Rev. John Kapteyn has been named the Executive Secretary of the Regional Synod of Canada.  John and his wife, Margaret have three children and four grandchildren. John has been a pastor for 19 years, serving three churches in Canada, most recently Westdale Reformed Church in Hamilton, Ontario.

Kapteyn is a former teacher, banker, and accountant and a 1988 graduate of Western Theological Seminary.

He has been a member of the RCA task force on the responsibilities and roles of regional synods and classes, as well as a member of a Church Herald task force. He also has served as president of the Synod of Canada, the Classis of Ontario, and Countryside Camp. He has created and developed a number of websites and enjoys hiking and traveling.

Laurie Heron, President of the Regional Synod, said that she wanted to express the Synod’s “gratitude and pleasure that John accepted the call to be our Executive Secretary. We are also excited about the Regional Synod being able to continue to implement the RCA 10 year goal under new leadership.”

Kapteyn, enthusiastic about his new calling and about the future of the RCA in Canada, shares his love for the church and His Lord:
"I have a deep heart for the Reformed Church in Canada and for the lost. I have been an active member from childhood, entered seminary at the age of 37 for the purpose of ministering in Canada and have been very active in the overall ministry of the RCA in Canada.

Jesus gave His life for the lost. We are called to complete His work – not that we can add anything to what He has done, but to bring the Gospel into the world. I believe we need to nurture a passion for mission and ministry and we need to be good stewards of the resources and responsibilities God has placed upon us . "

John adds, “The greatest thrill and joy I have is seeing God’s people working together for a common goal”.

John stated that he has found that there are some in the denomination who presently have a difficult time 'buying into' the denominational vision, goals and processes, including Church Multiplication and Coaching”.

His immediate objective as the new Executive Secretary of the RSC, in conjunction with the denomination’s , as well as the regional executive’s vision and goals, is to visit with each classis executive, pastor and consistory, listen to them and share their dreams and goals, or lack thereof.

He says “I want our vision to initiate from them. If that is the starting point and we can show how these tools tie into, empower and enable their dreams to become reality, I believe we can together own a shared vision for the RCA in Canada that comes from God. We need to have Christ’s heart for the lost, commit ourselves to living for eternity rather than the ‘here and now”.

written and edited by: Rev. John Kapteyn and Mr. Bill Zwiep