Sports Camp this year is held on Jul 29 to Aug 2. Register here!
Our Team
"Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who has no need to be ashamed, rightly handling the word of truth."
—2 Timothy 2:15 (ESV)
We believe the New Testament teaches that God’s pattern for the governance of the local church is a plurality of biblically qualified male elders who serve as the spiritual shepherds or pastors of the flock. The term “pastor,” “elder” and “overseer” are used interchangeably in the New Testament to describe the leaders of God’s church. Paul instructed Titus to appoint not just one elder but multiple elders in every town (Titus 1:5). Paul and Barnabas at the conclusion of their first missionary journey appointed multiple elders—not just one—in all the churches that they planted (Acts 14:23). Elders must be qualified according the qualifications listed in 1 Timothy 3 and Titus 1 and have a significant role to play in terms of caring for God’s people. Whether this is in being responsible for finances (Acts 11:30), engaging in theological discussion (Acts 15:2,4,6,22-23), ensuring that God’s Word is properly applied (Acts 16:4), or praying for the sick (James 5:16), they are responsible to God who appointed them to watch over His sheep (Acts 20:28).
Pastors-Elders.
Lead Pastor
Samuel Chua
Sam Chua (MDiv, The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary) serves as the lead pastor. Sam was born and raised in Burnaby and has a heart to see God’s Word faithfully preached from pulpits in every part of the city. He is married to Esther and they have four children. Prior to entering pastoral ministry, Sam worked in industry as a computer engineer and then as a graduate student researcher at The University of British Columbia.
Pastor-Elder (sabbatical)
Hamish Buntain
Hamish has served at Westlynn since 2002 in various different roles. Hamish has served in pastoral ministry for over three decades and is currently working for our denomination as the regional ministry leader for the CNBC Westcoast and loves not only pastoring but also pastoring pastors. He is married to Cindy.
Pastor-Elder
David Gileff
David has served as an elder and in ministry for many years both in Westlynn and in his previous church. By day he works as a lawyer, but he also invests a significant amount of time in serving the Russian Language Ministry of our church as well as using his accordion-playing skills in corporate worship. He is married to Taya and together they have six children.
Pastoral Apprentice
Markos Fehr
Markos, not Marcos and not Marcus, has served as a pastoral apprentice at Westlynn since January 2024. He is also currently in the process of finishing his Master of Divinity degree (M.Div). He has a heart for missions and seeing the Gospel go to the unreached, especially in Nepal.
