Blessed are the Undone

Angela Reitsma Bick is Editor-in-Chief of Christian Courier and an award-winning journalist recognized for her work highlighting social justice issues. With an Honours English BA from Redeemer University and an MA in Literature from Queen’s University, she began writing for CC as a columnist in 2008 and became Editor-in-Chief in 2009. Under her leadership, the independent Canadian publication has deftly navigated the unceasingly-tumultuous news industry. In 2016, she won the A.C. Forrest Memorial Award for “excellence in religious journalism,” followed by the Distinguished Alumni Award from Redeemer University in 2020. She lives in Newcastle, Ontario, with her family, where she maintains a lively little library. 

Peter Schuurman, PhD (Religious Studies, U Waterloo),M. Div. (McMaster Divinity College), MA (Sociology, Queens U), is Executive Director at Global Scholars Canada, a Christian professors’ guild bent on cross-cultural and transnational work in public university settings. He is also an adjunct faculty member at Redeemer University (Religion and Social Sciences) and author of The Subversive Evangelical: The Ironic Charisma of an Irreligious Megachurch (McGill-Queens 2019). He has a history as a campus minister at Brock University, a denominational ministry leader in the Christian Reformed Church, and bicycle assembler for Canadian Tire. He lives in Guelph, Ontario with his family.

Bradley Jersak is the Principal of St. Stephen's University, Director of SSU School of Theology & Culture, and Professor of Religious Studies with the Jim Forest Institute. He lives in Abbotsford, British Columbia with his Eden, who co-pastors the Bridge Church. Finally empty nesters of three, they are now smitten with two grandchildren. 

 After earning an MA and MDiv with concentrations in Biblical Studies, he spent twenty years serving in pastoral ministry. In 2009, Bradley commenced his studies and earned PhD in Theology from Bangor University in Wales, focusing on the Political Theology of George P. Grant and Simone Weil. He was also a visiting scholar at the University of Nottingham, where he focused on Patristic Christology. In 2012, he joined the New Testament faculty of Westminster Theological Centre (Cheltenham), where he taught for five years. 

 He is also author of over twenty books, including academic works in theology and philosophy, popular books including the “More Christlike” trilogy, along with two children’s books and a novel co-written with Wm. Paul Young (The Shack guy). Bradley was co-founder of Fresh Wind Press and its current successor, St. Macrina Press, edits for CWRmagazine, and is a co-founder and contributor at Clarion-Journal.ca.

Mike Hogeterp serves as the lead facilitator for the Canadian Learning Community for Decolonization and Innovation in Theological Education with NAIITS - An Indigenous Learning Community. Mike is a PhD Candidate with NAIITS, and is working on a dissertation exploring settler-church responsibility for right relationship with Indigenous peoples, with the CRC in Canada serving as a case study. He served as the Director of the CRC's Centre for Public Dialogue from 2002-23

Nichole Forbes is the program coordinator for the NAIITS-led Canadian Learning Community for Decolonization and Innovation in Theological Education. Nichole is currently finishing her Master of Arts in Intercultural Studies with NAIITS and plans to pursue a PhD. with the Learning Community. Nichole brings together her faith, her experience as a Métis woman and her own journey of decolonizing as an asset to this Community of Learning. 

Erin Wildsmith I am the Pastor at Highview Community Church, a small nondenominational faith community in Kitchener ON. I am also a student of practical theology, enrolled in the Doctor of Practical Theology program at McMaster Divinity College where I study the intersection of visual art and preaching. I am a member of the Academy of Homiletics.

Neal DeRoo is Senior Member and Professor of Philosophy at the Institute for Christian Studies in Toronto, ON. He is the author or editor of 8 books in philosophy, deconstruction, and/or religion, most recently The Political Logic of Experience (2022) and Philosophies of Liturgy (2023), and has two more books on the way. He has previously worked as the Director of the Andreas Center for Reformed Scholarship and Service, as the Founding Editor of In All Things, and as the Canada Research Chair in Phenomenology and Philosophy of Religion while serving on various boards and organizations concerned with Christian scholarship and its application. He also leads professional development for Christian school teachers on what it means to teach "Christianly". He lives in the woods east of Sherwood Park with his wife, Tanya, and two kids. 

Nikayla Reize is a biblical scholar, educator, and recovering evangelical. 

I worked for 16 years pastoring in three different evangelical denominations in Alberta. I spent many years in ministry caring for people wounded by toxic theologies, helping them recover an embodied and liberating approach to the bible and spiritual formation. In early 2024 I stepped away from pastoring to finish my PhD and for the chance to speak more boldly and with a bigger imagination for the North American church. I’m now in full cahoots with the collective chaos, palms open, and heart pounding. My PhD research is on trauma-informed Sabbath rest and Jubilee debt-forgiveness in the early church. I love collaborating with churches, schools, and community groups to discover embodied and land-oriented approaches to biblical interpretation and spiritual formation.

Jacqui Mignault serves as Campus Minister at both University of Calgary and Mount Royal University in Calgary, AB. She has a MA in Theology from Regent College and is a Spiritual Director trained through Anam Chara Centre for Christian Formation. She previously was ordained with the Christian Reformed Church of North America serving both the university and  The Road Church as a co-lead pastor for 7 years. She served on the national Committee for Contact with the Government which oversaw the work the Centre for Public Dialogue, a justice advocacy office within the CRCNA. Currently, Jacqui is now pursuing Canadian Association of Spiritual Care certification in Clinical Psycho-Spiritual Education. 

She lives in Calgary, AB with her husband, two teens and too many pets.

While he never imagined that a denominational position might be part of his ministry path, Cam Fraser was drawn to the role of Director of Growth and Ministry Development with the United Church General Council Offices because of the commitment to a orientation of hope and possibility paired with a focus on the local contexts in which communities of faith live and witness. He previously served United Church congregations in Milton, Ontario and Regina, Saskatchewan in roles focused on church planting, fresh expressions, congregational renewal, public witness as well as United Church Camping leadership in both provinces. Cam is deeply convinced of the beauty and potency of the local church regardless of size embracing its vocation of presence, prayer and pastoral care to the neighbourhood in which it has been placed. Cam lives on Treaty 4 Territory, in the Cathedral neighbourhood of Regina, SK with Cheryl, three kids that are growing up way too fast and a dog far too big for their house!

Beth Anne Fisher is a PhD candidate in Theology at Emmanuel College, part of the Toronto School of Theology, and have a Masters of Divinity from Wycliffe College in the same consortium. I belong to the Christian tradition and also have extensive experience working in interfaith contexts.

Bradley Watson is the founding pastor of Nexus Church, a vibrant faith community in Ontario. Those who call Nexus home often describe it as the "last stop and hope" of their faith journey and see Brad as a "bridge" in a world that loves to fetishize differences. Brad is married to Kristen, and they have three children: Zoe, Huxley, and Evie. They live in downtown Kitchener, along with their cute but annoying dog Lloyd.

Robyn Elliot is the associate pastor at Lakeside Church in Guelph and has an MDiv from Tyndale with a dual focus in the Mission of the Church and Spiritual Direction. 

Born in Barbados, the beach is in her bones, but Canada is home, where she and her husband Steve raised 3 children (and now 3 grandkids). Her theologically conservative upbringing was not a safe space to question or doubt, but walking alongside people who are wrestling with God and desiring to experience Jesus as the way is one of her favourite things to do. 

Jared Siebert serves in many capacities in the Canadian Church.  He founded an organization of missionary church leaders called the New Leaf Network and is one of Canada’s leading inter-denominational church planter trainers.  But church planting isn’t the only kind of experience he has garnered.  In his ministry roles Jared has had the opportunity to work with churches of all kinds from all over Canada.  He has acted as a consultant in churches large and small, urban and rural, and new and long established.  He has written a discipleship curriculum, a handbook on church planter training, and a Church Health workbook called the LifePlan.  As a sought after speaker and consultant Jared is uniquely able to draw insight and inspiration from a variety of sources and bring that to the table as he helps churches move toward unity and the mission of God.  

Bernard Tam is from Toronto, married to Susan and has two kids. He is a coffee geek that loves to learn more about neighbourhoods, communities and how God is moving across Canada. For the last decade or so he has lived in and served as a pastor at The Living Room Church located in Midtown, Toronto. He also works bi-vocationally as a part of the New Ventures Implementer team with The Alliance, focusing on new leaders and new ministries in Toronto. Bernard is also a DMin Cand. at Northern Seminary for a degree in contextual theology. 

Allison Williams is a graduate student at The Vancouver School of Theology (MATS) and a leader of the North Vancouver based non-profit, Reflector Project. Her work entails theological reading, writing, podcast hosting and production, and organizing theological educational events. Much of Allison’s work centres around hopeful expressions of faith, particularly for those coming from evangelical backgrounds. She has written and presented work on issues around polarization within Christianity and is interested in further exploring this issue. She resides in North Vancouver with her husband and two kids.