The article that I am about to write I could not have written 5 years ago. I believe that I suffered from an identity crisis as a Pastor. What is more, I believe the office of Pastor is suffering from an identity crisis. Between the power model C.E.O. type who demands allegiance, and the average church member who sits in the pew, the gap is deep and the gap is wide. There are Pastors who use their people to achieve fame among denominational leaders, and Pastors who struggle to gain the respect of the people in the pew. Continue reading “The Identity Crisis in the Pulpit”
Category Archives: Pastoral Ministry
Looking for Open Doors
Greetings, My Friend
It is my privilege to connect with you. God has me on a journey to encourage His people to grow, be more like Him and to share His message of love to the world.
I’ve been a Pastor and Missionary all of my adult life. My wife and I have lived, worshipped and led in 3 countries. It has been an awesome career. God has blessed, guided and encouraged every step.
It is a privilege to share my resume with you. I would love to talk with you about your Ministry and see if God is leading us together. Drop me an email and share it with those you know who are looking for a ministry partner.
For His Glory,
Pastor Bill Finch
Resume of Pastor Bill Finch
739 64th Ave NW
Calgary, AB T2K 0M3
403-612-1960
My Vision:
People experiencing the full significance of being a fully devoted follower of Jesus Christ.
My Mission:
To serve the Lord and people, with integrity, excellence, and passion in order to live out God’s will every day.
My Values:
Integrity: I can only be useful to God and for others if I honestly and sincerely live what I teach. I must be ruthlessly honest with myself and allow no hint of hypocrisy to grow in me.
Sense of Call: I serve in my area of giftedness for the glory of God and the good of the people of God because I believe God called me to serve him in ministry for such a time as this.
Genuine Care: It is my goal to work as part of a team that with a foundation of camaraderie and friendship that is born out in how I serve my team members.
Persistence: I bring to the table a willingness to do whatever it takes to get the task accomplished. I will use my God-given gifts and talents in order to accomplish His goals.
Team: I believe we are on the same team! It is not about who gets the credit, it is about every person pulling in the same direction in order to accomplish God’s goals for our ministry.
Willingness to Learn: I humbly recognize that there are many ways to do things and I am open and willing to learn what others can teach me.
Additional Skills:
God has used me in the areas of international missions in Church Planting to Spanish-speaking nations as well as through teaching in Argentina and Rio Grande Bible Institute Texas. A natural outflow of both of these areas has been writing a blog on a semi-regular basis (billfinch.org). I am passionate about modelling Christ in my daily life as well as developing godly leadership that cares for others as we follow God’s direction together.
Experience:
Lead Pastor at Westbourne Baptist Church
January 2014 – November 2016
Through amazing prayer support, God encouraged our people to grow in their relationship with their heavenly Father and each other. As a church we learned to share our faith with those in our community who do not have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. Our church became known as a place of refuge for all who are seeking a place to call home.
Regional Director Operation Christmas Child at Samaritan’s Purse, Canada
December 2011 – December 2013
We strengthened the hand of national leadership as they served as committed volunteers through prayer, practical training, and providing the tools to accomplish the task of sharing the love of Jesus with the children of Latin America through the shoebox ministry.
Pastor at North Broadway Baptist Church, Tillsonburg, ON
April 2008 – February 2012
Through the ministry of the Word, prayer, leadership development, and outreach, we encouraged the people to resolve past issues to love one another and serve the Lord with excellence and passion.
Pastor at West Island Baptist Church, Dorval, QC
April 2005 – March 2008
Through the ministry of the 40 Days of Purpose, we developed the ministry of small groups that had as its goal mutual encouragement, prayer, and outreach through the ministry of the church.
Missionary – Argentina and Edinburg, TX with ABWE
July 1987 – April 2004
Together with my wife, Deb, we were blessed by God to raise missionary financial and prayer support to serve in Buenos Aires, Argentina and in the state of Texas. Our ministries centered on teaching as well as developing a struggling church to grow from a discouraged group of fifteen to an encouraged and excited group of seventy-five to eighty. I also was elected the chairman of our Field Council of missionaries for one term of service.
Professor at Rio Grande Bible Institute, Edinburg Texas
2000 – 2004
What a joy to teach young people from Latin America, theology, Bible, and practical Christian life issues. We formed great relationships with colleagues and students that last until today. This was a tremendous experience. Today, many of these students are living productive Christian lives serving God.
Pastoral Intern @ School of Church Ministries, Calvary Baptist Church, Grand Rapids, Michigan, 1988 – 1989
This was a stretching year of learning the work of a local church. As a church intern I learned many skills that have carried me into the ministry I have today. Everything from teaching children, Evangelism Explosion, and Wilderness Leadership Camp taught me to love God and the ministry with a greater passion.
Languages:
Fluent in English and Spanish
Education:
Heritage College and Seminary
Master of Theological Studies, 1999 – 2000
Rio Grande Bible Institute
Language School Diploma, Spanish Language Acquisition, 1991 – 1992
Heritage College and Seminary
Bachelor’s Degree, Pastoral Ministry Minor, 1978 – 1986
References:
Dr. David Barker – Professor, Pastor, Mentor
Heritage Seminary
519-651-2869
Mr. Dave Ferguson
Director of Westbourne Place, Elder at Westbourne Baptist Church
403-650-0942
Mr. Laurie Kennedy
(Former Director of Fellowship Prairies)
Leadership Coach at the Jethro Group
lauriedkennedy@gmail.com
780-608-7149
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The Responsibility of Pastoral Ministry – Part 1
To serve the people of God as a Pastor is the greatest blessing (other than my wife and family) that I have had in my life! I have been truly blessed by the friendships that have been formed. Not just a little, pretend blessed but a knock your socks off blessed! Over the next few weeks I want to write on ministering to different segments of the congregation.
Continue reading “The Responsibility of Pastoral Ministry – Part 1”
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How to Help Your Pastor
Call me Mr. Obvious but the life of Pastor is full of challenges. Yes, sometimes Pastors are their own worst enemies. Sometimes, they are not as humble as they should be, they overvalue their own importance, they also accept the praise of people instead of deflecting it to the One who has really deserves it.
Continue reading “How to Help Your Pastor”
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The Good and the Bad
The call to serve God in a full time, professional sense is an awesome call. I know that each believer has been called to serve God but not every believer has the opportunity to do so as a profession. Even though I must admit that sometimes it would be great to attend church and be a member of a church without the responsibility to lead the church. I especially think that on Monday mornings after a hectic weekend of ministry.
There are times when the call to minister in a professional sense is a down right blast. Nothing thrills my heart more than leading the congregation to discover new and old truths from the Word and make them applicable to every day life. That is awesome. I love being in the study preparing for those times, reading what others have discovered and mixing that with my own. I find it an awesome privilege to be with people at life’s most important and crucial moments. Usually those are found at the beginning of life and at the end of life. I would never want to exchange the time I get to pray with families at those moments. To be able to bring an awareness of the person of God to at times is a great responsibility and joy, to be honest with you.
What tends to frustrate me most is the misunderstandings that seem to inhabit church life. Instead of talking to people who are directly affected by an issue, we talk about them and then elect someone else to go and do our talking! What’s up with that!? I believe that if I have an issue with you, I ought to be courageous enough to come and talk to you about it. However, if I won’t talk to you about it, then I need to change my attitude toward you! I believe that this is the ethic which the New Testament teaches.
Ministry is a wonderful calling from God. It is a joy to serve the Lord and His people. The key, I guess, is continuing to grow as child of God and as a minister of the gospel. I have NOT arrived, I know that I need to grow so much more. I pray that we would all see our lives as works in progress that need the grace of God and the care of others!
In Times Like These 