PASTORS

Rev Jun Tan
Senior Pastor

Pastor Min Zhang, alongside her husband Lam and their three children, embarked on her journey of service to the Balwyn Baptist Church community in December 2023. With a profound passion for nurturing souls, especially amongst the younger generation, Pastor Min brings a vibrant energy and a heart full of compassion to her pastoral role. She endeavours to cultivate an environment that is inclusive, free from judgment, and rich with the spirit of fellowship where every individual feels valued and embraced.

As the shepherd of the young adults’ group, Pastor Min guides and empowers the next generation in their exploration of faith, while fostering a space for them to question, learn, and grow. Additionally, she leads young parents, offering support and wisdom on raising children in accordance with God’s teachings.

She can be reached by phone, email, WeChat, WhatsApp.

DEACONS

Deacons are the elected church leaders, accountable to God and to the congregation. They seek to lead and govern the church in line with our core beliefs and covenant. They provide spiritual oversight and leadership in partnership with the pastor

Rev Geoff Ryall
Deacon

Bert Zerbst
Secretary, Deacon

Janet Washington
Deacon

Tina (Ting) Xiao
Treasurer, Deacon

Jin Zhou
Deacon

Barney Xia
Deacon

Victor Li
Deacon

Linda Li

Student Pastor

Joyce Lin
Accountant

Joanne Zhou

Placement

Jun, together with his wife Xu Ping, joined Balwyn Baptist when Jun became Senior Pastor in August 2018. He provides pastoral leadership to the Church and its Ministries. He speaks most Sundays, encouraging people to see themselves and others through God’s eyes and to act accordingly. His passion is to help people find and fulfil their life’s purpose in Christ. 

He can be reached by phone, email, WeChat, Line, and WhatsApp. You should contact him if you have a God-question, any feedback on Sunday service or small groups, a pastoral issue, or a suggestion for a new church ministry. 

Having grown up in China, Jun is bi-lingual. He loves study, and in addition to his secular studies, he has two Masters, in Theological Study and Divinity.

Pastor Min Zhang

Geoff and his wife Kay were first associated with Balwyn Baptist Church when he was Senior Pastor from 1988 till 1996.

When in 2015 the church needed an Interim pastor, Geoff agreed to fulfil that role which lasted until Jun Tan was appointed in August 2018. The Church was grateful that Geoff and Kay agreed to stay on as members of the church after that, and Geoff became a Deacon in 2019.

Geoff’s background as a cross-cultural mission worker with Global Interaction (now Baptist Mission Australia) in Bangladesh and Thailand, and his pastoral experience in Australia gives him a good insight into the life of a church which is multicultural.

Geoff is now retired, but assists with preaching and worship leadership, is a member of the Music Team, and is engaged in offering pastoral care to members of the congregation.

Geoff can be contacted by email and phone.

Bert, with his wife Glenys, has been associated with Balwyn Baptist Church since 1983.

Bert and including Glenys have been deacons on and off since they have been members.

 In 2019, Bert became the Secretary of the Church, and as such he is the person to approach regarding any suggestions or feedback which people want to make, or to have things included on the Deacons’ agenda. He is also the representative for the Church at the Baptist Union of Victoria.

Bert and Glenys have one adult son. Bert works as a Noise Consultant with the Environment Protection Authority, Victoria, though he expects to retire from that position in the near future.

He leads the SALT (Seeking and Learning Together) group and is often the first person to make a phone call or to pay a visit if anyone is unwell. Not surprisingly, given his expertise as a Noise Consultant, he also takes a part in managing the Sound Desk on a Sunday Morning.

Feel free to contact Bert by phone or email in relation to his Secretarial role, or to give any suggestions or feedback about the Church’s life.

Janet, together with Bill, came to Balwyn Baptist in January 1985. They are parents to three adult children and have an adult nephew staying with them.  They have two granddaughters who they enjoy spending time with. In 2021 Janet graduated with a Bachelor of Ministry from Melbourne School of Theology.

Janet is a Deacon, Small group leader, and is involved in other areas around the church. 

Janet aims to encourage people to step outside their comfort zone and to be more intentional about sharing their faith as they reach out to the community.

Janet can be contacted by phone, or email to ask a question, give feedback, or a suggestion about church life. 

Tina and her husband, Chris, first became associated with Balwyn Baptist Church in 2019, but had become a Christian and was baptised in 2015 in China. Tina and Chris have two teenage children.  

Tina became a Deacon and the Church’s Treasurer in 2020.  She has a financial background and works with Chris to establish their business locally.

Tina takes part in the Music Team of the church and is one of the teachers for the “Tweens4God” Sunday school class.

She would welcome any new members of the Music Team, and loves to talk to the parents of children about the wellbeing of their children in the church. She, along with Joyce (Wei) Li (Accountant), are the best people to ask about the finances of the church.

Jin started attending Balwyn in 2018, and in 2019 transferred his membership from Northcote, New Zealand, to Balwyn. In 2020 he became a Deacon.

Jin’s expertise in visual, sound and website development came in particularly handy in 2020 when the Church could not meet onsite because of the Covid-19 pandemic. Jin, along with our Pastor Jun Tan, was able to quickly transfer to meeting online through Zoom.

He has continued to develop the Visual and Sound aspects of the Church’s life so that we have been able to continue meeting online in addition to meeting onsite in the Church. Because their expertise, many people are able to meet at “Balwyn” even when they are away, interstate, or overseas.

Along with other members of the Audio-Visual team, Jin would love to hear from anyone who is willing to learn what is needed in Audio-Visual team so that they can join the team.

Barney Xia, along with his wife Nicky, were baptized and married at Balwyn Baptist Church in 2019, and they celebrated the birth and dedication of their son at Church in 2023.

Barney was elected a Deacon in 2022, leveraging his financial background and keen interest in media.

He actively contributes to the church’s translation team and extends a warm invitation to new members to join this group. Additionally, he extends an open invitation to individuals, both locally and abroad, to participate in the weekly Friday Bible study group.

As a dynamic presence in the church’s younger community, Barney occasionally leads Sunday youth services and is an integral part of the youth team. Alongside Joyce (Wei) Li (Accountant) and Tina Cheung (Treasurer), he is an invaluable resource for any inquiries pertaining to church payroll.  Feel free to reach out to them for assistance.

Victor Li, baptized at Balwyn Baptist Church on April 17, 2022, and became a member in the same year. His wife, Jasmine, and daughter, Victoria, have been associated with BBC since 2018.

Alongside fellow team members, Victor actively facilitates the Alpha Course at our church, guiding individuals to discover Jesus and undergo spiritual renewal through the Holy Spirit. He is also involved in the translation group, contributing to the translation of sermons, and provides simultaneous translation during Sunday services.

Victor became a Deacon at BBC in 2023.

With a background as a serial entrepreneur and IT veteran, Victor has over 20 years of experience in building and commercializing technologies in both China and Australia. He holds a Ph.D. in Computer Science from the University of Melbourne.

Joanne Zhou, a VCE student enrolled in the VET subject Veta Morphus, a VCE subject aimed to grow one’s faith and graduate with the Certificate III in Christian Ministry and Theology. She’s currently doing placement at Balwyn Baptist Church where she enjoys teaching at Sunday school and helping out with the youth activities. Joanne aspires to become a psychologist as she enjoys learning about human processes, desires to help others and through the study of psychology, she enjoys learning more about herself.

Danny Cai is also VCE student studying this course. At Balwyn Baptist, he aims to help out wherever is needed, especially at Sunday school, where he strives to improve his understanding of God’s work and to improve his faith.