Church Administrators Find Community and Purpose at Burlington Event

“I don’t know if you always feel it yourself—when you get bogged down in the details, you can sometimes forget how much of a difference you’re making,” said Al Postma, executive director-Canada, addressing over 30 church administrators.

The group gathered at the CRCNA’s Burlington, Ont., office to connect behind-the-scenes technical work to a biblical calling.

Participants from the greater Toronto area and surrounding regions tackled practical topics during workshops covering social media strategies through the Shine Online course, the Bridge App, and Google Workspace applications. Attendees also heard from denominational partners including World Renew, Diaconal Ministries Canada, Canadian Justice Ministries, and Resonate Global Mission.

For denominational staff, the gathering provided a face-to-face connection with the regional staff who keep local congregations running.

“I was so excited to be a part of this event. I usually communicate with church administrators via email, so seeing them in person has been fantastic. I hope we can continue having events like this, as our administrators are so integral to our work as a denomination,” said Becky Jones, Thrive’s Canada East regional connector.

A common theme throughout the day was the relief of discovering shared experiences among staff who often work alone in their buildings. Wendy de Jong, stated clerk of Classis Niagara, recalled attending a similar gathering a decade ago.

“It’s just so great to share what is working, get advice from others, and find out what’s happening in other churches. Often you feel like you’re doing this work alone, so today was wonderful. I hope this becomes an annual or biennial event,” de Jong said.

Betty DeWeerd of Stratford (Ont.) CRC found the event validating.

“This event was eye-opening. It was a real affirmation that what I’m doing is positive and that I’m on the right track alongside everyone else here. It answered a lot of questions, and it was just good to get together with people who share the same role,” DeWeerd said.

Marlene Knevel of Mount Hope (Ont.) Community Church highlighted the value of peer support and meeting denominational staff in person.

“I always look forward to these events and actually wish there were more of them. I love the camaraderie, and I always learn something new. It’s great to hear everyone’s experiences and realize you’re not going through these challenges by yourself. It was also wonderful to meet staff in person and put faces to the names and emails,” Knevel said.

The event also served newcomers, including Erica Sheridan of Faith CRC in Burlington, who attended on her second official day on the job after previously working four summers in church administrative roles.

“Talking with people who truly understand the experience of office administration is so nice. It was good to hear reminders about how important boundaries are and to learn about systems that really help. Coming into a fresh position and learning what works well means I can go back and implement these ideas immediately. I’m very excited about it,” Sheridan said.

Administrators left the Burlington office with practical tools and a renewed perspective on their administrative calling.