Meet Trisha Welstad
Trisha Welstad: Apprentice, wife, mother, pastor, entrepreneur, friend, and random creative. Trisha is passionate about investing in others to see them become all God has created them to be. Her roles combined with her passion create a scope for her life and work in Oregon.
As an apprentice, Trisha seeks to live her life following Jesus, learning what it means to be a disciple and disciple-maker. Apprenticing is her method of both following and leading: growing through relationship by watching, listening, doing, assessing, and teaching others through the same.
Being a wife and mother are unique gifts Trisha values as the most intimate and ripe opportunities for nourishing others in their life in God. By creating a hospitable and welcoming home for family and friends, the Welstad’s seek to make the love, joy and peace of God evident in their own lives and to all who join them. Part of the fun in Trisha and her husband Troy’s home is through the musical artistry of Troy’s Cathedral Collective singer/songwriter music community and studio space.
Pastoring has been part of Trisha’s calling since high school as she began to mentor others, and has extended into the development of students, other pastors and friends through helping them to explore and pursue their God given identity and gifts. This passion has taken her on a journey from Oregon to California and back. As an ordained Free Methodist elder, Trisha has served with churches in Los Angeles and Oregon, leading as a pastor of youth and spiritual formation, a church planter, and as a co-pastor of a church restart. Trisha currently serves as the leadership development pastor at Northside Community Church in Newberg, Oregon. In this role she focuses on mentoring the Children’s and Youth Directors and developing new small facilitators, as well as mentoring and internship opportunities for the church.
Trisha’s entrepreneurial spirit grew as she and her husband began a creative arts ministry, Revolution(626), in Azusa, California, then later helped restart a church in Pasadena and a new plant in Portland. Most recently, Trisha has directed the Leadership Center, developing partnerships with George Fox University and Portland Seminary, Warner Pacific College, the Free Methodist and Wesleyan Holiness churches. Over the past six years The Leadership Center has become a network facilitating the development of new and current Wesleyan leaders, churches and disciples through internships, equipping, mentoring and scholarship.
As a pastor and entrepreneurial partner through The Leadership Center, Trisha serves as a grant principal with Theologia: George Fox Summer Theology Institute, a summer camp focused on giving high school juniors and seniors a week long safe space to explore their theology and practice in new and unique ways. In addition, Trisha serves as a grant principal for the newest Institute of Pastoral Thriving through Portland Seminary toward encouraging encouragement and renewal for pastors in the Northwest.
Being a friend may seem like a given, but in times when people live in much isolation, transition, and work-driven focus, Trisha values relationships that go beyond work and beliefs and become part of the fabric of life rhythms of raising kids and sharing meals and enjoying creation and the various life happenings of the people who live in her community. Many of the spaces with old and new friends involve meals, house parties, fire pits, and trips to the local coffee shop.
As a whimsically creative person, Trisha only really likes to do a creative thing one time and then move on to something new. Thus, makes something crafty now and again, will randomly arrange flowers or a room, grows varieties of food in her garden and plans field trips to hike or sight see someplace new. Listening to music and laughing with Troy and their son William are some of Trisha’s favorite past times she loves to do every day.
About the Author
Trisha Welstad
Trisha is passionate about investing in leaders to see them become all God has created them to be. As an ordained Free Methodist elder, Trisha has served with churches in LA and Oregon, leading as a pastor of youth and spiritual formation, a church planter, and as a co-pastor of a church restart. Trisha currently serves as leadership development pastor at Northside Community Church in Newberg, OR. Over the last five years Trisha has directed the Leadership Center, partnering with George Fox and the Free Methodist and Wesleyan Holiness churches. The Leadership Center is a network facilitating the development of new and current Wesleyan leaders, churches and disciples through internships, equipping, mentoring and scholarship. In collaboration with the Leadership Center, Trisha serves as the director of the Institute for Pastoral Thriving at Portland Seminary and with Theologia: George Fox Summer Theology Institute. She is also adjunct faculty at George Fox University. Trisha enjoys throwing parties, growing food, listening to the latest musical creations by Troy Welstad and laughing with her two children.One response to “Meet Trisha Welstad”
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After reading Trisha’s bio. I feel we share a lot of the same passions. I have been praying about opportunities to share my faith with students and women in creative ways, in a 1-1 format and as well as from the stage. I would love the opportunity to meet with her and share more about my desires and hear more about how she got to where she is today.