In the dynamic landscape of church planting, a coach becomes a trusted ally. They provide personalized support for strategic planning, goal-setting, and personal development, ensuring planters have the tools needed for building thriving communities of faith.
Interested in coaching? Email alwaysforward@anglicanchurch.net for more information.
Meet Our Coaches
Dan Alger
Dan leads Always Forward as the Canon for Church Planting for the Anglican Church in North America. Dan has a long history of almost 20 years in church planting, helping church planters and church plants as a friend, trainer, and coach. He has planted two churches as the Lead Planter in Georgia and North Carolina. Dan graduated from The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, earned his Masters from Trinity School for Ministry, and his D.Min. from Asbury Theological Seminary. Dan is married to Karen, and they have two young sons. At the moment, Dan is only receiving a limited number of clients.
Joseph Acanfora
Joseph is an ordained priest in the Anglican Church of North America. Joe has served as head pastor/rector at churches in New York and Virginia. With a heart for mission and reaching the next generation, Joe has served in missional ministries in New Orleans, Kenya, inter-cities and on college campuses and with local youth groups. While at Church of the Apostles, Joe led the congregation in re-planting in a new neighborhood and eventually developing a new property to be the new home of Apostles. Also in his tenure there, the Church of the Apostles facilitated two new church plants in the region, while Joe served as part of. the Great Commission Committee of the Diocese of the Mid-Atlantic, the church planting arm of the diocese. Joe and his wife Beth reside in Evergreen Colorado and have been married since 1983 and have three grown sons and one daughter, and two grandchildren. In his spare time you might find Joe flyfishing one in beautiful Colorado or elsewhere. Joe loves teaching and guiding others in his favorite sport.
Tuck Bartholomew
As the Canon for Church Planting for the Diocese of the Mid-Atlantic, Tuck leads the Great Commission Committee, as well as training church planters, coaching pastors, performing assessments for prospective planters, and aids in developing strategic plans for local congregations in the diocese.
Ryan Brotherton
The Rev. Canon Ryan Brotherton has been involved in church planting and working with other church planters from different denominations for the past fifteen years. He planted Holy Trinity Edmonds in 2014 and continues to lead this growing parish. As Canon of Church Planting in the Diocese of Cascadia, Anglican Church in North America, he oversees church planters and helps to direct the strategy and implementation of new churches in the Diocese. His focus of study has been in leadership, theology and society and he is especially concerned with helping leaders establishing healthy cultures as the foundation for starting new churches that will continue to flourish for generations to come.
Tony Melton
Fr. Tony serves as priest and planting rector at Christ the King Anglican Church. He was ordained a priest in 2015 after graduating from Dallas Theological Seminary with his ThM in 2012 and Cranmer Theological House with his ThM in 2013. Before arriving in Georgia in 2019, he spent 5 years as assisting priest at The Chapel of the Cross and Headmaster of The Saint Timothy School in Dallas, TX. He and his wife, Vandi, have five children. Fr. Tony enjoys playing sports, especially golf, and talking theology over coffee/beer.
Dean Moyer
Dean serves as the Executive Director of Parish Life at the Church of the Resurrection in Flower Mound, TX. Additionally, he is an Executive Coach serving the local church, drawing on 40 years of ministry experience as a worship pastor, associate, and executive pastor to maximize the design of leaders and their teams (www.r3church.coach). A graduate of the Robert E. Webber Institute for Worship Studies, Dean brings a deep biblical and theological understanding of worship and spiritual formation, considering them the engine for mission. Recently, he and his wife Cass made the move from the Carolinas to Northlake, TX, enticed by the presence of their two beautiful granddaughters. In his free time, Dean enjoys running, participating in F3, and reading.
Christian Ruch
Christian serves as the Rector of Church of the Cross, which he and his wife Molly helped to plant in 2004. His responsibilities there include preaching, supervising the staff team, providing pastoral care, and overseeing the work of leadership development and church planting (Church of the Cross has three daughter churches in the Twin Cities). One of his favorite things to do as a pastor is to get together with people and hear about their lives and their interests. He enjoys spending time with Molly and their four kids. He also enjoys reading (novels, history, theology, movie reviews), running, traveling to new places, and working obscure cultural references into conversations.
Molly Ruch
Molly Ruch loves seeing the kingdom of God expand on earth. She and her husband Christian planted Church of the Cross in Hopkins, Minnesota, in 2004. Since then, she has helped in the birth of three daughter churches and one diocese and has coached multiple planters. Molly serves as Canon for Church Planting for the Upper Midwest Diocese, as the Director of the Always Forward Institute, and has coached multiple planters and lay leaders who want to get a church church started in their area. Molly desires to see pastors and their families remain resilient, which informs her work offering retreats with the Anglican Leadership Initiative.
Ben Sharpe
Ben Sharpe has been planted three churches, with three additional daughter churches, since 1995 in North Carolina. Over the years he has experienced the full spectrum of joys, challenges, successes, and failures typical of church planters. He continues to cultivate long-term mentoring relationships with young pastors and church planters in various states. Ben has a particular passion and affinity for church planting in small towns and rural areas. He is an avid backpacker, gardener, and homebrewer.
Todd Simonis
Rev. Todd Simonis is the Associate Rector at St. Helena’s Anglican Church in Beaufort, SC and also serves as the Canon for Church Planting for the Anglican Diocese of South Carolina. Born and raised in Wisconsin, Todd and his wife, Elizabeth, have lived in South Carolina for the past 20 years. Todd and Elizabeth have two great kids: Annie (17) and Luke (13). Todd loves cheering for his beloved Green Bay Packers and being outdoors, especially if it involves playing golf.
Alastair Sterne
Alastair is the Canon of Church Planting for the Anglican Network in Canada and the Communications Director of Always Forward. In 2011, he planted St. Peter’s Fireside in Vancouver, B.C., and served as their lead pastor until 2023. He has a background in communication design, and has a Doctorate in Intercultural Studies (Fuller). He is the author of Rhythms for Life (IVP) and Longing for Joy (IVP, October 2024). He is trained by Redeemer City to City and specializes in coaching urban church planters. He enjoys helping with vision, values-based leadership, fundraising, organizational design, and the holistic health of leaders. Alastair collects joy in Victoria, B.C. with his wife and two daugthers.
Interested in coaching? Email alwaysforward@anglicanchurch.net for more information.