Biography

Rev. Jonathan Schmidt serves as The Canadian Council of Churches (CCC) Associate General Secretary: Intercultural Leadership; Justice and Peace, staffing the Commission on Justice and Peace, The Forum for Intercultural Leadership and Learning, and the Canadian Ecumenical Anti-Racism Network. Prior he was the Director of the ecumenical agency The Canadian Churches Forum for Global Ministries. Ordained in the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada he also served in University Campus Ministry and Parish Ministry. He brings to his work gifts as a facilitator and designer of experiential adult learning, and many years of experience in ecumenical settings. His areas of expertise include pedagogy, intercultural ministry, justice, anti-racism and privilege, missiology, overseas cross-cultural travel and relationship, and contemporary Canadian ecumenism.

Jonathan is recognized for his skills as a facilitator and designer of adult education, as an ecumenist, and for his faith based commitment and work for justice. His adult education work has included diversity consultation for Canadian denominations and the World Council of Churches, intensive courses in intercultural ministry in contexts across Canada, anti-racism training, orientation and re-entry programs for denominational overseas mission personnel, and best practices for short term mission. Through his work staffing the Canadian Council of Churches Commission on Justice and Peace he coordinates ecumenical initiatives and common statements on a wide range of justice issues for the CCC’s 26 member denominations and facilitates relationships with federal members of parliament.

A White Canadian male, Jonathan grew up in Edmonton, Vancouver and Toronto. Since then he has lived in Kitchener (Ontario), El Salvador, Cleveland (Ohio), Albuquerque (New Mexico) and Scarborough. Outside paid ministry, his interests include parenting, community activism, astronomy, and cycling advocacy. His ancestors were Lutheran Missionaries to the USA in the 1800’s.