Ryan (he/him-il/lui) comes to COUC from St. Mark’s (Cannifton) in Belleville, Ontario, where he was called more than 12 years ago. Ordained in 2010, he has served congregations in rural and suburbanizing settings, and completed an internship combining hospital chaplaincy with experience in a larger congregation.
Beyond the local church, Ryan has served as presbytery chairperson, helped plan Children at Conference programming for Bay of Quinte, and been a leader for youth/adult pilgrimages to UCC partner Iglésia Buatista Emmanuel in El Salvador. Currently he is co-chair of the United Church of Canada’s Structural Change Evaluation Steering Group.
Before moving to the preaching side of the pulpit, Ryan chaired a church council and was the youth member of the board in his home church.
His post-secondary degrees include urban planning, civil engineering (both University of Waterloo), and divinity (Queen’s Theological College, Kingston). Recently he completed a Diploma in Missional Leadership from the Atlantic School of Theology. He can preach a sermon and conduct a parking study, though preferably not on the same day.
When spare time arises, he enjoys skiing, hiking, and swimming or watching BritBox with spouse Julie and Star Wars spinoffs with sons Evan and Tyson.
Ryan believes COUC has the capacity to live into the vision of the United Church as a community of deep faith, bold discipleship and daring justice.