Always Forward is a collaborative effort of the Province, Dioceses, local churches, and people of the Anglican Church in North America working together for the planting of new Gospel-centered, sacramental, missional churches throughout North America.
Our Leadership
The Rev. Canon Dr. Dan Alger
Provincial Canon for Church Planting
Dan leads Always Forward as the Canon for Church Planting for the Anglican Church in North America. His purpose as the Archbishop’s Canon is to create a strong church planting initiative that equips dioceses to be church planting networks. Dan has a long history in church planting, helping church planters and church plants as a friend, trainer, and coach for almost 20 years. He has planted two churches as the Lead Planter—one in greater Atlanta, Georgia, and one in the Ft. Bragg area near Fayetteville, North Carolina. Dan is a graduate of The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in Interpersonal and Organizational Communication, earned his Masters from Trinity School for Ministry, and his D.Min. from Asbury Theological Seminary with a church planting concentration. Alongside his work for the Province, he also serves as the Dean of the cathedral at Church of the Redeemer at New Garden Park in Greensboro, North Carolina. His first book Word and Sacrament: Ancient Practices for Modern Church Planting is set to be published in May 2023. Dan is married to Karen, and they have two young sons.
Contact Dan: Email | Facebook | Twitter
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Canon Molly Ruch
Director of Always Forward Institute
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 two daughter churches and one diocese and has coached multiple planters. Molly serves as Canon for Church Planting for the Upper Midwest Diocese and as the Director of the Always Forward Institute and on the Always Forward Leadership Team. Molly desires to see pastors and their families remain resilient, which informs her work offering retreats with the Anglican Leadership Initiative. She enjoys spending time with her family of four children and a rescue dog, visiting art museums anywhere in the world, and sharing in the benefits of living in Minnesota with plenty of lakes for paddle boarding or ice skating—depending on the weather.
Contact Molly: Email | Facebook
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Abbi Wensyel
Executive Assistant to the Canon for Church Planting
Abbi joined our team in the fall of 2021. She brings joy and leadership to Always Forward event planning, correspondence, and administration as well as assisting Dan in his role as Canon. She and her husband, Jared, worked for several years in Frankfurt, Germany, as church planters. They moved to Greensboro, North Carolina in 2020 to be a part of Church of the Redeemer. There is much they miss about Germany but they have felt so blessed in their new chapter stateside... especially after welcoming their baby girl, Thea, in April of 2021. Abbi is particularly grateful to continue her work in Church Planting through her role here at Always Forward. She enjoys hosting events big and small, taking walks with friends through the many parks of Greensboro, and long trips in the car to visit family in Ohio, where she is originally from.
Contact Abbi: Email
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Janie Williams
Always Forward Assistant
Janie Williams is from Jackson, TN, where she spends her time raising her 5 children, 2 dogs, and a church plant. She loves spending time with people and baking bread for her family and others. Her desire for ministry started when she was in high school, and the Lord continues to amaze her by bringing new opportunities to her life. Janie is the coordinator for our coaching as well as our intercessory prayer team.
Contact Janie: Email | Facebook
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Scott Hunt
Communications & Digital Engagement
Scott is based in Ontario, Canada, where he lives with his wife and four kids.
He is also the communciations director for the Anglican Network in Canada, a diocese of the ACNA.
Growing up the son of church planters and in the context of a young church plant, church planting holds a special place in his heart. He loves the good news of Jesus, which he discovers as more good and more sufficient every day. He's a fan of sports, coffee, dark beer, and his favourite place is in a canoe on a still lake at dawn.
Contact Scott: Email | Facebook
Our Team
Our team is composed of church planters and movement leaders from across the province representing multiple dioceses.