Meet Our Incumbent (Senior Pastor)
The Rev. Canon Matthias Der grew up in a devout Christian family, with his father a priest. Due to his father’s missionary work, he spent his formative years in Taiwan and Hong Kong, and received education in United States and Canada. He received his Bachelor of Arts, majoring in Sociology, from University of Toronto and Master of Divinity from Wycliffe College, Toronto. He was ordained in 1990. Canon Der is married and has two daughters.
The youthful and energetic Rev. Canon Der was assigned by the diocese to serve in different parishes before being appointed as the incumbent of St. Christopher’s in 1992. His ministry focus is on evangelism and pastoral work, and is committed to outreach ministries, particularly those involving new Chinese immigrants. Canon Der’s preaching is inspiring and relevant to our daily lives. Pastoral care, discipleship, youth ministries and helping people to build a strong family life are some of his priorities in ministries. He is currently a member of the Postulancy Committee in the Diocese of Toronto and was elected to be a diocesan delegate to the Provincial Synod. He was installed as an honorary canon of St. James’ Cathedral by the diocesan bishop in 2007. Rev. Canon Der was the former chair of the Greater Toronto Chinese Christian Churches Council. Besides serving as a member of the Board of Trustees of Wycliffe College, he also served on different diocesan committees.
The Rev. Canon Matthias Der looks forward to meeting you.
1 Year Bible Reading Plan (from Bible Gateway) ___________
Suggested Reading Materials
How can I make my life more meaningful and fulfilling? When you read “The Purpose Driven Life” by Rick Warren, you will find surprising... (read more)
Words from Our Senior Pastor & Weekly Verses
Words from Our Pastor
"Count your blessings, not your troubles." Whenever we encounter a challenge, we always have a choice. We can choose to be a person full of thankfulness or full of complaints. Thankfulness will lead us to have faith, optimism, contentment and hope in God. Complaints will cultivate more worries, fear and concerns. Which path would you choose?
