As a follow up to Dr. Brian Lee’s recent post on Pastoral Openings in the URCNA, I was asked to share my personal reflections as an American on moving to and ministering in Canada.1
When I began my seminary studies, I had two great fears: 1) going into the ministry single, and 2) being called to serve a church in Canada. In the Lord’s providence, I found myself having to overcome both of those fears when I received my first call in January of 2020 to the Adoration URC of Vineland, Ontario; and what a blessing it was to do so. In my experience, the churches in Canada (at least here in Ontario) are marked by a degree of spirituality and vitality that many American candidates and ministers will find encouraging and refreshing. Let me share a few things that have stood out to me from my time here in Canada:
- Hospitality: Here in Canada, having fellow members over for coffee after the worship service is the norm rather than the exception. This hospitable spirit has helped me and my American colleagues to truly feel at home in this foreign land.
- Maturity: I have found the young men especially to be a great source of encouragement here. On the whole, the young men are mature and eager to serve in Christ’s church. When Dr. Cornel Venema spoke at our annual Niagara Reformed Office Bearer’s Conference, he was amazed at how many young men came out on a Friday evening and Saturday morning to grow in their understanding of the marks of the true church (we have typically had around 250 attendees, most of them young men).
- Ecumenicity: Through local ministerials and regular pulpit exchanges, I have had the privilege to make lasting bonds of friendship with good brothers from the CanRC, FRC, HRC, and OPC. I will forever cherish these relationships and experiences of our fraternal bond in the Lord Jesus Christ.
Now, how did a rather fearful Midwesterner from the US overcome his misgivings and fears of moving to Canada in the first place? The fear of serving in Canada was alleviated in large part through a summer assignment in Canada between my second and third year of seminary. In the summer of 2018, I had the privilege of interning at the Providence URC in Strathroy, Ontario with Rev. Harry Zekveld as my mentor. Though there were definitely times during that assignment when I very much felt like a stranger in a foreign land, and although I felt immediate relief upon re-entering the US after that assignment was finished, when a Canadian church called me after seminary, the prospect of moving to Canada was far less daunting to me than it otherwise would have been. So, I would strongly recommend that consistories with men in seminary seriously consider encouraging the students under their oversight to spend at least one assignment in Canada. Even if they do not end up taking a call to a Canadian church, it will definitely serve to strengthen their appreciation for our binational federation.
I also think it is worth noting that, from an immigration/legal standpoint, moving to Canada is very easy. At the border, a minister can apply for a three-year work permit as a religious leader for himself and for his family at no charge to himself or to the church. All he needs is a letter of call, proof of his qualifications as a religious leader, proof of the church’s viability and charitable status, and proof that he has a place to live. This particular permit can be renewed over and over again without any legal fees or assistance upon re-entry into Canada after an already-planned vacation to see family back in the US. Sadly, there is no real equivalent to Canada’s easily attainable work permit for religious leaders for Canadians serving in the US.
Provided that a Canadian church provides a parsonage or a housing stipend to rent, there is really no need to apply for permanent residence at all, though there are some benefits to doing so. Perhaps the greatest benefit of obtaining permanent resident status is that a minister can purchase his own home without having to pay a heavy speculation tax. Another thing to be mindful of is that if a minister’s teenage children would like to attain summer employment, they must have permanent resident status. Though applying for permanent residence status can be costly, it is quite manageable with the help of a good attorney. Just as US churches should be willing to cover application and legal fees for Canadians who have taken a call to the US, Canadian churches should understand their responsibility if they should be moved to call an American. Additional moving expenses should also be allotted to cover other related costs such as importing personal vehicles from the US into Canada. This all comes with the territory of belonging to a binational federation.
All this being said, moving to a foreign country will definitely require a time of adjustment. Getting used to the metric system and to seemingly insignificant things—like a new currency or walking into a grocery store where almost all the brands and labels are foreign to you and where milk comes in bags rather than in jugs—may cause you to feel a little unsettled at times. But ministers, in a particular way, need to be willing to follow in the steps of their Savior who left his place in heaven to dwell with us. That “the Son of man had no place to lay his head to rest” (Luke 9:58) should work within the heart of every minister a willingness to consider moving to a place that might take him out of his comfort zone for a time, trusting that the Lord will sustain him and bless him as he seeks first the kingdom of God and his righteousness.
Note
- See Brian Lee, “Pastoral Openings In The URCNA.”
©Bryce De Zwarte. All Rights Reserved.
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Bryce De Zwarte
Rev. Bryce De Zwarte is a native of Pella, IA, a 2016 graduate of Dordt University, and a 2019 graduate of Mid-America Reformed Seminary. Prior to entering the ministry, he served as a pastoral intern at the Sioux Center URC in Sioux Center, IA, the Providence URC in Strathroy, ON, and the Redeemer URC in Orange City, IA. He has been serving as the pastor of the Adoration URC in Vineland, Ontario since April of 2020. In 2024, he married Sara, who has transformed his house into a home.
More by Bryce De Zwarte ›
Marian, thank you for engaging with my reflections on serving in Canada. Canada is full of sinners – just like America. And Canada is full of ungodly politicians – just like America. True, Canada as a nation may be further down the road of secularism than America is, but in my personal experience, this has had little impact on my daily life. I believe other Americans serving in Canada would say the same. Pastors in Canada may indeed need to suffer for the sake of the gospel, but the same is and will likely increasingly be true of pastors in America. But it is “through many tribulations we must enter the kingdom of God” (Acts 14:22).
Canadians need the gospel of Christ as much as Americans do, and belonging to a bi-national federation means that pastors should be willing to consider the pastor needs of God’s people in both countries (especially when so many of Canada’s pulpit are vacant). Granting that some of your concerns may be valid, I stand by own personal experience, and I do not believe that these political concerns should weigh too heavily for a man considering the needs of a congregation of Christ’s people in need of a gospel minister.
Whether we live and serve in America or in Canada we are “elect exiles” (1 Peter 1:1) whose true “citizenship is in heaven” (Philippians 3:20).
De Zwarte,
You provide a fair and insightful perspective to ministering in Canada as an American. I wonder what your thoughts are concerning (from my standpoint at least) the closeness between the Canadian URC’s and the CanRC. Having had lots of interaction with CanRC folk & their institutions I’d be very suspicious of churches with close relations to that body. To me one of the URC’s bigger threats are those pushing for URC/CanRC merger. If there’s truly an appetite for that in the Canadian URC churches it might be better for everyone involved if they just split from the URC and joined the CanRC.
Brian, thank you for engaging in what I have written here. The local Canadian URCs do enjoy fellowship with the local Canadian Reformed Churches, particularly in the way of regular pulpit exchanges, sending fraternal delegates to classis meetings, as well as participating in uplifting conferences and ministerial groups. Before moving to Canada, I was much leerier of the union talks than I am now, though it’s not necessarily something that I would yet push too strongly for either. That being said, if the Lord grants a union between our two federations down the road, I would certainly praise him for that. Having lived here for 5 years now, I have come to believe that the CanRC is rather misunderstood south of the border and that they have been poorly caricatured by many. I have had the opportunity to sit under their preaching, to meet with their faculty, and I have been much encouraged. Moreover, I have always been well-received in their pulpits as well. Further, I do not at all think it would be wise for the Canadian URCs to break away from her US counterpart as I believe much is gained by our bi-national relationship.
As someone who has served in the pastorate north of the border, you have a better read on the validity of your statement that Canadian secularism “has had little impact on my daily life” on your pastoral work.
However, I’d encourage you to look at the situation with the Associate Reformed Presbyterian Church in Canada and the legal and ecclesiastical disruptions caused by the question of how to deal with COVID restrictions. The details are messy, and for that reason I don’t want to try to summarize them here. There are two sides to every story.
What can be said is that situation would not have happened in almost any US state, and the few states where it might have happened are well known as the farthest-left states in the US, and the courts have generally rebuked state and county governments that tried to do such things. What is correctly regarded as being extreme in the US appears to be becoming increasingly common north of the border — and it most emphatically IS affecting churches and denominations.
I’m well aware that the problems of government intrusion into ecclesiastical life are as bad, or sometimes much worse, in Britain and the Continent, let alone many non-Western countries. What’s important is that most Americans understand the difference between the US and Europe when it comes to legal matters. Many Americans wrongly think that the Canadians are just colder versions of US states, with a sprinkling of “ehs” and an accent. That’s simply not the case. Canada is a different country with different rules, and failing to understand that is problematic.
Darrell,
I suppose I do need to stand a little corrected. The COVID years in Canada were indeed very difficult and discouraging years of pastoral ministry, and not at all the way I had pictured entering the ministry. And due to the ecclesiastical disruptions, there were definitely times when I thought the grass looked a lot greener south of the border on account of how my province dealt with the issue compared to how my home state in Iowa did – I don’t want to minimize this at all. I have taken heart in the knowledge that Canada’s provincial leaders will have to given an account to the King for how they navigated the COVID pandemic. That being said, I do not at all regret my coming here, nor would those difficult years cause me to discourage a man from considering a call to Canada now.
I want to be careful about sharing too many of my own political thoughts on this forum, but I will say is this: while I am content to serve in Canada as long as the LORD would have me to, I am still very much an American at heart. And if I could transplant my entire congregation to some place in Iowa, I might be a little tempted to do so. I love where I’m from.
But in responding to Dr. Lee’s previous post about pastoral vacancies, my burden in this reflection piece was to encourage men from my own experience that what Canada as a nation perhaps lacks in comparison to the US as a nation, the people in the pews have made up with their love for me and their devotion to Christ. Moreover, I think gospel ministers especially should be willing to leave their places of comfort and familiarity, following in the steps of him who had no place to lay his read to rest.
Blessings,
Bryce
I find it interesting that this article is appearing at a time when there is much social, political and religious upheaval in Canada — which has been increasing year by year for the nearly 10 years of previous Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s time in office. At present there is also a fairly vociferous and vocal anti-Americanism exhibited by a large number of particularly urban Canadians. It’s been there for years under the surface (most Canadians define themselves in terms of not being American), but is now being blatantly (and frequently nastily) stated. Many Canadians are blaming President Trump for their litany of problems instead of the Trudeau Liberal government which got them into and increased the mess they’re in. Caretaker Prime Minister Mark Carney is doing that in hopes of convincing Liberal supporters to elect him. Carney, if actually elected, will do more of the same that Trudeau has done, but in spades. He’s likely smarter but also more dangerous than Trudeau was. Carney has deep ties to China, and China already has very deep influence in Canada’s government (an untenable situation for the U.S.) and on Canada’s elections.
None of this seems to exist for this American pastor in Canada. I know he was focusing on his work as a pastor, but it seemed to me he wrote as if he were living in vacuum. Carney is strongly anti-Christian (as was Trudeau), and Christian freedoms and churches in general have not fared well in the last years there. (Just one example: 118 churches have been vandalized, many burned to the ground, since the residential schools unmarked children’s graves stories broke, and the government has essentially ignored it.) Simultaneously, the far less numerous mosque defacements are taken very seriously. Islam and Muslims are granted numerous privileges not afforded Christians, and fighting that may well get you arrested.
I’m very familiar with Vineland, Ontario. I lived there when I first immigrated from the U.S. to Canada to teach some years ago — when it was still possible for Americans to do that. (I do wonder how long the work permit situation for foreign pastors will continue, but am obviously glad it is still operative at this point.) I lived and worked in the Ontario’s Niagara region for many years, mainly in St. Catharines. I still have Canadian friends, of course, but I have to admit I’m happy I no longer live there. I AM glad that there are pastors who are taking calls to Canadian churches. But I think it’s no exaggeration to say that some of them may well end up suffering for Christ’s sake if Canada continues down the road it’s on.
If you’re interested in what’s going on in Canada read Sam Cooper’s work at The Bureau (online). He’s not a Christian (that I know of) but has long been doing careful in-depth research on important topics that many others shy away from.
What a wonderful article. It is very encouraging to hear of God’s work in Canada–o see Him raise up another generation of men who have a heart for Him, for the Gospel, and for the Reformation.
Thank you for writing this.
(to, not o)