Joining NCF as Youth Pastor

If you had asked me a year ago where I thought I would be in 2026, I would have told you, “I’m not sure, hopefully in youth ministry somewhere, but right now I’m just trying to make it to graduation.” At the time, I was in my third and final year at Steinbach Bible College, and questions about the future seemed to be piling on. “What are your plans for after graduation?” “Do you have a job lined up yet?” “Are you going to work in youth ministry right away?” It was impossible to avoid thinking about the year ahead. My plan was to work in vocational youth ministry, likely in a para-church ministry—a camp or a drop-in center somewhere. I did not think I would be a pastor right away, maybe after a few years. Para-church ministry was where my comfort level was, so that’s what I pursued.

And that’s exactly where I ended up… for a bit. Over the spring and summer months, I worked as a Program Director at Living Bible Explorers, helping them run their drop-in ministry and camp ministry. But in the back of my mind, something felt off. It is a great ministry, and the Lord is doing awesome things there, but I couldn’t help but feel that I was only supposed to be there a short time. I met with a mentor from SBC, and he suggested I open the door to a potential youth pastor position at Niverville Community Fellowship, and from that meeting, things started to make sense. Over the previous months, different people in my life kept bringing this position opening to me and suggesting that I check it out. First, my mentor, then some friends at SBC, then a different staff member at SBC, then my mom, then my wife, then my mentor again. I still did not think this was the job for me, but I promised my mentor that I would at least have a conversation with David Funk, the lead pastor at NCF, about it. Then I met Pastor David, heard his vision for the church, and discussed the youth ministry. I was sold. I’m not sure if the Lord intended me to have seven encounters about the position before seriously considering it, or if my skull was just too thick to listen to Him the first six times; either way, I couldn’t help but notice the number.

Six months later, and I’m starting 2026 as Pastor of Youth and Young Adults at Niverville Community Fellowship, not at all where I thought I would be, but exactly where God wants me to be. The past four months working as a pastor have been a whirlwind as I figure things out, meet lots of wonderful people, and get to be a witness to God’s amazing work in NCF’s youth ministry! I have seen huge growth in both the youth and myself in such a short time, which has been so encouraging. I am so grateful to the Lord for His guidance and faithfulness. He has been so good, and I am super excited to see what He has in store for Niverville Community Fellowship this year!

Ethan Thiessen started in his role as Pastor of Youth and Young Adults at Niverville Community Fellowship in Manitoba on September 23, 2025. Ethan grew up in Alberta, and graduated from SBC in Spring 2025.