Student Profiles

Introducing Taylor Bredenhof

Hello! My name is Taylor Bredenhof and the first thing I probably have to get out of the way is the question I get asked a lot. Yes, I am related (first cousins) to the other three Bredenhofs who have passed through the seminary before!

Having gotten that out of the way… in the picture, by my side, you’ll see my dearest companion and fellow pilgrim, my wife Rebekah. With her is our rough and tumble 3-year-old son Theo, and I’m holding our precious 1-year-old daughter Eden. Rebekah and I both grew up in the Fraser Valley. I come from a farming family and Rebekah from a family of carpenters. I grew up in Cloverdale for most of my elementary years before the family moved to Aldergrove, where I spent all my catechism years with Pastor Rob Schouten.

If you asked me what I wanted to do when growing up you wouldn’t have heard me say ‘study to be a pastor,’ or study period. After high-school I didn’t have many plans; my life was quite directionless or, rather, I was wandering in the wrong direction. However, by the grace of God I somehow ended up at Providence Christian College where he worked repentance in my heart, and a renewed trust in Jesus Christ alone. I spent 2.5 years at PCC studying, playing soccer, and growing with a great group of brothers in the Lord. Sometime after moving there, I also became a member of the Los Angeles Reformed Presbyterian Church, a small congregation that became like a family, a source of great comfort and stability for me. It was around this time I began considering the ministry. My pastor Nathan Eshelman helped guide me, including taking me along to presbytery meetings, and this strengthened my desire to serve Christ and his Church.

While on summer break after my freshman year I met my wife. This led to our engagement, marriage, and a move back to Canada. I transferred to Trinity Western University in Langley, British Columbia, and I became a member at Christ Covenant Church of the Presbyterian Church of America. We still remember worshipping with the saints there with much joy. Our pastor Garry Vanderveen (who is also my wife’s uncle) helped mentor and guide me, providing opportunities to prepare for seminary. While Rebekah continued working as a Registered Massage Therapist, I finished my studies and had the wonderful opportunity to fill in for a semester teaching at Credo Christian High School. After this we packed up our things and drove across the country to Hamilton.

During our time in Hamilton the Lord has been gracious in granting us our two children. All the west-coasters told us how bad the city of Hamilton (and its ‘mountain’) was, but it has become our home and a place we will always love. In the summers I was always doing something different in a new place. For my first summer break I had a 2-week orientation internship with my own pastor, Darren Feenstra, after which I landscaped back in the Fraser Valley. The next summer I was able to spend 12 weeks with the congregation in Lincoln under the mentorship of Rev. Wynia for my preaching and pastoral internship. Most recently, I spent 10 weeks among the brothers and sisters in Surrey preaching and evangelizing (thanks to Pastors James Visscher, Doug Vandeburgt, and Karlo Jansen for your guidance in my sermon preparations). Rebekah and I have treasured our time living and serving in the churches during our internships. They were times where the Lord has shaped and encourage us in our ‘wanderings’ across Canada.

These past 4 years God has graciously provided a church community of dear brothers, sisters, and friends at Cornerstone Canadian Reformed Church. We were also able to grow so much among our seminary ‘family.’ We will miss you all dearly! Lord willing, I will be going before classis in June to become eligible for call. We continue to trust in Christ as he guides us in our wanderings after that!