Myers Family Prepares for Life in Canada

Brett Myers, pastor of Corinth Baptist Church in Westminster for the past four and a half years, had the idea of church planting in his mind since his student days at Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. Now, he and his family are moving to Calgary, Canada, next year to plant a church in what he calls an area of “incredible lostness.”

While at Southern, he says, “I took several church-planting courses because, as the pastor of an established church, I felt God would certainly lead us to plant churches or support church planters.”

He took his first mission trip to Calgary during the summer of 2012. However, some obstacles kept the Myerses from seriously planting a church there. “I didn’t immediately think God was leading us there, because of the cost of living coupled with the fact that U.S. church planters cannot work outside the church in Canada,” he shared. In May 2013, as he prepared a sermon from Isaiah 6, he says, “God showed me my lack of faith. We committed to go wherever God was leading us. We began the process with the North American Mission Board to figure out where that was. Very shortly after that, we went on our second mission trip to Calgary in June of 2013. After praying our entire travel day and late into the night, I realized the next morning that God had been leading us there all along. My wife actually felt God might be leading us there after hearing Rob Blackaby speak to the Beaverdam Baptist Association on Nov. 10, 2010.”

NAMB has included Calgary, population 1.3 million, as a SEND North America city. Approximately 96 percent of the population is lost, and the city is growing at a rate of 80 people per day. The Canadian National Baptist Convention has only 310 churches in Canada, and there is a ratio of one church for every 121,410 people. In Calgary, there are 34 CNBC churches reaching approximately 1,700 people.

“Our association has formed a partnership with Calgary and Southwinds Church, and they have embraced us as missionaries,” said Myers. Director of missions David Shirley noted, “Words cannot describe the blessing that the Beaverdam Baptist Association has experienced as a result of Brett and Kristin’s decision to become church planters in Calgary. Their obedience to answer God’s call further strengthens and personalizes our associational partnership with Southwinds Church in Calgary. Since 2010, 13 of our churches have sent mission teams to Calgary. While we will be saddened to see the Myers family leave our association, we look forward to future ministry opportunities with them in Calgary.”

Mahogany, one the largest suburban communities in Calgary, is where the Myerses will be planting the church. There is one church in the community, and Myers says when the community is complete it “will consist of 17,000 to 19,000 homes and about 40,000 people.”

Myers and his wife, Kristin, have three daughters: Eden, Charis and Lydia. Kristin says she isn’t worried about the move because God has given them great peace. “We are just praying that God would protect the emotions, spirits, and minds of our children as we try to reach out to families who are far from Christ,” she stated.

The Myerses will be going to Calgary as NAMB-appointed church planters, which means that one-third of their financial needs will be funded. They will need to raise an additional $2,200 per month in support. He is hoping their partnership development process can be completed soon and they can move to Calgary this year. “We will be meeting in the community center in Mahogany and are hoping to launch in early 2015,” he added. His vision is to “reach out to the young families of south Calgary, who, at present, have very little to no access to a church nearby.”

People or churches interested in helping this church plant can contact Myers at bmyers388@hotmail.com.