Rev. Ted Wagner

Ted Wagner was born in Orillia, Ontario, Canada on July 4, 1943, the first of four children born to Carl and Theresa Wagner. He attended public school in Weston, Ontario, and then the University of Western Ontario in London. In 1967, he married Margaret Wagstaff. Their son, Jeff, was born in Ontario, and soon afterwards they moved to British Colombia.

A year later, their love of the outdoors took them to the Yukon Territory, where their daughter, Jennifer, was born. Ted Wagner became a big game hunting guide, and thought they were following their own plans and desires. Six years after making the Yukon their home they came to know Jesus Christ as their Savior. A fifteen-year-old girl, Jennifer Mack, witnessed to Brother Wagner about Apostolic truth, and he was baptized in Jesus' name in February 1977, by Robert Langston. He received the baptism of the Holy Ghost on July 3, of the same year.

In 1972, Brother Wagner found himself thrust into leading the First Pentecostal Church in Whitehorse through a very difficult time. There were only seventeen people in the church, and the church had a $254,000 debt. Eight and a half years later the quarter million dollar debt of the church was gone. And eight and a half years after that, the congregation built a brand new twelve thousand square foot church facility, debt free. Throughout this time, the First Pentecostal Church of Whitehorse was on the leading edge of sacrificial giving to all ministries of the United Pentecostal Church.

Brother Wagner has served on the Alaska-Yukon District Board for twenty-seven years. In 1995, he was elected Executive Presbyter for Canada, a position he served in for eight consecutive years. He served twelve years on the UPCI Executive Board, as Presbyter for Canada from 1995-2001, and as Presbyter for the Northwest Region in 2004-2005 and 2010-2011. He was one of the founding board members of Urshan Graduate School of Theology, and served there for twelve years. He has served on the Home Missions Advisory Committee and the North American Advisory Committee since 2001, and is currently an honorary member of the General Board.

In 2010 Brother Wagner retired as pastor of First Pentecostal Church in Whitehorse. The Wagners continue to attend there under the able leadership of Pastor Roger Yadon.