially with Alpha.
+Tyler's journey to faith was unconventional and transformative.
+The church's mission is rooted in community transformation.
+Collaboration among churches is vital for growth and unity.
+The importance of encountering God in worship services.
+Tyler emphasizes the need for leaders in ministry.
+Personal prayer and reliance on the Holy Spirit are crucial.
+Family health challenges have shaped Tyler's ministry approach.
+The church is committed to planting more churches in the future.

Chapters
00:00 Welcome and Introduction to St. George's Grange Park
05:09 Understanding the Anglican Church and Its Revival
12:00 Tyler's Journey to Faith and Ministry
19:01 The Vision Behind Planting St. George's Grange Park
23:21 Experiences and Stories from the First Month
29:30 Collaboration Among Churches in Toronto
34:41 Advice for Shepherding in a Diverse City
41:53 Closing Thoughts and Prayer Requests

To learn more about Tyler and St.George's Grange Park or St.Paul's, please visit http://sggp.church or http://stpaulsbloor.org.

In this episode, James Clarence of Cornerstone Church in Yellowknife, NWT, shares his journey of faith, from being a pastor's kid to experiencing a profound encounter with God that led him to ministry. He discusses the challenges he faced in his early ministry career, the transition to Yellowknife, and the importance of prophetic words in guiding his path. James emphasizes the need for revival in Canada and the role of the church in reconciliation with indigenous peoples, highlighting the unique opportunities for ministry in the North.

James and his wife, Karina Clarence pastored in Calgary, Alberta at First Assembly Church for 11 years. They have two daughters, Kendrick and Lennon and are welcoming a son to their family this fall.

Now, they join the Cornerstone Team as the Lead Pastors. James loves the Oilers, skiing & golf! Karina loves interior design, painting and going to the gym. But, more than those things, they love people deeply. Their family is committed to the cause of the local church, by extending God’s kingdom, and they are passionate about mining out all the gold in God’s people. They believe with all their hearts that God has a plan for the church in Canada & they’ve given their life to see a move of God come again to our nation.

Takeaways:
+James grew up in a pastoral family and accepted Christ at a young age.
+He faced challenges fitting in during his teenage years.
+A pivotal moment at a party led him to commit to following God.
+James transitioned from wanting to be a ski instructor to pursuing ministry.
+He experienced prophetic words that confirmed his calling to ministry.
+His early ministry involved significant challenges and learning experiences.
+James felt called to serve in Yellowknife to address the needs of the community.
+He emphasizes the importance of building relationships and community in ministry.
+James believes in the potential for revival in Canada, particularly in the North.
+He encourages raising up leaders from within Canada for future ministry.

To learn more about James and Cornerstone, please visit https://www.ykcornerstone.church/ or https://www.instagram.com/jamesclarence/.

In this episode, Matt is joined by Elita Friesen of The Way Church in Vancouver.  Elita shares disciplines and rhythms she practices to maintain balance, as well as how she and her husband are leading their family in spiritual practices.

Elita is a writer and Bible teacher and has served in various ministry capacities for the last 10 years. She currently serves on the teaching and pastoral team at The Way Church, a church with locations in both Vancouver and North Vancouver. Elita feels uniquely called to encourage this generation not only toward biblical literacy, but also toward a deep love of Jesus through the study of Scripture. She is the author of several books including The Whole Church.  Elita and her husband, Ryan, live in the Lower Mainland of BC with their four children.

To learn more about the Canadian Church Leaders Network (CCLN) please visit https://www.ccln.ca/.

In this episode, Matt is joined by Shaila Visser, the National Director of Alpha Canada and the Global Senior Vice-President for Alpha International. She is the Executive Producer of both The Alpha Youth Film Series (2013) and The Alpha Film Series (2016), and currently holds a position on the Board of the Damascus Road Foundation.

Shaila has a heart for people coming to know Jesus and is passionate about helping the local church flourish. She is a gifted communicator who is known for her strategic leadership as well as her ability to bring people together.

Shaila loves hiking, beaches, next generation leaders, her big anglo-Indian family, and achieving new goals- whether that be fitness, books, or learning. Shaila lives in Vancouver BC with her husband, Ryan Visser, a Vancouver Police Officer, and their four-legged family members, Talon and Benny.

To learn more about Shaila, visit https://www.shailavisser.com/ and to learn more about Alpha, visit https://alphacanada.org/. 

Matt is joined by Harold Peasley, a pastor to pastors for the Canadian National Baptist Convention (CNBC), in the Toronto region.  Harold shares lessons he has learned on his nearly 80-year journey and encourages pastors to keep going.

Harold was born in South Africa and served the Church there until his retirement when he immigrated to Canada to be closer to one of his children and grandchildren.  Harold is married to Antionette and they live in Oakville.

To learn more about the Canadian National Baptist Convention (CNBC), please visit https://www.cnbc.ca. 

In this episode, Matt is joined by Andrew Lamme, Director of Send Network Canada.  Andrew talks about his journey and history as a counsellor and specifically, working with men struggling with sexual addiction.

Andrew transitioned from the corporate world to a licensed Marriage & Family Therapist in 2002. He soon joined a church plant in Oakville, ON, and evolved into a role focused on assessment and coaching, collaborating with North American denominations and networks amidst developing church planting systems. Since 2011, Andrew has been working with NAMB in various roles across Canada and was appointed Regional Director for Canada in 2019. He remains active in his local church plant’s leadership. Married to Erin for over 35 years, Andrew cherishes time with his children and grandchildren.

To learn more about NAMB Canada, please visit http://nambcanada.ca/.

In this episode, Matt is joined by Chris Vacher, the Director of Clearway, an organization focused on helping churches move their ministry forward.

Chris is a husband, father, and consultant with 20+ years of leadership experience. His passion is to help churches faithfully realize their God-given vision.

Chris has served as an Executive Pastor, board member, mentor, and coach to dozens of organizations and thousands of leaders.

His first-hand experience of the world of church leadership combined with graduate education and certifications provides a distinct and unique perspective to church leaders facing all kinds of challenges.

Chris’ strategic thinking and ability to inspire leaders and organizations toward Kingdom-driven objectives provides significant value as churches navigate their way forward.

Matt and Chris discuss discernment in decisions, identifying primary calling in life, as well as a venn diagram for ministry. 

To learn more about Chris and Clearway, please visit https://clearway.co/clearway-about-us/.

In this episode, Matt is joined by church planter, pastor and Send City Missionary, Nate Vedoya of Church in the Valley in Edmonton, Alberta.  Nate talks about his experience as a Filipino Canadian and how he planted a church that he hoped would become multiethnic.

Born and raised in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Nate has been part of church planting as far back as he can remember. Over the years, Nate and his wife, Adele (Deen-Deen), have been involved in multiple ethnic church plants as well as community-focused church planting. Nate and his family planted Church in the Valley in Spring 2015, intentionally adopting a bivocational approach. Nate became Send City missionary for Edmonton in March 2018 and believes that all types of churches are needed to reach all types of people.

To learn more about Send Network's work in the city of Edmonton and to contact Nate, please visit https://www.namb.net/send-network/send-city/edmonton/.

In this episode, Matt is joined by Andrew Lang, Interim Executive Director of Living Hope Native Ministries and Executive Director of the New Hope Youth Center in Thunder Bay. 

Andrew talks about his calling to serve First Nations communities, the challenges and opportunities, as well as the experience of First Nations youth. He loves seeing others succeed and hearing all the great stories of how staff are sharing the love of God with people. Andrew wants to see more First Nations leadership and youth in Thunder Bay making decisions to follow Jesus.

To learn more about Living Hope Native Ministries, please visit https://lhnm.org/.

To learn more about the New Hope Youth Center, please visit https://nhyc.ca/.

To learn about and research the Truth & Reconciliation Commission of Canada, please visit https://nctr.ca/about/history-of-the-trc/truth-and-reconciliation-commission-of-canada/. 

In part one of a two episode miniseries, Matt is joined by Kim McGibbon, the Director of the Send Relief Ministry Center in Hamilton, Ontario.   Matt and Kim discuss ministry to refugees and newcomers to Canada, as well as how to develop ministry of compassion out of a local church.

Kim's heart for people in the margins of society, as well as her extensive experience in entrepreneurship and compassionate leadership, have well equipped her to serve as Send Relief's Toronto Ministry Center Director. With 20 years of ministry experience as a church planter's wife, McGibbon has previously served as a champion for both Send Toronto and the Canadian National Baptist Convention. She is married to Jason McGibbon, lead pastor of The Hamilton Fellowships—the most recent of their three church plants—and is a loving mother to four adult children: Daniel, Liam, Caroline, and T.J. Before starting a family, planting churches and engaging with other service opportunities, McGibbon started her own special events company in which she helped to merge organizations, grow small businesses and lead her team well as Vice President, eventually making her company the largest special events business in all of Canada.

To learn more about Send Relief, take courses and plan a visit, checkout https://www.sendrelief.org/projects/toronto-ministry-center/.