Jeremy Norton on Life in Canada’s North, Pastoring Small Churches, and What the Church Offers the Digital World
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In today’s conversation, Jason sits down with Jeremy Norton, lead pastor of Mountainview Church in Whitehorse, Yukon. Jeremy’s story is one of patience and faithful presence in a part of Canada that many people have never seen firsthand. From southern Ontario to Alaska, Alberta, and eventually the Yukon, Jeremy reflects on the road that led him to serve Canada’s north and the deep sense of calling that kept drawing him there.
Jason and Jeremy talk about the realities of pastoral ministry in Canada’s smaller and more remote contexts. Jeremy shares what it has meant to pastor in a place marked by cultural diversity, geographic isolation, and deep spiritual need, and how those realities have shaped his approach to leadership, preaching, and life in the church. He also reflects on the unique burdens many pastors carry in smaller churches and under-resourced communities, along with the creativity, resilience, and dependence on God those settings can draw out.
The conversation also explores the ways Jeremy’s life in the North has shaped him personally. Through hunting, fishing, and subsistence living Jeremy is uniquely attuned to God’s provision through creation and he shares about what it means to receive life with dependence and gratitude. Jason and Jeremy reflect on how life close to the land can deepen faith, and why a more grounded, embodied way of living may have something important to offer in an age marked by distraction and disembodiment.
In this episode you’ll hear:
Jeremy’s journey to Whitehorse and his call to pastoral ministry in the Yukon,
What ministry in a smaller, remote, and diverse context can teach us about pastoring,
Why Jeremy carries a burden for under-resourced pastors and smaller churches across Canada,
How hunting, fishing, and subsistence living have shaped his faith and spirituality,
What faithful leadership can look like outside the world of scale, platform, and visibility,
Why embodied Christian community may matter even more in an increasingly digital world.
Jeremy Norton
Jeremy Norton lives in Whitehorse, Yukon, where he serves as Lead Pastor at Mountainview Church. He is a published author, with his memoir Northern Roads tracing the path that God used to shape him into the leader he is today, and his recent book Meeting Jesus exploring the relational moments found in John’s Gospel.
Beyond pastoring and writing, Jeremy consults with churches and ministries and speaks into leadership, with a particular burden to help pastors and leaders in smaller churches and communities who often feel under-resourced and overlooked.
With a background in the business world prior to full-time ministry, Jeremy brings a perspective on leadership, sustainability, and organizational health that is both biblical and practical. He lives an outdoorsman’s life in the Yukon, hunting and fishing, and values family life deeply with his wife Nicole and their three sons.
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Special thanks to the Canadian Bible Society for making this episode possible. We invite you to explore their Bible Course to help your church grow in Scripture engagement.
