The EFC Welcomes Dr. David Guretzki as New EFC President and CEO
The EFC Board of Directors is delighted to announce the commencement today of Dr. David Guretzki as the EFC’s new President and CEO. Join us in celebrating as he picks up the mantle and stewards the legacy of the EFC to bless Canada in the name of Jesus.
"David brings a credible track record of authentic presence and theological depth to the crucial conversations facing our nation,” says board chair Adam Driscoll. “We are looking forward to how he will empower the EFC team to sustain the core of the EFC that our affiliates have come to trust while innovating new and inviting priorities to expand the EFC’s God-honouring influence across our nation."
David Guretzki, who served as the EFC’s executive vice-president and resident theologian since 2017, was selected and appointed president after a rigorous search process. He is the EFC’s fourth full-time president and CEO. (There were others titled president in the earlier years who were actually volunteers in a board chair role.) You can read more about him in his EFC staff profile webpage.
Today the EFC celebrates how God is using both David Guretzki and former president Bruce J. Clemenger to contribute to the EFC and the Christian community. We invite supporters to join us in praying for God’s continued blessing on them in their new roles and especially for David Guretzki’s leadership of the EFC into the future.
Bruce J. Clemenger, EFC president and CEO since 2003, becomes Senior Ambassador and President Emeritus of the EFC. For details about his new full-time role, see our fall media release.
Prayer and Worship Summits Coming to Four Cities
Christians in four Canadian regions will hold public gatherings this April and May to pray for unity, spiritual awakening, church vitality and healing across the country. Earlier the same day, pastors and other church leaders will gather in a seminar to focus on cultivating a strong culture of prayer in each local church.
Co-hosts include the EFC, Billy Graham Evangelistic Association of Canada, National House of Prayer, Peace & Reconciliation Network, and Vineyard Canada.
Scheduled summits include Ottawa (April 14), Calgary (April 20), Kelowna (April 28) and Regina (May 5). There are no fees for the seminar (which concludes with an evening meal for registrants) or the evening public gathering.
For more details and to register for the afternoon seminar/dinner, visit TheEFC.ca/Ignite. There’s also a media release you can share at TheEFC.ca/Media.
President Presents Life Issues, Forgiveness and Reconciliation
EFC President and Resident Theologian David Guretzki will speak on Building Whole-Life Christians: Counteracting Canada’s Culture of Death at Dalmeny Bible Church in Saskatchewan on Feb. 11. He will discuss developing a Christian theology of life while responding to Canada’s current emphasis on medical assistance in dying (MAiD), abortion and other life issues.
He will also be teaching a graduate course on the theology of forgiveness and reconciliation Feb. 6-10 at Briercrest Seminary in Caronport, Sask.
New Research Highlights Unique Aspects of Small Canadian Churches
There is more to the thousands of small churches in Canadian neighbourhoods than many people realize. A new study digs into the realities of these churches and examines their needs and strengths from the perspective of their pastors. Significant Church: Understanding the Value of the Small Evangelical Church in Canada is a collaborative research project undertaken by 13 Canadian Christian organizations and led by the EFC research team. To download a free copy, go to TheEFC.ca/SignificantChurch.
We‘re Hiring a Research Assistant
The EFC’s Centre for Research on Church and Faith is hiring a research assistant to work in our Ottawa office. The application deadline is March 8. Learn more at TheEFC.ca/Jobs.
The Fellowship of the Body of Christ (Faith Today column)
“Our call to fellowship in the Body of Christ is a call to engagement, not withdrawal, unity, not fragmentation or division, collaboration, not isolation, contribution to understandings, not confusion, to comprehend the signs of the times and not be paralyzed.”
Read more in this Faith Today column by Bruce Clemenger. Clemenger is now the Senior Ambassador and President Emeritus of the EFC.
Sign up at FaithToday.ca/SubscribeFree for a print subscription to read more articles like this. A sampling of articles from the latest issue are also available at FaithToday.ca.
This Week’s Prayer Prompts
Prayer is essential to any effective action. Each week at TheEFC.ca/TakeAction we rotate through a prayer request from each of these five areas: Sanctity of Life, Care for the Vulnerable, Church and Mission, Family and Community, Religious Freedom. We also list an EFC affiliate group to pray for.
This week’s prayer request is about human trafficking. Pray for freedom, healing and hope for those who are being trafficked, and for healing and support for survivors of trafficking as they rebuild their lives. For repentance of traffickers. For wisdom for police investigators, law enforcement and prosecutors. For commitment from all levels of government to prevent and combat trafficking
You can learn more on these issues at TheEFC.ca/HumanTrafficking.
The EFC regularly partners with Defend Dignity, an initiative of The Christian and Missionary Alliance (an EFC affiliate denomination).
You can always find the week’s prayer prompts at TheEFC.ca/TakeAction.
→ Gather Rise Conference, Calgary, Feb. 4
→ Leading Women Series (Women Together), online, Feb. 7
→ Calvin Symposium on Worship (CICW), online/Grand Rapids, Mich., Feb. 8-10
→ Communications Workers Watercooler Break (CCCA), online, Feb. 10
→ Leaving a Godly Legacy (Women Together), online, Feb. 15
→ EFC Prayer for Education and Ministry Organization Affiliates, online, Feb. 22
→ PowerUp Gospel Music Workshop (York University), online, Feb. 23-26
→ Coldest Night of the Year Fundraising Walk (nationwide), Feb. 25
→ Today’s Teens, online and in Oakville, Feb. 25
Abuse and Power in the Church: New Free Course by EFC Affiliate
The Christian Reformed Church in North America has released a free course that explores the nature of power and authority in the church, reflecting on its use, abuse and how it can be redeemed for the glory of God and the flourishing of God’s people. The Power to Do Good: The Use and Misuse of Power in the Church has six parts, covering different aspects of abuse and better, healthy practices for stewarding power. Find out more and enrol here.
Discounted Tickets for Outpour YA Conference in Ontario
Know someone who’d love to attend a Christ-focused young adult conference on March 4 in Scarborough, Ont.? Love Is Moving (the EFC’s publication for young adults) is offering 50% off tickets for Outpour (formerly Fluid). Young adults attending a church affiliated with the EFC can purchase tickets using the discount code LOVEISMOVING23. Find out if your church is an affiliate by searching for your church’s name on this list.
In Case You Missed It
→ Job Openings: Vice president academic (Hamilton); pastor (Lethbridge, Montreal, Brampton, Toronto, Ottawa, Sault Ste Marie, Uxbridge); Toronto congregational justice and mercy coordinator; Montreal director of leadership programs; and more (FaithToday.ca/Classifieds)
→ Charitable Status for Pro-Life Organizations (includes EFC video interview)
→ American Endowment Injects Millions into Canadian Education
→ “Who Is My Samaritan?” (Faith Today blog)
→ Response to the CPSO Policy Consultation