The New Testament describes two offices within the church: elder and deacon.

Elders or pastors are interchangeable titles designating one office. They have been called by God to lead and teach in the church. Such men are to teach and lead primarily by dedicating themselves to the Word of God and prayer.

Staff Elders

Paul Martin

Senior Pastor

Paul Martin is the senior pastor of Grace Fellowship Church in Toronto, Ontario. After leading the plant in 2000, he has been involved in helping several other churches start or be revitalized in the city.
His love for the kind of Gospel cooperation modelled by his hero, George Whitefield, inspired his work with the Grace Connexion, the Hogtown Baptist Pastors’ Fellowship, 9Marks, and The Gospel Coalition Canada. His zeal for the preaching of God’s Word has led to work with The Charles Simeon Trust. His affection for the disabled community, especially after disability entered his family through his son, has given him opportunities to speak for Guidelight, a ministry to families raising children with special needs. It also prompted his zeal to protect the unborn and work closely with a local pregnancy care centre. He has been married to Susan for more than thirty years and loves to spend time with her, his adult children, and grandchildren. Sadly, he is a pathetically loyal fan of the Toronto Maple Leafs and remembers well the last time they won the Stanley Cup. He was 10 months old.

Paul can be reached by email.

Connery Vanderkooy

Associate Pastor

Connery left his Ontario home to pursue a Master of Divinity and Bachelor in Biblical and Theological Studies at Boyce College and the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Kentucky, but soon desired to return to Canada as he saw the immense need for theologically sound churches here.

While in Louisville, he met and married his wife, Annika. In 2023, they moved back to Toronto and became members at Grace Fellowship Church, where he served as an Assistant Minister until being installed as an elder in August of 2025.

Connery and Annika love parenting their two sons, spending time outdoors, and brewing and sharing coffee with friends.

You can contact Connery by email.

Non-Staff Elders

Tobi Adetayo

Tobi is a husband and father to four girls (including a set of twins!). His family began attending the church during the pandemic in 2020 and he and his wife quickly settled into life here. Tobi completed his Masters of Divinity at Heritage Seminary and went on to participate in the Grace Fellowship Church Pastoral Internship. Now, he frequently preaches for congregations around the GTA, as well as at our own church, while supporting the family business from home. 

You can contact Tobi through the contact page or his email.

Tim Challies

Tim is a Christian, a husband to Aileen, and a father to two girls in their teens and one son who is waiting for him in heaven. He worships and serves as one of the pastors at Grace Fellowship Church, where he primarily gives attention to mentoring and discipleship. He is a blogger at challies.com, book reviewer for WORLD magazine, co-founder of Cruciform Press, and he has written a number of books, including: The Discipline of Spiritual Discernment (Crossway, 2007), Sexual Detox: A Guide For Guys Who Are Sick of Porn (Cruciform Press, 2010), Do More Better (Cruciform Press, 2015), Visual Theology: Seeing and Understanding the Truth about God (Zondervan, 2016),  EPIC: An Around-the-World Journey Through Christian History (Zondervan, 2020) & Seasons of Sorrow (Zondervan, 2022).

Tim can be reached through the contact page or through the contact form on his website.

Tristan Watson 

Tristan was born and raised in Toronto. During his teenage years, Tristan lived within walking distance from Grace Fellowship Church, but he did not know it. When he graduated from university, he started looking for a local church, and two friends recommended Grace Fellowship Church. He attended his first church service in 2012 and never left! He was (and continues to be) attracted to the Christ-centered preaching and warm fellowship. He has served as a member in various capacities and was ordained as an elder in December 2020. As one of the pastors, Tristan desires to delight in Jesus and help others delight in Jesus. Tristan loves spending time with his wife, Nadine, and two children.

Tristan can be reached through the contact page.