Editorials

From the Editor STACEY MCKENZIE The Power of Story

Sharing our testimonies about Jesus As a believer, how often do you share your testimony of meeting Jesus? Do you feel that it is compelling? Or do you feel that it is underwhelming compared to what you’ve heard from others? How often do you experience God’s activity in a way that causes such excitement that you need to share it with others? We can never underestimate the power of story in the hearts and minds of those around us—particularly narratives where God’s involv...

From our General Superintendent DAVID WELLS The Next Obedient Step

There are ideals that each of us would long to see realized personally, in our relationships or the life of the church. A decision must be made regarding what the next step will be to address the gap between our ideal and the current reality we see. Do I let it go and give up? Do I grow cynical and critical, continually pointing out the gap with angst and perhaps anger? A response I have felt called to make when I face the gap between the ideal and the real is to take the next obedient step the...

From the Editor STACEY MCKENZIE Trauma and the Mission Field

Getting to know ourselves and our neighbours Another year has begun with reminders everywhere that creation groans for the return of Jesus, our Saviour (Romans 8:22). Diane Langberg, globally recognized for her work with victims of trauma, suggests that “the trauma of this world is one of the primary mission fields of the twenty-first century.”1 Her encouragement to us as God’s people is for each of us to dig deeper into the heart of the Saviour, allowing Him to shine His ligh...

From our General Superintendent DAVID WELLS Show Me Your Glory – Presence and Purpose

Divine purpose and calling are a strong focus for our family of churches and ministries at this time. Without called people—volunteer or credentialed—the mission we have been given as God’s people will not be accomplished. We are “The Called Ones” who only demonstrate the Lord’s greatness, love and grace when we align with His purposes. How we respond as a church or ministry—individual or family—when confronted by a major setback will inevitably d...

From our General Superintendent DAVID WELLS Passion and Purpose – Updates from the Global Church

The privilege of being at Empowered21’s Amsterdam2023 conference this past June continues to overwhelm me. The opportunity to gather with global church leaders and hear and experience what the Lord is doing by His Spirit, in and through the many-faceted people of God, has impacted me in a deep manner. It is deeper than sentimentality. “Deep calls unto deep” (Psalm 42:7, NKJV). What I longed for in my heart and mind for the global church was experienced as we gathered, leaving a...

From the Editor STACEY MCKENZIE Keeping Things Simple

Preserving the wonder of calling While I’m often surrounded by veterans in ministry, I also regularly meet people who are just starting out. Early ministry days are usually filled with excitement and great anticipation for what lies ahead. But as we experience an ever-widening variety of people and circumstances, we often become less sure that we’re doing things correctly. I recognize how valuable it is to share what we have learned with others so that they can benefit and even avoid...

From our General Superintendent DAVID WELLS The Responsibility of Representation

Recently I was privileged to represent the Pentecostal community as general superintendent of The Pentecostal Assemblies of Canada, and to a degree, the broader Christian community, at an international summit in Jerusalem. Along with my colleague, Dr. Wayne Hilsden, we presented on “The Importance of Christian-Jewish relations.” An article on that topic itself would certainly be worthwhile, but this opportunity caused me to consider the broader concept of representation, which is a...

From the Editor STACEY MCKENZIE Great is Thy Faithfulness

A well-placed hope in uncertain times I can remember a friend teasing me about being an “old soul” when I was not much more than 10 years old. Always curious about what was going on in the world, stories of deep human trauma and suffering would stay with me. Years later, that tendency has remained, with awareness of global events made easy by Internet connectivity. I’ve been thinking about the fear and uncertainty that hovered over many nations, including Canada, in the wake o...

From our General Superintendent DAVID WELLS A Culture of Honour

I stand in a room of leaders from across our continent, diverse in age, race, nationality, giftings and personality. Women and men that are all “leaning in” to one another with loving respect and a commitment to unity. A room where honour rules. So moving, so meaningful, so much like God intends for His people to experience. In the kingdom of God, honour is not reserved for those who are perceived as “great”—the powerful, or those who hold position and wealth. Honou...

From the Editor STACEY MCKENZIE A Long Range View

“Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom” (2 Corinthians 3:17). In God’s sovereignty, after coming into a dynamic relationship with Christ, I got a three-dimensional view of church and ministry life from early on—many of its joys, challenges and mysteries. The one thing that continues to be a foundation for me, apart from faith in Christ Himself, is His promise of the presence and power of the Holy Spirit. If I could describe one ...

From our General Superintendent DAVID WELLS Aligned for Mission

The mission of the church, as commissioned by Jesus, has been before us for close to 2,000 years. His people, empowered by the Spirit, and motivated by the love, grace and truth of our Lord, are to go to all peoples and proclaim the Good News, which brings transformation. The mission’s fruit is to see disciplined followers of Jesus developed, who in obedience are baptized and observe all that Jesus commanded as they, too, go and make disciples. This cycle of disciple-making indicates that ...

From the Editor STACEY MCKENZIE Seeing in the Spirit

God’s invitation in a parched landscape In a sea of memories of sermons, anecdotes and testimonies, there are some that stand out as profoundly teachable moments. Those that have pointed to intentional focus on God’s presence and power can be life changing. I recall one story of a couple who sought their pastor for marriage counselling. Instead of getting into the details of the problems in the relationship, the pastor began taking the couple on an in-depth journey of exploring God&r...

From the Editor STACEY MCKENZIE Staying the Course

Passing safely through the pressures of our day One of the best bits of advice I was given in a time of major transition, and just as I began serving in full-time ministry, was “Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it” (Proverbs 4:23). The New Living Translation says it like this: “Guard your heart above all else, for it determines the course of your life.” The New King James Version says, “Keep your heart with all diligence, for out of...

From our General Superintendent DAVID WELLS A Vital Theology

Presenting the Statement of Essential Truths The recently adopted Statement of Essential Truths is one outcome of a greater initiative to encourage theological vitality within our Pentecostal Assemblies of Canada family. The 2020 Initiative was launched in 2013 as our national/international, district and local leadership acknowledged what the Spirit was saying to the church regarding our spiritual, theological, and missional vitality. In seasons of prayer and contemplation, we were drawn to the...

From our General Superintendent DAVID WELLS Wanted: Good Shepherds

Expectations of Spiritual Leaders I have noted, as we get back to public activities, that the need for help in various workplaces is very evident. From restaurants to airports, the “help wanted” call is going out. It is a good patience builder to not react as service happens more slowly, a flight is delayed, or a skilled labourer or the supply of a particular kind of stock is not available for a few more weeks. At leadership levels in the life of the Western church, including Canad...

From the Editor STACEY MCKENZIE Where Will Our Strength Come From?

Reminders for every generation “Lord, through all the generations you have been our home! Before the mountains were born, before you gave birth to the earth and the world, from beginning to end, you are God” (Psalm 90:1-2, NLT). A reminder that often comes to me is that “the eyes of the LORD range throughout the earth,” generation after generation, strengthening the hearts of those...

From the Editor STACEY MCKENZIE What’s Most Important

Revisiting Foundations in Times of Turmoil Martin Luther King Jr. once famously said, “Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.” 1 The nature of today’s geopolitics is bringing that principle to the forefront in uncomfortable ways. The interconnectedness of the nations—and of humanity—has always been a reality because of the One who ordained it to be so, the One who created it all. Yet, because of the autonomy we have been granted in either accepting ...

From our General Superintendent DAVID WELLS Beyond the Impossible

Fulfilling our Commission as God’s People Impossible! That was the theme I proposed for our 2022 General Conference. Frankly, I did want to provide a shock factor. What we as God’s people are called to be and to do is … Impossible! I cannot be the whole-hearted, whole-minded, whole-life lover of God and others I am called to be. I cannot consistently do justice, love mercy, and walk humbly with God as I am required to do. There is no way we can go to seven billion plus human...

From the Editor STACEY MCKENZIE Pandemics … Then and Now

Taking courage in the reality of “now” and “not yet” Grappling with the barrage of constantly changing news and views around the COVID-19 pandemic, I recently took some time to learn more about how humans have wrestled historically with plagues and public health crises. In the Bible, plagues are primarily referenced in the Old Testament. There were, most famously, the 10 plagues that Egypt faced (Exodus 7-12). In this and other instances, there was an outcome God was spec...

From our General Superintendent DAVID WELLS How Big Is Your Church?

An expansive view of the Body of Christ “How big is your church?” is a common question that has been asked of pastors and congregational members for years. The focus is usually on the number of people who attend weekend services. This has been a very difficult question to answer recently in light of capacity limits and online views. I would like to ask the question from a different angle. When you think of the Lord’s church globally, how expansive is your view of those who are ...