General Assembly 2011

The Rev. Dr. H.D. Rick Horst (B.A., M.Div., D.Min.)

Rick Horst was born in Hamilton, Ontario, the child of Dutch immigrants. Raised in St. Enoch Presbyterian Church, he was active in youth ministries and elected to eldership at the age of 21. His early work and studies in broadcast journalism were superseded by a call to Christian ministry, with graduation from Knox College and ordination by age 28.

Rick served two consecutive summers as student minister to St. David's in Vankoughnet, Ontario. He worked hard at bridging the gap between the surrounding community and the congregation's life and witness. His first ordained appointment came in 1984 to a three-point, inner-city team ministry at the Tri-Congregations of East Toronto, (St. Matthew's, St. James and Emmanuel), working alongside The Rev. Patricia Hanna. He also served in a broader role as the Regimental Padre of the famed 48th Highlanders of Canada, garrisoned in Toronto. In 1987, he accepted the call to St. Marys Presbyterian Church in St. Marys, Ontario, where he served for the next 17 years.

In his ministry years there, Rick became very involved in numerous community projects and issues, most notably serving for four years as the chairman of the local hospital board as well as the executive chair of the regional eight-hospital partnership of Huron and Perth Counties. An avid sportsman, he was also made a Governor of the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum, and for two years served as its chair of fundraising.

Witnessing significant congregational growth in St. Marys, he also guided and oversaw two major building expansion programs during his ministry there. But in the spring of 2004, Rick felt the call of God to St. Andrew's Church in Barrie, commencing his duties in August of that year. In 2007, Rick was appointed to the Board of Barrie’s Royal Victoria Hospital, where he currently offers his governance expertise in the role of vice-chairman. His earlier concern for those in our nation’s armed forces takes expression today through his volunteer work as Padre to the Veteran’s Club of Barrie.

Throughout his ministry, Rick has brought emphasis to the local congregation’s sense of mission in the wider community. His work with Dr. Kennon Callahan, author of the influential “Twelve Keys to Effective Churches” materials, has seen Rick working with many congregations and presbyteries to strengthen and enhance their efforts in concrete missional ministries. He has served our denomination in many capacities, including the convenorship of two synod camp boards, a member of the Special Committee on Restructuring, the Assembly Council, convenor of the Canada Ministries Advisory Committee and his Synod’s Missions Committee.

Rick’s profound love of people and for the life and witness of the local congregation is a theme which underlies and informs his daily work as a pastoral minister. His passion for helping congregations build upon their God-given gifts and strengths in order to be more effective agents in addressing human hurts and hopes in the larger community will influence much that he will want to share with our church in the coming year. As a life-long servant of Jesus Christ, he looks forward to the rare gift of meeting people from many walks of life, both in our church and beyond it.