Drawing Wisdom From the Past, Informing the Church Today
Since starting at Heritage Theological Seminary this winter in his role as Professor of Church History, Dr. Michael A.G. Haykin says that the interactions with students on campus and in the classroom has been a deeply uplifting experience.
“I think what has been most encouraging is the fabulous quality of the students in my classes: bright and keen, devoted to Christ and his people and zealous to learn from the past for faithful leadership in the present,” says Dr. Haykin.
Students who attend Heritage Theological Seminary will now have the opportunity to learn more from Dr. Haykin as he officially begins his new role as a member of the core faculty at the seminary.
Though he has served at Heritage for 27 years teaching in various capacities, Dr. Haykin says that he is looking forward to the opportunity to play a larger role in training, equipping, and mentoring leaders who will serve the mission of Christ and his church through the seminary.
“I am thrilled by what God has been doing through the leadership of the seminary and Bible College in the last few years, and desirous of being involved in theological education in Ontario to a deeper extent than I have been for a while,” explains Dr. Haykin. “I felt naturally and deeply drawn to Heritage.”
Dr. Haykin is a renowned church historian who is also the author of a number of publications and books including Rediscovering the Church Fathers and Eight Women of Faith. He will continue serving in his current role as Professor of Church History and Biblical Spirituality at The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, Kentucky. Dr. Haykin is also the Director of the Andrew Fuller Centre for Baptist Studies at Southern – a role that he will continue to hold as the Centre find its Canadian home at Heritage Theological Seminary.
The Andrew Fuller Centre for Baptist Studies seeks to bring attention to the theological and missional achievements of 18th century Baptist pastor-theologian Andrew Fuller through various publications and conferences, while also promoting an understanding of Baptist heritage and the larger Christian story of the past. At Heritage, the Fuller Centre will coordinate an annual conference in the fall and host an occasional lecture in the spring, while continuing its work on a massive publication project that will see the reprinting of Andrew Fuller’s complete works.
As he looks ahead to his time at Heritage and the opportunity to teach and mentor those who will graduate and serve the church in Canada, Dr. Haykin says that he hopes and prays that they would not only cling to Christ as they serve their churches but also learn and grow from the church’s past.
“My deep hope is that they will stay faithful to Christ and the gospel throughout their ministries; but also that they will see the Christian past as a great reservoir of wisdom and encouragement, and learn how to draw riches from the past to inform their ministries in the present,” says Dr. Haykin.