Ben Karuhije is the pastor of Cities Church, a local church with a Canada wide mission to plant one hundred churches, in one hundred cities. After a series of direction-defining encounters with Jesus in his late teens, he left university and gave himself wholly to reaching as many people as possible with the reality of Who Jesus is and the life-changing potential of His power and love. He is married to his beautiful wife Sarah, and they live in Brandon, Manitoba.  


www.ccln.ca/season2/episode13

Ben Karuhije: From a Rwandan Refugee to a Canadian Church Planter

Conversations that speak to the heart, soul and vision of the pastor, with ample time to hear the stories and processing of church leaders. Hosted most often by Jason Ballard, Pastor at The Way Church in Vancouver, BC.

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38 years into ministry, Helen Burns speaks of the Church with love in her voice and delight in the work God is doing among His people today. 
Joining us on the podcast for a second time, Helen is a voice of encouragement as she reflects on what she has learned along the way. From planting Relate Church with her husband John in 1986, to the process of succession as their daughter Angela and her husband Rod stepped into the lead pastor role in 2018 - the significance of mentorship and intergenerational relationships underpin our conversation.
Helen reflects back on past ministry with humility, letting us into moments where she felt the heart was right but the emphasis was off. Helen humbly models what it looks like to stay soft to the way God is pruning and growing His people, leading us into deeper purity as we walk with Him.
As we consider the need for spaces of belonging, we hope you’ll find inspiration for how you can set the table for pastors to gather in your community, making room for God to break through the isolation many experience in ministry.

Helen Burns is a passionate lover of Jesus and committed to building His Church. She and her husband John pioneered Relate Church, a thriving family church in the Vancouver area, in 1986 where they served as lead pastors for 35 years. Today, they continue to teach and serve there while travelling and speaking internationally. Helen shares with depth and insight on marriage, family and relationships, and is the author of several books.
John and Helen have been married for over 50 years and they have three awesome daughters and she is the blessed Oma of eight grandchildren.


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Partners: 
Thanks to the Canadian Bible Society for supporting this episode. Learn more about their ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Bible Course⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.
Show Notes:

 Relate Church
 The Contemplative Pastor by Eugene Peterson
  CCLN Emerging Leaders Lab
  CCLN Pastors Retreat
  Barna Statistics
  See, Hear, Love Youtube/Podcast

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Helen Burns on the Tension Between Production & Authenticity, the Crisis of Pastoral Belonging, and Why Gen Z is Looking For Presence Over Information

Letting Jesus shepherd us into renewed courage and contentment when our vision for success has been broken is a wrestle many of us are familiar with. 
It's a path that our guest this week, Evan Allnutt, has walked at different moments in his vocational journey. Through changing careers from teaching to ministry, taking on a Lead Pastor role at a new church, and navigating the changing cultural dynamics in the last 4 years, surrender and re-surrender to Christ’s leading has been a red thread through it all. In moments where he felt like a failure, Evan shared how God stirred fresh hope in him as he situated himself within the rich legacy of the 87-year-old church he pastors, and the global Church as he heard stories of revival in his denomination, and witnessed the Church full of vibrancy and life in London, U.K. 
For the pastor who feels discouraged or alone, this episode is drenched in Kingdom imagination & vulnerability. We hope that it emboldens you to press into where God has called you, as you look left and right and see who is running the race alongside you.
Bio | Evan and his wife Kendal, along with their three children Izzy, Hardy, and Nola, have been proud residents of the Comox Valley since 2015. After dedicating five years as Youth Pastor and one year as Associate Pastor at Coastline Church in Victoria, Evan sensed a divine calling to assume the Lead Pastor role at Northgate. For the past 7 years, Evan has joyfully served this community, overseeing its growth from a single service in one city to three services across two cities.


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Show Notes:

 ⁠Northgate Church

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Evan Allnutt on Recapturing Courage, Ministry Internships For Retirees, and Releasing Your Vision For God’s Call

John Mark Comer joins us again for a conversation on why people in our congregations are gravitating towards spiritual formation right now, and how we can pastor people beyond conversion into deeper healing and sanctification in their walk with Christ.
Jason and John Mark talk through what it’s like to pastor today, and how the cultural hostility pastors navigate can purify our motivations and remind us that Christ is our reward. Thinking about practices for pastoral longevity, John Mark shares the need for balanced rest and activation and how to cultivate deep, brutally honest friendships.
This episode encourages us to think deeply about the role of confession in the Pastorate, how we can shepherd people in different stages of discipleship, and the desire people in the Church have for deeper communion with God.
Bio | John Mark Comer, once the founding pastor of Bridgetown Church in Portland, dedicated two decades to integrating discipleship to Jesus into the post-Christian West. In 2021, he pivoted to developing spiritual formation resources for global church communities through Practicing the Way. Now residing in Topanga Canyon, Los Angeles, he crafts new practices, courses, and podcasts while serving as a teacher at Vintage Church LA. A New York Times bestselling author, Comer's notable works include "Practicing the Way" and "The Ruthless Elimination of Hurry." 


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Partners: 
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Show Notes:

 ⁠Practicing The Way
 Books by John Mark

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John Mark Comer on Spiritual Formation for Today’s World, Recovery After Sundays, and Practices for Deep Friendship

Mark Buchanan sits down with us again to explore everything from how storytelling forms us to our addiction to control.  He articulates how narratives help us navigate the truths of life and our identity, emphasizing the significance of weaving hope-filled, gospel-rooted stories into the fabric of our cultural imagination.
Throughout our conversation, Mark draws from the life of David to think about leaning on character over gifting and the temptation of success. Mark offers a candid look into what spiritual practices have deepened his love for Jesus, and what he has been learning about the importance of deep friendships in this season of his life.
This episode is an invitation to reevaluate our leadership in ministry, challenging us to lead in a manner that not only fosters integrity but cultivates a deeper love for Jesus.
Bio | Mark is an author, Associate Professor of Theology at Ambrose University in Calgary, Alberta, and former pastor. His books include “God Walk: Moving at the Speed of Your Soul” and the ever-popular “The Rest of God.” In 2021 Mark and his wife Cheryl started New Story Community, a ministry that seeks to walk alongside Indigenous Women who need space for healing. The program focuses on academic and biblical study, skill development, and personal goal-setting. The heart is to join God in His work of writing a story of hope, redemption and healing in the lives of His people.


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Partners: 
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Show Notes:

 New Story Community

 Mark Buchanan Website

 Ambrose University

 The Rest of God by Mark Buchanan

 God Walk by Mark Buchanan

 Spiritual Rhythm by Mark Buchanan


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Mark Buchanan on Pastoring Others Without Losing Your Soul, Growing Deep Over Fast, and Telling Gospel-Shaped Stories

How do we contextualize our churches to the neighbourhoods God has called us to? And how do you keep your heart healthy when people leave your church? 
In today’s episode with Tammy Giffen, lead pastor of Groundswell Church in Truro, Nova Scotia, we explore these questions and more from her journey in ministry. Tammy became a Christian through Alpha as an adult and later moved into vocational ministry, eventually planting Groundswell in 2018. It’s a story of leading in ministry for the long haul, compelled by uncovering the beauty of Jesus for herself, and in the lives of the community she pastors.
Bio | Tammy Giffen is the lead pastor of Groundswell, a multi-site church in Central Nova Scotia. Groundswell is a church plant that launched in September of 2018 with a vision to be a church un-churched people love to attend. She came to know Jesus as an adult when she was invited to attend Alpha. Since then she has been passionate about breaking down barriers to church and helping people meet Jesus. Tammy is married to Peter and has three children; Taylor, Wesley, and Mya.


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Partners: 
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Show Notes:

 ⁠⁠⁠⁠Groundswell Church
 One Conference


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Ben Karuhije: From a Rwandan Refugee to a Canadian Church Planter

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