Weekly groups are back from holidays. Check out our weekly calendar!
Our Team
"Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who has no need to be ashamed, rightly handling the word of truth."
—2 Timothy 2:15 (ESV)
We believe the New Testament teaches that God’s pattern for the governance of the local church is a plurality of biblically qualified male elders who serve as the spiritual shepherds or pastors of the flock. The term “pastor,” “elder” and “overseer” are used interchangeably in the New Testament to describe the leaders of God’s church. Paul instructed Titus to appoint not just one elder but multiple elders in every town (Titus 1:5). Paul and Barnabas at the conclusion of their first missionary journey appointed multiple elders—not just one—in all the churches that they planted (Acts 14:23). Elders must be qualified according the qualifications listed in 1 Timothy 3 and Titus 1 and have a significant role to play in terms of caring for God’s people. Whether this is in being responsible for finances (Acts 11:30), engaging in theological discussion (Acts 15:2,4,6,22-23), ensuring that God’s Word is properly applied (Acts 16:4), or praying for the sick (James 5:16), they are responsible to God who appointed them to watch over His sheep (Acts 20:28).
Pastors-Elders.
Lead Pastor (currently on leave)
Samuel Chua
Sam Chua (MDiv, The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary) serves as the lead pastor. Sam was born and raised in Burnaby and has a heart to see God’s Word faithfully preached from pulpits in every part of the city. He is married to Esther and they have five children. Prior to entering pastoral ministry, Sam worked in industry as a computer engineer and then as a graduate student researcher at The University of British Columbia.
Pastor-Elder
David Gileff
David has served as an elder and in ministry for many years both in Westlynn and in his previous church. By day he works as a lawyer, but he also invests a significant amount of time in serving the Russian Language Ministry of our church as well as using his accordion-playing skills in corporate worship. He is married to Taya and together they have six children.
Pastoral Apprentice
Markos Fehr
Markos, not Marcos and not Marcus, has served as a pastoral apprentice at Westlynn since January 2024. He is also currently in the process of finishing his Master of Divinity degree (M.Div). He has a heart for missions and seeing the Gospel go to the unreached, especially in Nepal.
Interim Pastor
James Wong
James is a Chinese-Canadian who was born in Hong Kong and raised in Greater Vancouver. He placed his faith in Jesus as his Lord and Saviour at the age of eleven and has since been growing in his relationship with Jesus through the support of the church family and spiritual mentors. He began church ministry around fifteen years ago and has ministered at three different churches prior to serving at Westlynn Baptist Church. He attributes his primary ministerial preparation to informal training (mentorship from older pastors, Willingdon School of the Bible, Simeon Trust Conferences, Desiring God Ministries, resources from the Gospel Coalition and personal study); his formal education is from Regent College (Master of Arts in Theological Studies, graduated 2018). He is married to his lovely wife Serena and have two children.
