Don Crowder was born into a Christian family and came to Christ at 7 years of age through the witness of his parents and the pastor of Port Perry Baptist Church. After High School he married Cherlyn in 1973 and the Lord blessed them with twin sons, who today live in Dunnville along with their daughter-in-law and granddaughter. In 1992, after 19 years of marriage, Don sensed the call of God to pastoral ministry and enrolled at Heritage Baptist College where he graduated magna cum laude in 1996 with a Bachelor of Theology degree.

 

During Don's time at Heritage he had the joy of pastoring and leading the people of Denfield Baptist Church, a small rural congregation outside of London. In 1997 he became the Senior Pastor of Maple Creek Community Church in Dunnville. During his 8 years of ministry at Maple Creek he led the church through a time of transition in the sale of two properties, the relocation to another lot and a building project of $550,000. The Maple Creek congregation ordained him in 1999 and his ordination credentials are with the Associated Gospel Churches of Canada.

Don's most recent pastorate was in an interim capacity at Fairview Baptist Church in Lindsay where he assisted the church leadership in a transition period to a new senior pastor. Shortly after this, he became the General Manager of Elim Lodge in the Kawarthas where he was responsible for overseeing the entire ministry and administration of this year round, 70 acre, multi-accommodation Christian Resort and Conference Centre with a budget approaching $1.5 million. Don's interest in the Lord's work has led him to volunteer in other capacities including serving as the founding Board Chair of the Haldimand Pregnancy Care Centre and as a Board member of Awana Clubs Canada, a position he still holds to this day.

 

Before entering full-time ministry Don was self employed for several years in farming as a pure bred swine breeder. During this time he became a founding member and treasurer of the Eastern Ontario Swine Breeders Association. Later he was employed as an accountant with Norton, McMullen and Company in Toronto where he was responsible for the completion of year-end accounting and auditing for small to medium size clients and dealt directly with clients in retail, investment, professional and charitable organizations including churches and other Christian ministries. Following this he became the administrator for The Woodman Group in Toronto, and just prior to entering Heritage College he was the manager of the Pro Hardware store in Lindsay where he was responsible for the daily operation of the store including the hiring, training and supervising of staff, as well as the financial operations.