Project Ploughshares Names New Director and Charts Next Steps
The Canadian Council of Churches (CCC) and Conrad Grebel University College are pleased to announce a two-year agreement in support of Project Ploughshares, under which Paul Heidebrecht is seconded to serve as the Director of Project Ploughshares beginning January 1, 2026. As the peace research institute of the CCC, Project Ploughshares advances policies and actions that prevent war and armed violence and build sustainable peace.
Grebel and Ploughshares have worked closely together since 1976 when Ploughshares began as a project housed and administered out of the College and The Canadian Council of Churches became sponsor of the in-depth study and educational program focussing on Canadian Defence and Disarmament Policy known then as Canada/Ploughshares. "At Grebel, we value our connection with Ploughshares for its strong alignment with our mission and its practical connection to our Peace and Conflict Studies Department and the Centre for Peace Advancement," explained Grebel President Marcus Shantz. "We are delighted to partner with CCC on this important work, building on our long-standing relationship."
“The Canadian Council of Churches and Conrad Grebel University College share a deep and long-standing commitment to the pursuit of peace. For Christian churches and many faith communities, the pursuit of peace is at the heart of ecumenism and our shared mission and ministry,” echoed CCC General Secretary Peter Noteboom.
As a Core Collaborator in the Centre for Peace Advancement, Ploughshares personnel have offered internships for Grebel students, been named Research Fellows in the Centre, and taught Peace and Conflict Studies courses for Grebel.
Under the new agreement, Grebel provides leadership of the organization through the appointment of Paul Heidebrecht as a half-time secondment. Grebel will also support fundraising initiatives, continue to provide office space, and have representation on the Ploughshares Management Committee. Grebel's commitments under the agreement, including Heidebrecht's secondment, are funded by a grant from a generous donor, which will also provide additional financial capacity for Ploughshares. The overall goal of the agreement between Grebel and the CCC is to strengthen Ploughshares' governance, organizational health, and long-term sustainability, while reinforcing its ecumenical identity through engagement with constituencies and specially designed events and projects.
Heidebrecht brings a wealth of relevant experience to this leadership role. He is Director of the Kindred Credit Union Centre for Peace Advancement at Grebel, where he also teaches courses in Peace and Conflict Studies. Over the past eleven years, he has supported thirty-five peace start-ups in the Grebel Peace Incubator, as well as the research and community engagement efforts of six organizations affiliated with the Centre for Peace Advancement, including Project Ploughshares. Prior to this role, he led Mennonite Central Committee Canada’s advocacy efforts in Ottawa for five years and served on the Steering Committee of KAIROS Canada. An alumnus of Grebel, he holds a BASc in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Waterloo and a PhD in Religious Studies from Marquette University.
“I've spent the past decade helping affiliate organizations and start-ups in the Centre for Peace Advancement expand their impact by building strong teams, pursuing new partnerships, and securing funding,” reflected Heidebrecht. “I've also learned that putting wheels to good ideas requires both strategic thinking and careful attention to practical details. I'll be drawing on these experiences to prepare Project Ploughshares for another 50 years of research and action that brings the world closer to sustainable peace.” Heidebrecht will continue as Director of the Centre for Peace Advancement half-time, stepping back from some teaching and research activities.
The current global political situation highlights the need and the urgency of the work done by Project Ploughshares. As an ecumenical agency of The Canadian Council of Churches, it has a mandate to work with churches, governments, and nongovernmental organizations, in Canada and internationally, to identify, develop, and advance approaches that build peace and prevent war, and promote the peaceful resolution of political conflict. The Management Committee of Project Ploughshares is excited to welcome Heidebrecht as its new Director and welcomes this opportunity to build stronger connections to the Centre for Peace Advancement and Conrad Grebel University College.
"Dr. Paul Heidebrecht brings the scholarly rigour and practical, public-facing leadership that this moment demands,” described Simon Guthrie, who is part of the Management Committee. “He understands public policy as upstream peace work: preventing and reducing conflict depends on timely, evidence-based research and credible policy solutions. He has consistently worked at the intersection of peacebuilding and advocacy. As an ecumenical peace and security organization, Project Ploughshares is committed to bringing clarity, transparency, and serious analysis to conversations and decisions too often made behind closed doors. We are delighted to welcome Dr. Heidebrecht to Project Ploughshares."
Marcus Shantz, President
Conrad Grebel University College
Colin Read, Chair
Project Ploughshares Management Committee
Pastor Peter Noteboom, General Secretary
The Canadian Council of Churches
