Christine Stride is Executive Assistant to the Baptist National Leader and works at the Baptist National Support Centre in Auckland. She is a member of Titirangi Baptist Church in Auckland.
Small actions can have a huge impact when it comes to faith. Three Baptist leaders under 40 elaborate on the influence their faith communities have had on their leadership journeys so far.
Part one of a panel session with National Leader Charles Hewlett at the Waikato/Bay of Plenty Eastland Baptist Association regional hui.
What has shaped you as a leader?
Brittany Willemse, a former associate pastor at Bethlehem Baptist Church
Seeing my parents being super passionate about living out their calling as pastors [of Bethlehem Baptist Church] was integral in shaping me. It meant I didn’t go into ministry with my eyes closed. And the many opportunities offered to me where I got to serve and train in various youth ministries, like the BYM QB* weekends and our region’s monthly youth pastor training nights; I’d go along to those when I was just 15 or 16, I was really hungry to learn.
I ended up getting a secular job in a business in Australia which also helped me grow because I had fantastic bosses and managers who gave me opportunities. But like a boat attached to an anchor pastoral life kept calling me back.
Josiah Carr, senior pastor Te Puke Baptist Church
[Jono Edmeades and I] grew up at Titirangi Baptist Church while Charles was pastoring there. A key thing that shaped me was how the church called on people’s gifting and ability and held space for younger people to take on leadership roles. When I left school, I did a music degree, and the church held a space for me to learn what leadership in music looked like.
Joe Desdemona, pastoral team leader Whakatāne Baptist Church
I’m the sixth consecutive generation in my family to be involved with New Zealand Baptists in some form of leadership, and the first pastor. I’ve come to appreciate the influence of the prayers prayed by my great and great, great grandparents, that others in our movement have made me aware of. One key factor in why I’m here now as a follower of Jesus and as a leader is the faithful prayers of generations before me
What did your faith communities do that has influenced you?
Joe Desdemona
The pastors made a consistent effort to be in relationship with younger people. As a kid I remember Charles printed special tickets to watch the rugby at his house because he had SKY TV. My dad and I came with our tickets and Charles cooked fish and chips and chicken nuggets and we watched the All Blacks, it was great.
Those relationships helped when I was given opportunities where I had to rely on God to do things I didn’t want to do. I was encouraged to trust in God to get through and do what I needed to do.
At KB weekend this year a young guy from Titirangi Baptist Church said to me, ‘there are a few things that kept me in church: one was the fact you’d come up every single Sunday - and I knew you’d come up - and you’d ask me how my football went’. This guy at TBC mentoring another generation of young people. I had no idea that God would use that in such a marked way. How cool is that – it was a real gift and a lesson to me.
Josiah Carr
There were lots of little conversations that turned out to have big effects. There was someone who met me every week for a coffee for years and journeyed alongside me. There wasn’t anything super spiritual about it, just someone walking alongside me.
How did you go about discerning the call to leadership was from God?
Josiah Carr
In our church there was a lady called Mrs Brown, and when Mrs Brown spoke, you knew you needed to listen. She came up to me when I was 16 or 17 and said, ‘Josiah, there are four words I think God is calling you into’.
The first two words were leadership and discernment, and I thought, ‘yep, I know what those words mean’. The second two words were prophesy and wisdom, and I thought ‘what?’ I wrote them down and didn’t think about them again.
When I’d been working in the music world for three or four years and everything was kind of falling apart, I laid everything on the table and said to God, ‘I’m listening’. God gave me some profound moments when I heard his voice.
And Mrs Brown’s words came back full circle when I was leaving Carey; four lecturers called those very same words into my life eight years later.
Image caption | left to right: Charles Hewlett, Brittany Willemse, Josiah Carr, Joe Desdemona
*Baptist Youth Ministry Queen’s Birthday training weekends (now King’s Birthday).
