My Amazing Family. My beautiful wife, Becky. My precious daughter, Amelia; and three awesome sons, Benjamin (top), Eliot (middle) and Derek (bottom). I get to share my days with five of my most favorite people in the whole world. I am blessed!
Jesus Christ. Words cannot describe what Jesus means to me. He set me free from so much more than ‘sin’. He has given me the liberty and freedom to choose Him every day. Despite all my shortcomings, I am accepted by God. I am sure I comprehend only a small portion of His love, mercy, and forgiveness in my life – but what I have glimpsed is more than I could ever ask or imagine.
The Local Church. Years ago God gave me a ‘dream’ in the night that left me in tears and out of breath. I didn’t understand everything He showed me then, but I am beginning to see it worked out in my life now, more than 20 years later. Among other things, God showed me how much He loves the church. God also gave me a passion to see the local church be everything He desires it to be.
My Calling. I have accumulated more than 20 years of ministry experience, most of which took place at Elim Gospel Church in Lima, NY. My roles in the local church have spanned just about every aspect of ministry, including children, teens, college, care, worship, groups, services, events and leadership development. I have been instrumental in leading teams in strategic development, overseeing critical success factors, and realigning ministry and culture around the church’s mission and vision. My final years as Executive Pastor played a particularly important role in my overall understanding of the challenges many churches face each day. Now I serve on staff at Elim Fellowship, a ministerial association dedicated to strengthening leaders, equipping churches, and reaching the world.
Transforming Leader. The title of this blog reflects my heart not only for this blog, but my life. I have committed myself to helping pastors, church elders and ministry leaders become the kind of leaders that make a difference in their communities and world. Two of my key spiritual gifts includes teaching and administration, so I will accomplish my goal best as a ministry coach to churches and by sharing what I’ve learned about the more practical aspects of ministry through this blog.
Check out my SERVICES PAGE to learn more about how I might be able to serve your church personally. If you would like to contact me, feel free to call me at 585-582-2790 or email me at whedlund@transformingleader.org.
