Fifth-year urban and intercultural ministry student, Jordan Vogt, has a strong sense of purpose to share the life-transforming love of Christ with others. Through her co-op placements, she has experienced the joy of partnering with him in ministry and reflecting his heart for the people she encountered.
As a part of her program, Vogt had the opportunity to gain meaningful and practical work experiences that shaped her growth as a ministry leader. Through the Career Centre’s training, she strengthened her professional skills by learning how to create a standout resume and navigate interviews with confidence. By networking and receiving the steady support of the Career Centre, she was able to land three different co-op opportunities.
In Vogt’s role with JFJ Hope Centre, she worked in the care cupboard where she supported expectant moms and families, providing them with baby items and other essential supplies as they faced challenging circumstances. As she learned about the various hardships the families faced, she responded by loving them well and listening intently as they shared their stories. She describes how her faith helped her to see the women and families she served as image-bearers, inherently full of dignity.
” … having personally experienced how life-transforming the love of Christ is, how could I not join him in the privilege of bringing this restoration to others?”
As a community engagement coordinator for The Hamilton Fellowships, Vogt was led by God into uncomfortable places that compelled her to seek his heart more deeply for the people she served. “When I first started my co-op at The Hamilton Fellowships, I think I was deeply uncomfortable with the brokenness I saw,” Vogt explained. “The church is located in a neighbourhood with a lot of brokenness and a lot of drug addiction. I really remember praying at the beginning of my time in that role, ‘God, I feel really uncomfortable here, I don’t really like this part of the city. How am I supposed to do outreach when I don’t feel comfortable?’ And just the way that God answered that prayer during my time at the co-op, to really have such a love for Hamilton and love for his people. Seeing the way that God really answered that prayer through practical experience–planning outreach activities, getting into the community by running a summer camp for the kids and being present in the neighbourhood. And he showed me that although I’ve never been homeless or experienced a drug addiction, I was spiritually in the same state. But praise God that Christ didn’t retreat from the broken like I was tempted to do, because if he had, I wouldn’t even be here today and I wouldn’t be able to share the life-transforming love of Christ. And having personally experienced how life-transforming the love of Christ is, how could I not join him in the privilege of bringing this restoration to others?”
Vogt recognized that there was so much learning that happened beyond the classroom walls and this shaped her growth as a ministry leader. In her co-op role as a worship director for James North Baptist Church, her commitment to excellence in leadership development shines through her passion for building up and discipling her team.
“How do I lead well in ministry and as a leader in ministry? It’s actually something that I’ve been really thinking about as I’ve stepped into my role as a worship director. How can I be flexible in my role and how can I teach things to others? I’m really passionate about teaching and building up others so they can do ministry well and serve the Lord as a servant leader. And I think leadership development can be closely tied with discipleship. We’re called to be servants and Jesus really models that for us.”
Throughout her co-op journey, Vogt has seen how gaining the biblical worldview at Redeemer has helped her. “I’m thankful that I have received an education where I’ve been taught and given the biblical worldview. Coming into Redeemer, I was a Christian, but Redeemer does a really good job of teaching through the lens of this biblical worldview. He created us for himself, for communion with him. He created us to cultivate the earth … God is restoring everything, through Jesus, his death and resurrection. He has restored us to himself, making all things new, and we live in this now and not yet. He calls us to participate with him and chooses to use us for his redemptive work in this world, which is incredible. Because of Redeemer, I feel like I view everything from this lens and it is how I view my work.”
As she graduates, Vogt has been given the opportunity to stay on and work as the worship director at James North Baptist. She is also planning to take a graduate certificate program in leadership from Trinity Western University. Her hope is to get more experience, and add to her giftings and skillset as a ministry leader. Whether she is shepherding others or simply coming alongside them in ministry, she considers it an amazing blessing to serve as a vessel for God’s purposes.