Reverend John W. Landis Our Executive Pastor is John Landis. John has served the Nativity congregation in pastoral roles on two occasions. Because of his ongoing calling as an Intentional Interim and Consultant, he now serves in a reduced role, supplementing the ministry of Rev. JoAnn Bastien by providing governance input, liturgical guidance and pastoral care as needed. He is however, still playing a vital role by assisting the Nativity Congregation in transition plans and issues, and by leading them through what may be the hardest times and most difficult decisions for them to have to make, thus the reason for Nativity still depending on him so. Rev. John has been our trusted leader for quite some time now, and we trust him fully, to help us with leaving a legacy that everyone of our Nativity members and previous pastors can be proud of. Rev. Landis completed his Master of Divinity degree from Northern Seminary in 1999 and was ordained later that year. He is currently writing his dissertation as a candidate for the Doctor of Ministry degree at Drew College, New Jersey. He hopes to complete that in the Spring of 2012. John has served congregations since 1990 as an intentional interim. In addition to serving part time at Nativity and as an Intentional Interim pastor he also serves as a search consultant to the Michigan Region of the American Baptist Churches of Michigan, assisting congregations in finding pastors when pulpits become open. He has conducted a number of seminars on Church planning and congregational life cycles. He was the chair of the Lay Pastor Institute for ABC-MI. Rev. Landis comes with an extensive background in leadership coaching. He had a successful leadership training and development practice for over 25 years. His insights are extremely valuable as we move through the challenges that being a congregation in today’s emerging environment present.

Rev JoAnn Bastien Rev. JoAnn Bastien was raised in a non-Christian home.  She became a professing atheist  in her early teens.  It was not until her early twenties that she came to a life transforming faith in Jesus Christ. Today, JoAnn is an ordained minister in the Church of the Nazarene.  She served as the Pastor of Outreach in Northville Mi for six years before receiving her call to plant a church.  Her desire is to help people experience a thoroughly life-transforming faith in Christ. JoAnn currently lives in the Redford area with her husband and two children.  They have one very large turtle, named Speedy, and train in martial arts together as a family.