Paul Lessard announced he will resign from his position as vice president of mission priorities effective January 1, 2025. He leaves the role to become vice president of business development with Covenant Trust Company.
Lessard was elected executive minister of Start and Strengthen Churches in 2019. He led and grew the team through Covid and oversaw the complete revamp of church planting tools and training under Alex Rahill, former director of church planting, along with the reframing of missional church vitality and new resource creation under Mary Hendrickson.
He transitioned to his current role after the denominational team was reorganized. As vice president of mission priorities, he helped set the stage for creating and leading more intentional collaboration and aligned focus on the Covenant’s five mission priorities through the executive ministers of Serve Locally, Serve Clergy, and Serve Globally. Prior to serving the denominational team, he worked as an executive coach and consultant to a wide range of nonprofit organizations and leaders. He served as senior pastor at Castle Oaks Covenant Church in Castle Rock, Colorado, and worked in Christian higher education for more than 17 years, serving with Covenant Bible College and Colorado Christian University. Lessard has a master’s degree in executive leadership and a bachelor’s in liberal studies.
“The last five and a half years of serving as executive minister of Start and Strengthen Churches, and more recently as vice president have been full of joy and laughter, as well as challenge, growth, and prayer,” Lessard says. “I have worked alongside many called and gifted leaders and have seen the Holy Spirit work in unexpected ways through and in us. It has truly been a gift to serve the church in these roles.”
President Tammy Swanson-Draheim said, “Paul will be greatly missed by the entire denominational team. He has brought significant leadership in challenge and transition. I am grateful for Paul’s wisdom and deep faith. We have all benefited from his love of teamwork and his spirit of collaboration.”
Steve Klimkowski, president of Covenant Trust, added, “I could not be more excited about Paul joining us at Covenant Trust Company. While his leadership skills, many talents, and Covenant connectedness will certainly benefit our mission, team, and clients, it’s Paul’s heart for service that we receive most gratefully. Although we are a ‘for profit’ organization, our team thrives on making a difference in the lives of our clients—helping them so that they can help others. The ‘why’ of what we do every day at Covenant Trust lies at the heart of our work, and Paul embodies that ‘why’ better than anyone I could ever imagine in this role.”
Lessard will work closely with his team and with the president to ensure a smooth transition.
