Covenant Baptist Church Is Led By
A Plurality Of Elders & Deacons
Pastor Chris Powell (B.A. B.Ed. M.A. M.Div.) was born and raised in a Christian home in Toronto. Chris was graciously saved at an early age and he grew up in the church. In 1997 he was elected a deacon at Covenant - a position he would fill until he was called by the church to be their pastor. By God's grace, Chris was called to the ministry after a brief career in the business world in technology and education and he has been pastoring Covenant Baptist Church since 2008. Educationally, Chris graduated with a B.A. in History and English, which he followed with a Masters in Canadian History and a Bachelor of Education at the University of Toronto. He graduated from Greenville Presbyterian Theological Seminary with a Master in Divinity and was formally ordained to the Gospel ministry in 2008. Pastor Chris has been married since 1998 to his beloved wife Valerie and the Lord has blessed them with four children.
Pastor Jon Ryttersgaard (B.A. M.T.S.) served as a pastor in Peterborough, Canada for four years before moving to Covenant Baptist Church in Toronto in 2015 with a view toward church planting. Jon earned a Master of Theological Studies from Tyndale Seminary in Toronto in 2013. On August 27th, 2017 Pastor Jon was commissioned by the church in Toronto to go and plant Covenant Reformed Baptist Church in Bridgetown, Barbados where he currently resides. He has been married since 2011 to his wife, Mel, and the Lord has blessed them with two boys.
Deacon Ronald Santos was born and raised in the Philippines. He was converted in 1988 and was a member of Moonwalk Community Bible Church in the Philippines before immigrating to Canada in 2002, where he joined Covenant Baptist Church. Ron has been a true servant to the church since his arrival and has been serving as a Deacon and Treasurer since 2016. He also assists in regular teaching and preaching in the congregation.
Deacon Edgar Kristoffer Rodas was born and raised here in Toronto in a Christian home. By the Lord's grace, Kris was converted by God in his late teens. Kris has been a member of Covenant Baptist Church since 2015. In 2019, he was elected as a Deacon in the church, and in 2023 he was hired by the church as a part-time Pastoral assistant. Kris also teaches and preaches in the church. He is currently pursuing theological studies at the Reformed Baptist Seminary. Kris has been married to Evelyn since 2016 and they have been blessed with three children.
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Pastor Emeritus Leigh Powell (1936-2023) was born in Barnehurst, Kent, England (near London). After training as a librarian, he was converted under the ministry of Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones in London, England, and served at Westminster Chapel during the Doctor's ministry. After graduating from Westminster Theological Seminary in Philadelphia in 1971 with a Master of Divinity he returned to Canada where he was ordained as a Baptist Minister. In 1974, he became the founding pastor of Covenant Baptist Church. During his pastorate, he was also a part-time seminary professor of Systematic Theology. He first served at Toronto Baptist Seminary (1974-1993) and then served as Tutor Emeritus of Systematic Theology at The Pastors' College in Toronto until his retirement. In July 2008, Pastor Powell officially retired from active duty after 34 faithful years of service at Covenant Baptist Church where he was the founding pastor although he continued to provide preaching pulpit supply at Covenant until 2018. Pastor Leigh was married to Miriam for 60 years and they were blessed with three children. He passed into the presence of His Saviour in September 2023.