Episode
Gary Janzen: From Playing Basketball with His Pastor to the Canadian Mission Field
- Published
- Jul 27, 2026
- Duration seconds
- 652
- Processing state
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- https://www.12minconvos.com
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Summary
Gary Janzen is a lifelong minister, missionary, and servant leader whose career spans more than five decades of dedicated service to the Church and to communities around the world. Gary married his best friend Karen in 1977 and together have 4 children and 9 grandchildren. Rooted in faith and shaped by rigorous preparation, Gary's journey has taken him from the plains of Manitoba to the mountains of Rwanda, and to nearly every continent in between. Gary was born and raised in Winnipeg, Manitoba, where he completed his secondary education at Mennonite Brethren Collegiate Institute in 1974. Sensing a call to ministry from an early age, he went on to earn a two-year Bible College Diploma from Columbia Bible Institute in Abbotsford, British Columbia, in 1977. Recognizing the importance of practical leadership skills alongside theological training, he also completed a two-year Business Administration Diploma from Red River Community College in 1979, a combination of spiritual depth and administrative competence that would define his approach to ministry for decades to come. While pursuing his education, Gary also began his professional life in the business world, managing an Olympic Sports Sporting Goods store from 1980 to 1985. This experience instilled in him a disciplined work ethic, an ability to lead teams, and a gift for connecting with people from all walks of life, qualities that would prove invaluable in his pastoral and missionary endeavors. In 1985, Gary answered a clear call to full-time ministry when he became Youth Pastor at Glad Tidings Fellowship in Chilliwack, British Columbia. Over the next fifteen years, he poured himself into the lives of young people, building vibrant programming, fostering deep discipleship, and igniting a passion for global mission in…