CBWC News

Bill Mains, the Canadian Baptists of Western Canada’s Senior Consultant for Church Resourcing and Special Projects has retired, effective July 1, 2010.

For the past 5 years, Bill has been working with the CBWC to advise churches, pastors, leaders and denominational staff in the areas of church conflict resolution, governance, organizational structures, liability risk management and human resources. During that time, he has resourced well over 100 CBWC churches.

Bill’s deep involvement with Canadian Baptists has seen him serve in almost every leadership role over the past 30 years. He served as President of the former Baptist Union of Western Canada (now the CBWC) in 1999-2001, served as the moderator of the BC Area and as President of the Convention of Baptist Churches of BC, and was a member of the Board of Carey Theological College. He has been a member of First Baptist Churches in Nanaimo, Prince George and Calgary and has held many leadership positions as Board member, moderator, Sunday School superintendent and chair of many committees. As a licensed minister, he served for several months in 2000-01 as interim senior pastor at First Baptist in Lethbridge.

As if this weren’t enough, in his professional life, he spent 35 years in public education in Nanaimo and Prince George as a teacher, Principal, Director of Human Resources, and as both Assistant and Acting Superintendent of Schools.

“Bill Mains has been set aside and called to lead and facilitate virtually every aspect of the life of the denomination for the past 30 years,” said Jeremy Bell, Executive Minister. “Most recently Bill has been senior advisor and mentor to me as Executive Minister and the coordinator of our conflict resolution work. He has in the last 5 years in this role consulted with innumerable churches. He has been one of the people that has been a profound encouragement to me personally and a support professional in ways that I cannot begin to express effectively. Apart from all this, he is a dear friend.”

We have been greatly blessed by Bill’s ministry among Canadian Baptist churches and pray that he will enjoy his retirement on Vancouver Island with his wife Barbara, his children and many grandchildren. We are deeply grateful.