John & Helen Burns on Transitioning Before It’s Too Late, Why Young People Want a Trusted Voice, and How to Be Intentional With Your Family
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John and Helen Burns joined Jason to share about their life, ministry, and the wisdom they have learned as spouses and parents after 35 years in ministry together. Anne Miranda, Women’s Pastor at Village Church, also joined the conversation as she was impacted in special ways by their ministry years ago. She shared the story of coming back to church as a young adult and experiencing healing one night as John preached at Victory Christian Centre (later renamed to Relate Church).
John and Helen talk about their time at Relate Church as lead pastors and their recent transition to become the founding and teaching pastors as they turned the reins over to new leadership. Throughout their 35 years at Relate, they have learned the importance of fighting bitterness and journeying with the right people around you. One of their unique giftings as a couple has been to connect with and care for younger people, no matter what the age gap is. John muses that he is basically a teenager, but in all seriousness, loves to learn from and empower young people to find their giftings in the local church.
Beyond their local church minsitry, John and Helen had travelled, written books, and produced shows about sex, love, and marriage for years. As they connect with younger pastors, they find common challenges to find time to prioritize their spouses and kids amongst the demands of ministry. One tip they share is the value of a shared calendar where the kids can see the time you choose to spend with them and getting time with your family input first, before work and other engagements come up.
John and Helen’s love for the Church in Canada was so evident in this conversation and their investment in so many young leader’s lives is a special gift to our country. We hope you enjoy this episode!
“Young people are so passionate. If you value that passion, it will grow on the inside of them. They’re not looking for comfortable, they’re looking for a reason to give their life away.”
John & Helen Burns
John and Helen Burns are passionate about helping people build thriving relationships, marriages and families as well as healthy church communities. They planted Relate Church in Vancouver, Canada in 1986, after John left his busy dental practice to become a full-time pastor.
John and Helen have seen the faithfulness of God in their lives as He restored their hurting marriage. Today they continue to serve as Founding and Teaching Pastors at Relate Church. They also cherish the opportunity to travel to nationally and globally teaching primarily on building healthy relationships. Together they co-host the television program, 'Sex, Love & Relationships’ on the Hillsong Channel and have authored several bestselling books. John and Helen have celebrated over 46 years of marriage, have three awesome daughters and take the greatest joy in their eight grandchildren.
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Episode 60: John Mark Comer
John Mark Comer lives, works, and writes in the urban core of Portland, Oregon, with his wife, Tammy, and their three children, Jude, Moses, and Sunday. He is the pastor for teaching and vision at Bridgetown Church. A church built around the very simple idea of practicing the way of Jesus, together, in Portland. As for education, John Mark holds a master’s degree in biblical and theological studies from Western Seminary and is the author of Garden City, Loveology, God Has a Name and The Ruthless Elimination of Hurry. You are welcome to follow more of John Mark’s teachings via the Bridgetown Church podcast or This Cultural Moment, a podcast he co-hosts with his friend Mark Sayers on following Jesus in the post Christian world.