Congregation & Elders

We believe that Jesus delegated greatest authority in the church to the congregation itself (Matthew 16:16-19; 18:17-20). Our membership, then, has delegated some of its authority to a group of faithful elders to specifically provide leadership and oversight over the church and help us to govern ourselves according to the Lord's will (1 Timothy 3:1-7; Titus 1:5-9). Our current elders are Joshua Cahan, Daniel Mboweni, and Larry Showalter.

Staff

The church staff's primary role is to "to equip [God's] people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up" (Ephesians 4:12). This means our staff strives not to do all of the ministry, but to empower our members to use their spiritual gifts to serve our church and our city.

Rev. Joshua Cahan
Senior Pastor

Josh was born just outside Boston in Stoneham, MA, but he grew up in Reading, PA. He moved to Washington, D.C., to study political science and communications at American University. Though he was raised in the church, Josh trusted in Jesus Christ for the first time during his junior year in college after watching a sermon DVD that a friend gave to him. He soon discovered a passion for the local church and pastoral ministry. He worked at McLean Bible Church for three years following graduation where his love for the local church only deepened. At American University, Josh also met his beautiful wife, Whitney. After one year of marriage, Josh and Whitney moved to Massachusetts to study at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary, where they each earned a Master of Divinity degree. After learning about the need for church revitalization in New England, the Lord led them to Boston and to Ruggles Baptist Church. Josh and Whitney first joined the Ruggles family as members in 2012 and served as greeters. Josh came on staff as Assistant Pastor in 2015 under Pastor Larry, and in June 2017, the church called him as its Senior Pastor. Josh and Whitney live in Mission Hill with their three children and goldendoodle.

Whitney Cahan
Ministry Director

Whitney was born and raised in a loving, Christian family in Houston, TX. After high school and junior college, she decided to make a big move to study at American University in Washington, D.C. to pursue a career in public service. However, while working on Capitol Hill after graduation, she felt called to vocational ministry. She left her staff position in Congress to help lead the college ministry at McLean Bible Church. Whitney met Josh at American University, and after they married, they followed the Lord's call to pursue theological training at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary on the North Shore of Massachusetts. The Lord then led Whitney and Josh to Boston and Ruggles Baptist Church, where Whitney serves as Director of Discipleship.

Yao Hu
Ministry Fellow

Yao was born and raised in Nanjing, China. She went to medical school there and was baptized as a Christian in a local house church in 2006, where she then served as a Bible study group leader. In 2017, Yao came to Boston for a research job in Neuroscience and began worshiping with Ruggles. In 2018, she became a member and started serving on the worship team and in the ESL ministry. She felt called by the Lord to dedicate her life to the teaching ministry as her faith had deepened and grown. Thus, she left her job in the medical school and applied for the M.Div program at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary in 2019. Yao came on staff as Ministry Intern in 2020, where she now serves in the teaching ministry and the ESL ministry.

Evan Henry
Pastoral Intern

Evan is from Chennai, India. He grew up in a Christian family and faithful Anglican Church, and moved to Boston to study in the Master of Divinity program at Boston University School of Theology. Evan leads our local outreach team, as well as worship music, administration, and teaching.

Philip Kirui
Pastoral Intern

Philip is from Nakuru, Kenya, and accepted Christ as Lord and Savior in 2022. He moved to Boston to study in the Master of Divinity program at Boston University School of Theology. Philip teaches, preaches, and serves on the worship music and children’s ministry teams.