The Heritage Preaching Lectures is an event that seeks to equip and encourage pastors and other ministry leaders with the tools needed to sharpen their skills to serve their churches and congregations.

This year, Heritage Theological Seminary is thrilled to welcome Dr. Jonathan Griffiths on Thursday, October 20, 2022. The theme of his lectures for this full-day event will be From the Heart of the Text to the Heart of the Hearer.

Heritage is excited to announce that this year’s Heritage Preaching Lectures will be hosted both in-person and online. We are looking forward to the opportunity to welcome pastors to Heritage for a day of encouragement and equipping, as well as inviting people to join the event online from the places God has placed them to serve Him. To learn more about this year's Heritage Preaching Lectures, visit DiscoverHeritage.ca/HPL. 

CLICK HERE TO REGISTER FOR HPL 2022

Bachelor of Theology – Pastoral Studies student Matthew Rodgers says God has given him a burden for the province of Newfoundland and Labrador and a desire to see the place he loves to come to know the person he loves, Jesus.

Therefore, he has decided to study at Heritage and attend classes where he feels God has him to serve in life and ministry. Rodgers studies at Heritage through online and live-streamed lectures throughout the academic year from his home in Newfoundland and Labrador— a choice that allows him to learn and grow while serving the province he feels called to serve.

“It allows me to continue serving my local church and contextualize the things I am learning in my local community," explains Rodgers. "It also helps me continue to learn about my community and deepen my desire to see the people in it come to faith."

As he studies at Heritage, Rodgers is serving in St. John’s as a ministry intern with Mile One Mission—an organization dedicated to planting gospel-centred, Christ-exalting churches throughout Newfoundland and Labrador. While helping with outreach initiatives to grow his reading, writing, and preaching skills, he explains that his heart has grown to serve in Newfoundland and Labrador.

With only 1% of St. John’s being evangelical Christians and a provincial population known for being disengaged religiously or even opposed to the gospel, it is an area of tremendous spiritual need. To best serve this need, Rodgers now continues his studies at Heritage to be equipped for his current and future ministry in this province.

So far, he sees how his time learning online alongside the Heritage community from his home province has equipped him for his ministry there while growing his faith and understanding through knowledge of the Bible.

“Learning more about the Bible has given me a better and bigger view of God and a clearer view of myself,” says Rodgers. “A better understanding of the Bible helps with both being able to teach and explain the truths in it as well as live out commands from it.”

“Being able to better live out my faith has equipped me to be a better witness to others and reflect what God has called me to be.”

For more information on Mile One Mission, visit mileonemission.ca.

To learn more about our College programs at Heritage, visit DiscoverHeritage.ca/Academics.

Dr. David Barker believes that it is essential for the church today to not only read the psalms but to read all of the psalms. For the Professor Emeritus of Biblical Studies at Heritage College & Seminary, the psalms give the church a broad voice of prayer and worship amid all that life may bring—from praise and thanksgiving, to lament, confession for sin, and even imprecation.

It is this heart to see the church find this voice in the psalms of David in his latest book, This Poor Man Called: Stories and Songs of David.

“My hope is that the psalms will come alive as our expressions of praise and prayer in both speaking to the realities of life that are often difficult and painful, as well as to the truth that God welcomes these prayers as part of our authentic worship of him,” explains Barker.

Barker’s book is officially the first book to be released under Heritage Seminary Press—a new publishing imprint of H&E Publishing. Dr. Michael A.G. Haykin, Professor of Church History at Heritage Theological Seminary, will serve as Editorial Director of Heritage Seminary Press. He says that the imprint hopes to serve the church in Canada through publishing volumes that will relay rich exposition of the Scriptures, timely theological reflection on current issues in the church, and helpful studies for Christian leadership and laity to enhance their walk with God.

“The mission of Heritage Seminary Press is to further facilitate the interface between the Seminary and the Church by producing Christian literature that can advance the cause of the gospel, edify the people of God, and glorify our Triune Lord,” says Haykin.

In the first of the two-volume series, Barker takes a unique approach to the psalms of David by focusing on the psalms where a historical reference is made in the title of the psalm itself. Returning to the accounts of these events found in 1 and 2 Samuel and 1 Chronicles, Barker creatively retells these stories to set the scene for the lyrics of the psalm that have come from these experiences in Scripture. After providing the foundation for the psalm, he then provides a verse-by-verse exposition of the psalm and helps the reader understand how his life experience shaped David’s theocentric and biblical worldview.

It is through connecting the background stories of David’s life to the psalms attributed to him that Barker explains sheds light on the reality that these songs and prayers come from real-life experiences that are most often difficult and dangerous. In doing so, we can enter those experiences and find a voice of prayer, petition, and praise in the life circumstances we face ourselves—an experience that Barker himself has treasured.

“For me, the references to difficult situations in which that David finds himself gives me permission to pray and praise from my places of grief and despair and inevitably brings a new orientation of hope and joy in my pilgrimage of faith,” says Barker.

To learn more and order 'This Poor Man Called: Vol. 1", visit hesedandemet.com.

Since I wrote 8 Habits for Growth: A Simple Guide to Becoming More Like Christ, people ask me which habit I struggle with the most.

The book covers habits like engaging the Bible, speaking to God in prayer, worshiping and belonging as part of the church, and more. But the habit I struggle with the most is rest.

On one hand, I’ve learned to take a weekly Sabbath. Every week, for a day, I set aside anything that looks like an obligation and enjoy God, friends and family, and life. It’s one of the practices that has helped keep me sane throughout thirty years of ministry.

But I’m not good at rest the other six days. I tend to overwork, packing more into my schedule than I should, and ending each day in exhaustion.

What’s the problem with that?

I’ve found that people who work too hard don’t tend to grow much spiritually. My wife frequently looks at some plants we have in our condo and talks about needing to replant them. The roots are too crowded, she says. They can’t continue to grow.

Our lives are like that too. Everyone’s busy sometimes, but when we neglect rest consistently, we don’t give our souls enough space to grow.

Perhaps that’s why Scripture speaks so much about the importance of rest. I picture Adam and Eve waking up the day after they were created and wondering what God had scheduled for them. That first day, they rested. They enjoyed God’s rest before they worked. It’s as if God told them, right from the beginning, that they would work out of rest. That first day is a picture of the gospel: we’re first recipients of God’s grace before we do anything for him.

Rest is a confession of our creatureliness. It’s a recognition of our limits, as well as God’s sufficiency. Plus we need it to grow.

DARRYL DASH is the author of 8 Habits for Growth. He serves as pastor of Liberty Grace Church in Toronto. He is also cofounder of Gospel for Life. He has a Doctor of Ministry degree from Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary and has over 30 years of ministry experience. Darryl is married to Charlene and has two adult children and one grandchild. You can find Darryl online at DashHouse.com.

Click here to read the Spring edition of our Alumni Newsletter or visit DiscoverHeritage.ca/Alumni. 

Political Theology in the History of the Church 

Shortly after what has been termed the Glorious Revolution (1688) in England, Gilbert Burnet, an Anglican bishop who supported that climactic event, penned a short work entitled A Letter to a Friend concerning the Behaviour of Christians under the Various Revolutions of State-Governments (1693). In this small tract, Burnet reviewed the history of how Christians had dealt with and responded to past political upheavals so as to find wisdom on how they should act in his day.

In like fashion, this three-day conference seeks to retrieve wisdom from the way churches and individual Christians have historically dealt with the sphere of politics so as to enable more faithful discipleship in this day. Join us for what promises to be a deeply informative three-day tour of the history of public theology.

Join us September 15-17, 2022 at Hope Bible Church in Oakville, ON for this special conference.

Find a full list of speakers and details on how to register for the conference—visit DiscoverHeritage.ca/AFCFall2022.

Calling all youth groups and young adults - come hang out at Heritage together this summer!

Join us for an evening of bubble soccer, sports, NERF wars, pizza and campfire, or simply hanging out! Mark the date on your calendar - Thursday August 25 from 7:00 - 9:00 pm. Please register below to help us plan games and food accordingly.

With a desire to see more churches planted and the hope of the gospel shared across Canada, Heritage Theological Seminary has officially launched the Graduate Certificate in Church Planting.

As Director of Church Planting with FEB Central, Tom Haines—who will also serve as the Director of the Graduate Certificate in Church Planting—sees first-hand the need for church planting in Canada. With a large number of Canadians living without Christ and many with little to no family history of Christianity or knowledge of Jesus, he believes that the ministry of church planting is desperately needed in this time so that more people may hear of Jesus and come to believe in Him throughout the nation.

Through this Graduate Certificate program, Haines says that church planters will not only be prepared to start churches but will learn how to thoughtfully engage with people in this unique Canadian context to share the hope of Christ in communities across the nation.

“Church planting involves far more than merely starting a Sunday service and inviting guests,” says Haines. “This was effective in years past but the dynamic of living in a post-Christian culture has required significant rethink and has led to community engagement for the sake of the gospel that exceeds what most leaders have ever done.”

Beginning fall of 2022, this five-course certificate program will train and equip those who are either preparing to plant a church or are already leading a church plant with a strategic understanding of the ministry and give them the skills necessary to stay effective in their ministry. The program will also help support leaders of churches who are looking to launch partner churches or sites in the future.

Each course provides students with the opportunity to learn and grow to lead and plant churches that will effectively share the hope of the gospel in a Canadian context from professors with extensive church planting ministry experience. Through time in the classroom and practical assignments, each student will receive the tools and information necessary for the planter and their churches to thrive.

“Time spent with experienced church planting practitioners will give the student exposure to experienced thinking, proven methodologies, and insights on how to avoid common pitfalls,” says Haines.

For Dr. Rick Reed, President of Heritage College & Seminary, offering current and aspiring church planters the opportunity to be better equipped for this ministry is at the heart of the mission of Heritage Theological Seminary.

“Heritage exists for the church—not only for established churches but also for churches that don’t yet exist,” explains Reed. “We believe the Graduate Certificate in Church Planting is a strategic way Heritage Theological Seminary can serve Christ’s church in Canada.”

To learn more about this new Graduate Certificate program, please visit DiscoverHeritage.ca/ChurchPlanting.

Visit DiscoverHeritage.ca to discover all of Heritage’s undergraduate and graduate programs and begin your application for this Fall at DiscoverHeritage.ca/Apply.

The desire to pursue missions settled into my mind when I was very young, and it was the determination to continue pursuing this goal that led me to Heritage. Now, as I look back, I see that the Lord used my experience at Heritage to shift my view on missions for the better.

My whole life I chose missions, but I never truly knew why. However, I was always eager to latch onto its possibility of adventure. While attending Heritage, God stretched my faith, humbled my heart, challenged my ideas, and ultimately reframed the true meaning of grace that contributed to my shift in understanding. In those three years, I discovered the “why.”

I came to realize my childhood choice carried a command to go, not because I was promised I would thrive, but because Jesus’ name is to be glorified. I realized that there are people who haven’t heard the gospel of grace, that don’t know God sent His Son to die for their sins that they may be saved. In the time I spent studying God’s word at Heritage, nothing hit me harder than this reality and I couldn’t ignore it.

After completing my program, I became a student at Emanate Missionary Training Center with my husband Tyler to become equipped for cross-cultural church planting. Reflecting on the work the Lord did in my heart at Heritage to reveal His mission kindles gratitude within my soul that will not be quenched. Jesus’ love is eternal and it’s unfathomable that he’d use a sinner such as I to share the wonders of His grace.

Read Mikhaela's story and more in the 2022 Heritage College & Seminary Spring and Summer Newsletter that will be arriving in mailboxes soon.

Click Here to Read This Year's Newsletter