The full Emmaus Community Membership are our decision making body.

All members have done at least 2-years of formation in monasticism and intentional community, and make committments to live our Rule of Life together.

Decision-making is made by consensus involving all Members at regular meetings. 

Between these meetings, a smaller council or working groups may convene to keep the common life of the community going. 

Some of our roles in community include a Prior (spokesperson who helps hold us to our vision), a Formation Director (oversees formation of new members), Cellarer (Treasurer) and lead Minister / Priest (to plan or delegate our community liturgies).  These positions rotate over set periods of time time. 

By the way, if you see the 'ec' after our name, that just simply means 'emmaus community' - again, another nod to our monastic eithos - a practice akin to monastics putting their order initials after their name.

Our Current Membership:

-Matt Humphrey, ec (he/him) - Prior.  Matt is a writer, priest and educator who lives, works, and plays on Songhees territory, in the Cecilia Creek watershed, (Victoria, BC).  In addition to his work for the Emmaus / AbbeyChurch, he is currently a proud partner of the Local General Store.  He is an ordained priest with The Anglican Church of Canada.  Matt has taught University courses, worked for A Rocha Canada, a faith-based environmental organization, and currently shepherds three young children, a cat named Wendell, too many books (too little time), a fondness for wild landscapes and an endless fascination with God’s grace as the bedrock of our gifted existence.  He would love to have coffee and discuss.

-Rob Shearer, ec (he/him) - Formation Director.  Rob has worked in vocational Christian ministry for the last 25+ years. He's has been part of the Emmaus and Jeremiah Communities (New Monastic) and he lived for 5 years in Zacchaeus House, a Catholic Worker community house of hospitality. He served as music director at the campus-based Wine Before Breakfast, was National Youth Coordinator with justgeneration.ca/PWRDF, directed the the Nidus Festival with the Canadian Council of Churches in 2006, worked in campus and congregational ministry in the Anglican and United Churches of Canada, was involved for over a decade at Parkdale Neighbourhood Church (a Baptist ‘street church’ in Toronto now called “The Dale”). In addition to planting the AbbeyChurch. Rob is the Regional Minister for Church Planting with the Pacific Mountain Region of the United Church - and is ordained in the United Church of Canada. He has co-owned an organic bakery, made all kinds of music, loves hiking, brewing beer, cooking and coffee! He is daddy to Amaya and Zion. 

-Lynn Mills, ec  (she/her) - Cellarer and Lead Clergy.  Lynn holds a Master of Arts in Theological Studies from Vancouver School of Theology where her thesis was on reclaiming the integrity of baptism. She has completed a PhD at Trinity College Dublin, researching water and spirit in initiation and cleansing rites in the Dead Sea Scrolls and New Testament. The topic of Lynn’s research was partially chosen based on what would provide an opportunity to spend extended periods of time researching in Israel, a place very close to her heart as it is where she met her English husband while living on a kibbutz in the early 1980’s. Lynn is a priest in the Anglican Church of Canada where she also serves at St. Mary Metchosin. She's a member of Emmaus along with her husband Phil. Lynn is deeply interested in the transforming agency of the Holy Spirit, ritual, and liturgy, particularly the effect on faith, praxis, and the psyche.

Phil Mills, ec (AbbeyChurch Vision Team), Marilyn Gough, ec (Safe Church Liaison) and Kevin Aschenbrenner, ec (Assistant Formation Director) are also core leaders in our membership.

Affiliated Clergy

The Revd's Rob Shearer, ec (UCC), Matthew Humphey, ec (ACC), and Lynn Mills, EC (ACC) are all ordained clergy who serve the community as Members of Emmaus.  In Emmaus, one's identity as clergy is secondary to the role of being an equal member of the community - but comes with a special vocation for sacramental leadership at our gatherings. 

In addition to these folks, Rev. Michelle Slater (UCC), Rev. Katherine Brittain (UCC), Rev. Meagan Crosby(ACC) and Rev. Ernest Morrow (ACC) are regular AbbeyChurch clergy.

The Emmaus Community elects Community Visitors (this is a monastic tradition which helps tie us to the wider church). These are leaders from our denominations who hold up a mirror to our community and who also advocate for us.  Our current Visitors are The Ven. Craig Hiebert (ACC) and the Rev. Michelle Slater (UCC).