Founders of ChurchHealth
- Richard & Leona Bergstrom
Richard and Leona Bergstrom reside in Seattle, Washington, which serves as the headquarters for their ministry with ChurchHealth. Richard is a graduate of Westmont College (B.A.), Denver Seminary (M.Div.), and Western Seminary in Portland (D.Min.). He is the author of several articles in LEADERSHIP Journal as well as the co-author of Mastering Church Finances in the Mastering Ministry Series. Dr. Bergstrom served for six years as the Northwest Divisional Director of Church Dynamics International, a ministry committed to helping pastors and local churches become more effective in disciple-making. For fifteen years prior to that, Richard served in a variety of positions within local churches, including youth (Aurora, CO; Edmonds, WA), associate (Bellingham), and senior pastor in Bellingham, Washington, and Steamboat Springs, Colorado. Dr. Bergstrom served from 1999-2001 as Interim District Executive Minister of the Columbia Baptist Conference (BGC). Richard has been involved in a continuum of services to the church, from strategic planning to conflict resolution. The Bergstroms direct the Mid-Life and Older Adult Ministries of the Baptist General Conference known as Second Half For Him ministry, both regionally (CBC) and nationally (BGC). Richard serves in his primary role these days as the Executive Pastor and Pastor of Second Half Ministries at Northshore Baptist Church in Bothell, Washington.
Leona adds her own expertise to the team with a background in administration and management. She is a graduate of Westmont College (B.A.), and has invested over twenty years in ministry as well as a career in geriatrics. She recently served as the Director of Senior Community Programs for CRISTA. She currently serves as the Director of LIFETIME, a ministry of ChurchHealth, and as the co-director of Second Half For Him ministry of ConvergeWorldWide (the Baptist General Conference). From 1989-1999 Leona served as the Director of the SeniorHEALTH Department at St. Joseph Hospital in Bellingham, opening the Center for Senior Health, which continues to thrive in Bellingham. During her career with the hospital, she launched a Parish Nurse progam, which has grown to over 50 Parish Nurses in 35 churches throughout Whatcom County. She is the Founder and Past President of Elder Service Providers of Whatcom County, and served as Past Chair of the Gerontology Certificate Program at Western Washington University in Bellingham. She has served under contract with the Area Agency on Aging as a Faith Communities Liaison to assist congregations in meeting the needs of caregivers in their congregations. To that end, she has written a resource guide called, "Caregiver Support: Reaching out to those who care for others -- a guide for Communities of Faith." That program grant has been expanded in 2003-04 to include civic and fraternal organizations. She has been awarded the "Elder Service Provider of the Year" by the membership of ESP in Whatcom County. Her goals within the ministry of ChurchHealth involve providing resources and training to the local church in ministry to, by and with older adults. The ministry of LIFETIME is a program arm of ChurchHealth designed to address these issues. Our first publication was released October 15, 2000: AMAZING GRAYS: Unleashing the Power of Age in Your Congregation. Since then, numerous Senior Summits have been held in various communities and denominations across the country. Working with multiple community agencies, Leona was able to successfully obtain a Robert Wood Johnson Faith in Action grant for the Belllingham community in May of 2004. The $35,000 grant went to the Interfaith Coalition in Bellingham, Washington which will staff and manage a "Friendly Visitor Program" to target the needs of lonely and isolated elders of our community through a volunteer corps.