Jono Zantingh on Embracing the Emotions of Transitions, Every Pastor's Wrestle With People Pleasing, and Why Your Church Shouldn’t Get All Your Hospitality

Jono Zantingh is a Canadian Pastor, Church Planter and Worship Leader.  He has been married to Nicole for 20 years.  Together, they have 3 children; Julia, Riley and Kaleb. In 2018, Jono & Nicole moved to Edmonton, AB from Winnipeg, MB to plant Evolve Church in South Edmonton with their ARC Canada Family. In 2020, Jono began serving as a coach to other church planters in Canada through the ARC. He is passionate about the local church and seeing others grow in their surrender of learning to trust and follow Jesus.

The emotions, he shares, of both being excited about the journey, but also grieving the past were challenging to navigate. He says that it was important to feel both, allowing themselves to be sad about leaving friends, family, and their church and also excited for the vision God had given them for Evolve Church.

The call to plant was discerned over a few years where both Jono and his wife, Nicole, sensed God’s leading to a new place. Edmonton was somewhat of a surprise, but they soon had a heart for the city and settled with their family into their new home. Jono talks about how important it has been for them to be intentional with the neighbours, setting up Facebook groups, hosting fires, and embodying a spirit of hospitality. The challenge for many pastors is that they can invest all their energy into hospitality and community with their church, but then be left without the capacity to be good neighbours. Jono has found the importance of not falling into that trap, but keeping that margin to live on mission with neighbours.

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