Pastor Stephen Wong hired as NWC Director of Ministerial Health and Development
We are excited to announce that Pastor Stephen Wong has been hired as the Director of Ministerial Health and Development for the Northwest Conference.
“I am thrilled to welcome Pastor Steve to the NWC team,” said Superintendent Kara Stromberg. “Steve brings a tremendous depth of character, competence and chemistry. He is a true lover of people and servant of the Church, is quick-witted, insightful and wise, with spiritual depth and a track record of identifying and developing leaders. He is well poised to develop a framework that invites ministry leaders toward health.”
Originally from Northern California, Wong spent his childhood in Singapore before moving back to the U.S. for college at the University of California, Davis, where he graduated with a degree in Mechanical Engineering. He then completed an MDiv at Fuller Theological Seminary and was ordained with the Evangelical Covenant Church.
Deeply impacted by the ministry of InterVarsity during his college years, he pivoted from engineering after graduation and worked with InterVarsity Christian Fellowship for nearly 15 years in various leadership capacities. After serving two different churches in California in associate, youth and worship roles, he became the Senior Pastor of Pasadena Covenant Church in 2018.
In recent years, Steve led the church in ministry to those impacted by the Eaton Fire and community crises, advocated for immigration solidarity, navigated controversial cultural dialogues, developed community engagement ministries and partnerships, managed capital campaigns and campus renovations, brought clarity to leadership structures, and pastored the church toward a posture of love for one another and unity in the midst of adversity. He has also been a consistent presence on teams that serve the broader ECC and the local community.
Steve brings a compassionate heart, a creative spirit and an engineering brain that instinctively builds systems to address challenges and lead proactively into opportunities.
The Director of Ministerial Health and Development will encourage Covenant pastors, staff ministers and spouses in the Northwest Conference to grow deeper in their relationship with Christ and to grow more faithful and fruitful in relationships with others. In this role, Wong will join the Northwest Conference staff in developing and sustaining a Conference of healthy, missional pastors and staff who can be developers of lay leaders in their congregations.
“As a pastor, I believe in the power of an ‘entangled church’—a community that is inextricably tied to one another’s wellbeing,” said Wong. “I am excited about the opportunity to contribute to the health and development of the ministers in the Northwest Conference so that they may shepherd their communities well.”
Wong will join the Northwest Conference for the Annual Meeting Celebration at First Covenant Church in Willmar, MN, April 23-25, 2026, then the family will remain in California through the spring to celebrate graduations and milestone events. Please pray for Steve and Emily June Wong, along with their children, Josephine and Kai, as they navigate these upcoming transitions. Steve will begin in this new role on July 1.
Welcome, Steve!