Tentmaking in the Canadian Church: possibilities for innovation and positive disruption

Beth Anne Fisher’s passion for thinking theologically about mental health comes through her own experiences with ADHD, depression, and PTSD as well as walking alongside loved ones through a range of diagnoses, crises, and struggles. She supports ministry leaders and students through her work at Emmanuel College (U of T) and with New Leaf Network & Briercrest Seminary. She is also a PhD candidate at Emmanuel College and a candidate for ordination in the Presbyterian Church in Canada.

Amy Bratton is the Director of Operations & Publishing for the New Leaf Network and the project manager for the Canadian Multivocational Ministry Project. She lives in Saskatoon, SK with her husband, Tim, and their two sons, Oswald and Ira. She is a lay leader at Riversdale Neighbours church and an Adjunct Professor with Rocky Mountain College in the area of Spiritual Formation. She writes and speaks about the history of Christian spirituality, with a focus on the early Methodist understanding of Christian maturity known as “perfect love.” Read more from her in her book Witnesses of Perfect Love: Narratives of Christian Perfection in Early Methodism.

Lea Wilkening works with the Canadian Thriving Multivocational Ministry Project (CTMMP), a partnership of New Leaf Network and Briarcrest Seminary. She is also pastor of The Cottage, a church plant in Oakville, Ontario. Some of her “sacred side hustles” involve performing and teaching improv, serving on charity boards, and parenting her two teens with her husband, John. Mutli-vocational ministry is a great fit for her and she loves supporting and learning from other multi-vocational leaders.

John Vanderstoep loves Jesus. He’s married to Carol. They have five children (plus 5 partners) and a grandchild. They love Fergus, especially their neighborhood. They dream about what the church can be and grieve what it often is. They are hopeful. He works as a realtor to serve others and pay the bills. They lead a home-church called The Bridge and their recent focus is to ruthlessly eliminate the toxin of hurry while they live as Jesus-focussed people of peace.

Gabriel Wee is the lead Pastor at Toronto Life-Spring Christian Fellowship and owns 4 BeaverTails franchises in the Greater Toronto Area (GTA). He is married to Karyne and have 4 children; Justus, Hope, Mercy and Faith.

Both Gabe and Karyne grew up in the church where they met, fell in love, and got married. During their younger days, both fell away from the Lord for many years, but through miraculous encounters with the Father’s love and the embrace of a loving church family, their lives were redeemed and restored. Now they can’t help but share that love with others.

The desire of their heart is to see people fall in love with Jesus both inside and outside the church

Terence Schilstra is a missional community leader at The Table, serving among the urban poor in downtown Thorold, Ontario where he lives with his beautiful wife Karen and their four children. He has been involved in church planting and missional communities in various capacities for more than a decade. His passion and calling are to cultivate the imagination of the church towards faith and missional engagement in their neighbourhoods.

Terence is also an entrepreneur. He and his wife own and operate a small aerial lift rental company in their city. Before he went into co-vocational ministry, Terence worked as an overhead crane technician for 15 years, serving the industrial sector throughout North America. This high risk work earned him a plush six-figure salary and a corporate vehicle. Terence and his family had a comfortable lifestyle and home in one of the wealthiest suburbs in their city. That is, until they received a Divine call to give it all up to live and serve among the urban poor in their city.