Through the Lord’s grace, we have seen much growth and development at Heritage, and we recognize that we are on the brink of a new chapter for our community. The new seminary building, which is nearing completion, is one very visible reminder on campus of the Lord’s kindness to us as an institution. It also speaks of the great work He has yet for us to do. With hearts full of thanks, we look to the future with hope and in a spirit of dependency, recognizing that none of this would be possible without the Lord’s provision and the steadfast support of our partners.

I am honoured to be welcomed as Chancellor here at Heritage at this key moment of opportunity in the life and history of the school. The Lord has given me a passionate concern to see that a robust and faithful theological education is available across our great country. It is clear that the Lord has been guiding and preparing Heritage to increase its reach and service to the church in Canada and beyond.

This year has given us encouraging indications of the growh and renewal we sense is before us.  In September we welcomed on campus the second largest first year college class since 2011.  Additionally, our full-time enrolment in the seminary increased by 18%. While we rejoice in the blessings of the present day, we long and pray for the opportunity to serve an greater number of men and women as they prepare to go out and reach our nation with the good news of Jesus Christ.

With this goal in mind, we are so thankful to celebrate God’s incredible provision as we anticipate the January 2025 opening of our new Heritage Theological Seminary building. This new space is impressive in architectural and aesthetic terms, but the building is more than just bricks and mortar; it is a home for the school where we will teach the next generation, gather in community, and equip men and women for life and ministry. This building is a tangible symbol of God’s faithfulness to us—a reminder that He provides for His people, even beyond what we could ever ask or imagine.

           - Dr. Jonathan Griffiths

Watch the video below for a video update from Dr. Jonathan Griffiths.

We are excited to announce the publication of two new books through the Heritage Seminary Press.

The oversight of souls
Essays on pastoral ministry
By Ray Van Neste

"How do you understand pastoral ministry? What is the centre of your calling as a pastor? Is it difficult for your people to speak directly with you? Do you know your sheep? Do they know you? Are you really shepherding God’s flock as you have been called to by the Great Shepherd, Jesus himself? In this book, Ray Van Neste looks to God’s Word and church history to show that the oversight of souls is to be the very heart of pastoral ministry."

Click here to read more. 

A Phoenix of Women: Puritan spirituality in the letters of Brilliana Harley
Edited and introduced by Michael A.G. Haykin

"Brilliana’s letters reveal the heart of her spirituality. As the troubles around her increased, she took increasing solace in the truths of election, the sufficiency of Christ’s work on the cross and the sovereignty of God in salvation. The soil of her heart was truly warmed by “the sweet waters of God’s Word.”

Click here to read more. 

Heritage College & Seminary is excited to once again be hosting our annual Ministry Job Fair on campus, this year through our Career & Calling Centre.

We are excited to welcome camps, parachurch organizations, missions organizations, and churches to our campus to share about their ministries and current job openings. These ministries are hiring for full-time and part-time permanent jobs, summer jobs, and internships.

This event is open to:

• College and seminary students
• High school students interested in summer jobs or short-term missions trips
• Anyone interested in a career or job in ministry

We are looking forward to opening up our campus to you for this event. Please join us at Heritage, located at 175 Holiday Inn Drive, on January 9^th, 2025. You are welcome to drop in anytime from 2-6pm.

If you have questions, please contact us at careercentre@heritagecs.edu.

Ministries Attending

Athletes in Action

Child Evangelism Fellowship Ontario

Coldwater Canada

COMPASS Refugee Centre

International Justice Mission

Safe Familes KW & Cambridge

SEEDS (Supporting Every Eve’s Daughter Safely)

Christar

Ethnos Canada

Friends in Action International - Canada

Operation Mobilization

SEND International of Canada

Scripture Union

Camp Cherith Ontario

Camp Kwasind

Countryside Camp & Camp Shalom

EPIC and Onside

Fair Havens Camp & Conference Centre

Forest Cliff Camps

Hidden Acres Mennonite Camp

InterVarsity Circle Square Ranch Grand River

Muskoka Bible Centre

Pleasant Bay Adventure Camp

Bethel Baptist Church Strathroy

LIFE Church Stratford

Canadian Centre for Bio-Ethical Reform

Biblical hermeneutics, as the theory and practice of interpretation, is concerned with understanding the meaning of the biblical text, as well as its significance for people today. This course is designed to develop some of the philosophical and practical skills needed for the complexities of biblical hermeneutics. We will examine various models of interpretation in order to explore their value and limitations. We will also spend a significant amount of time and effort exploring the various genres of Scripture, and the interpretative principles that accompany each of them.

In this course we cover foundational issues of biblical hermeneutics (the art and science of interpretation), and its intent is to develop competency in biblical interpretation for both the personal and public use of the Scriptures.

Course Professor: Dr. David G. Barker

Course Structure

This course is being offered both in person at Hope Bible Church in Oakville and sychronous (live stream).
Classes will run on January 31st & February 1st from 9:00am-5:00pm as well as March 28th & 29th from 9:00am-5:00pm. The time outside of class instruction will be for assignments, reading and other course work.

How to Participate in the Course

There are two different ways you can take this course.

For Audit: Pay a $270 fee and participate in the learning without doing homework or assignments. You do not receive credit for the course.

For Credit: Apply at Heritage College & Seminary, participate in all aspects of the course and receive credit upon passing completion.
Application Fee Applies. Click here for more information.
Course Tuition Fee: $1,215

Note: Current Heritage Students can register in their myHeritage account.

APPLICATION DEADLINE: DECEMBER 15TH 

Apply for Course for Credit Register for Course for Audit

About our Partnership

Heritage Theological Seminary and Hope Bible Church recognize the responsibility to equip and build up strong disciples of the Word. Heritage Theological Seminary, is thankful for support from Hope Bible Church, to bring an in-person class to the GTA, at Hope’s Oakville site this January.

Questions? 

If you have questions, please contact Karyn Mowbray, Assistant Registrar - Seminary at kmowbray@heritagecs.edu or by calling 519.651.2869 Ext. 270.

October 18, 2024

New Building Set to Open: A Hub for Training Christian Leaders

The construction of our new seminary building is progressing exceedingly well and is on track for completion by the end of December. It is our hope that this modern facility will provide the ideal environment for teaching, learning, and ministry as we continue to equip Christian leaders to serve the church.

We anticipate classes to start in the new building come January, and we are eagerly anticipating our official Grand Opening Celebration in March 2025.

We're hitting the ground running, with the new building already set to host two key events, including the By Faith: Young Adults Conference on March 22, in partnership with The Gospel Coalition, and the Gospel Kids Conference on May 29-31. We are excited to see these events set the tone for the meaningful ministry and community engagement that will take place within these walls.

Dr. Jonathan Griffiths, the new Chancellor of Heritage, emphasized the importance of this development.

“The need for Christian leaders of conviction and integrity to serve the Canadian church has never been greater. The complexity of our cultural moment is unprecedented, and our churches are crying out for capable leaders who are equipped to proclaim the truth with boldness and grace. Heritage has a vital contribution to make to the Canadian church – and indeed the global church – at such a time as this. The Lord has blessed us with a gifted faculty, an excellent facility, and a shared fidelity to the Word of God. I count it a great privilege to serve as Chancellor at a time of strategic opportunity for Heritage to contribute to the cause of Christ in our land.

We thank the Lord for His continued provision and for this opportunity to expand our impact. We look forward to welcoming students, faculty, and guests to this exceptional new space as we seek to fulfill our mission of advancing the cause of Christ both in Canada and around the world.

If you are moved to give to this project, please complete and return the included donation form or give online at DiscoverHeritage.ca/Donate and choose “capital donation” on the donation form. Thank you for your prayerful consideration of a gift towards this initiative.

Announcing the newest music video from the Heritage Music Department, Thank You Jesus for the Blood. In a season of gratefulness this song rings true that our greatest hope is in Jesus alone.

If you're interested in joining the Heritage music program, reach out to our admissions team who is happy to answer any questions and help you get started on an application.

Students and Faculty from Heritage’s Music and Worship Studies department recorded a rendition of “Thank You Jesus for the Blood” arranged by Dr. Doug Thomson.

Performers Lead Vocals: Matt Collins, Kenzie Cline, Dr. Doug Thomson
Background Vocals: Joachim Verdonk, Eve Polhamus, Emma Verdonk, Ariel Mudde, Lee Brubacher, Russ Shouldice
Crowd Vocals: Heritage Students
Organ: Dr. Doug Thomson
Acoustic Guitar: Lee Brubacher
Keyboard: Jamie Iles
Electric Guitar: Dave Thompson
Bass: Dave Thompson
Piano: Dr. Doug Thomson, Trevor Hewer
Drums & Shaker: Les Behrens
Producer: Matt Collins
Executive Producer: Dr. Doug Thomson
Videographer: Bottled Media

Arranged by Dr. Doug Thomson

© Capitol CMG Publishing Songwriters: Bryan McCleery / Charity Gayle / David Gentiles / Ryan Kennedy / Steven Musso

September 27, 2024

Thank you for your faithful prayers for the Board and senior leadership of Heritage College & Seminary as we have waited upon the Lord for His guidance and provision during a season of leadership transition. Over the course of a months-long review of our leadership structure, our current situation and future potential as an institution, we have taken the strategic decision to restructure our senior leadership into a two-office model: a part-time Chancellor, who will establish the future vision of Heritage and represent the institution to the wider community, and a full-time President, who will manage all day-to-day operations and implement the vision. We are so grateful that our Interim President, Bob Kallonen, has agreed to continue in his role as President under this model for two further years, allowing Heritage to continue to benefit from his outstanding organizational leadership, which is so deeply appreciated by the board, faculty, staff and students alike.

We are thrilled to announce that Dr. Jonathan Griffiths has accepted the role of Chancellor, effective October 1^st.

Jonathan serves as Lead Pastor of the Metropolitan Bible Church in Ottawa, and will continue in his role there as he takes on this part-time role of visionary leadership at Heritage. Our Board recognizes the tremendous value of having a pastor-theologian who is rooted in the local church, giving leadership in shaping the future direction of Heritage, which itself exists to serve the church. Jonathan is married to Gemma, and together they have three children. He grew up in Toronto, where he attended Upper Canada College. He completed his undergraduate degree in theology at the University of Oxford, and holds an MPhil and PhD from the University of Cambridge. His doctoral research, which focused on the theology of divine speech in the Epistle to the Hebrews, was subsequently published by Bloomsbury T&T Clark. Jonathan has published over a dozen works of academic and devotional theology, and continues to maintain a strong writing ministry, with a major new release with B&H/Lifeway due in early 2025. His landmark book on the theology of preaching, Preaching in the New Testament, is a widely used text in leading evangelical seminaries. Jonathan has involvement in a range of ministries that serve the Canadian church: he is the Executive Director of the Timothy Trust, which trains and equips pastors in expository preaching; he serves on the Council of the Gospel Coalition Canada; and he is the Bible Teacher for Encounter the Truth, which is heard daily on over 200 radio stations across Canada and the United States, reaching over half a million listeners weekly.

As Dr. Griffiths steps into the role of Chancellor, it is with honour and gratitude for his significant contribution to Heritage that Dr. Rick Reed has been asked to assume the role of President Emeritus.  For more than a decade, through Dr. Reed’s devotion and leadership, Heritage was strengthened and built a lasting reputation for a passionate fidelity to the Word of God. Heritage is a stronger partner and enhanced resource for the church because of Dr. Reed’s leadership, and we are delighted that this can be celebrated and honoured as Dr. Reed becomes the President Emeritus of Heritage College & Seminary.

We believe that with the leadership the Lord has provided, in the past, the present and for the future, Heritage will be well positioned to serve the national and global church as a leading evangelical seminary with a compelling academic profile and an unwavering commitment to the Word of God.

Please join us in welcoming and praying for Jonathan and for Bob as they step into this new season of leadership at Heritage.

Don Symons

Chairman of the Board
Heritage College & Seminary

Special Message from Dr. Jonathan Griffiths

"I count it a great privilege to step into the role of Chancellor at Heritage College and Seminary. Heritage occupies a strategic place in the national evangelical landscape because of its proven fidelity to the Word of God and its steadfast commitment to serving the local church. The need for training and preparing outstanding Christian leaders for the Canadian church has never been greater. I look forward to working with the excellent faculty and staff at Heritage to continue the great work that is being done and to prepare, Lord-willing, for a future of growing impact in our land for His glory."

Heritage College & Seminary is hosting a comprehensive evaluation visit for reaffirmation of accreditation by the ATS Commission on Accrediting on November 11-14. The purpose of this visit is to verify that the school meets all applicable Commission Standards of Accreditation. Comments regarding how well the school meets those standards and/or generally demonstrates educational quality may be sent to accrediting@ats.edu at least two weeks before the visit. Comments may also or instead be sent in writing to Dr. Barry Howson, Vice President of Academics by telephone 519.651.2869 or email bhowson@heritagecs.edu . All comments will be shared with the onsite evaluation committee.