Our next School of Theology will be held 29th June to 3rd July 2025, DV

This annual week of teaching and discussion is aimed at helping men who desire to be better equipped for service in their churches. It is a post-graduate level course which assumes familiarity with the Bible and Christian theology. It is an itensive week of study with up to 27 hours of teaching over the course of five days.
    While it is primarily intended for men who attend churches within the Fellowship of Reformed Baptist Churches in New Zealand, others may attend at the discretion of our elders and women may also attend some courses (please contact us to enquire before registering). Participants are expected to attend the entire School of Theology which begins after lunch on the Monday and concludes late afternoon on the Thursday. All participants are expected to attend a dinner on the Wednesday evening but other evenings are free.
    Our sixteenth annual School of Theology will be held 29th June to 3rd July 2025, the Lord willing. (Registrations will open in about February 2025.)

The Subject & Speaker for 2025

The Lord willing, Dr. James M Renihan will return to teach on Preaching the Psalms to a Christian Congregation. This course will examine the book of Psalms as a source for preaching in Christian congregations. Students will be introduced to the structure of the Psalms, their use in the New Testament, and examples of sermon preparation and presentation. Note that this course will be run over 3½ days instead of the usual 4½ days.

In past years

2014, 2017 & 2019: Dr. Fred Malone has taught us on three occasions: firstly in 2014 when his topic was, Preaching Christ in all the Scriptures. He returned in 2017 and 2019 to teach a two-part course on The Pastoral Ministry. Dr. Malone is a graduate of Reformed Theological Seminary (M. Div.) and Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary (Ph. D.). He is Pastor Emeritus of First Baptist Church of Clinton, Louisiana, where he served from 1993. Dr. Malone is the author of The Baptism of Disciples Alone as well as other books and articles, and he is the Professor of Pastoral Theology at IRBS Theological Seminary and Covenant Baptist Theological Seminary.

2018: our teacher was Dr Richard Barcellos who lectured on Hermeneutics and Theological Formulation. Richard Barcellos is pastor of Grace Reformed Baptist Church, Palmdale, CA. He has over 25 years of pastoral experience and is a graduate of The Master’s Seminary (M.Div) and Whitefield Theological Seminary (Th.M. and Ph.D.). He has authored a number of articles and books, including In Defense of the Decalogue, The Family Tree of Reformed Biblical Theology, The Lord’s Supper as a Means of Grace, and Getting the Garden Right. He is Associate Professor of Exegetical Theology at International Reformed Baptist Seminary (IRBS).

2016: our teacher was Pastor Samuel Renihan who lectured on a Reformed Baptist Covenant Theology. Sam is a graduate of Westminster Seminary California and the Institute of Reformed Baptist Studies. Since September 2012 he has been a pastor at Trinity Reformed Baptist Church, La Mirada, California. Sam has a PhD through the Free University of Amsterdam and is the author of a number of books including God without Passions and The Mystery of Christ, His Covenant and His Kingdom. He is Adjunct Professor of Theology at International Reformed Baptist Seminary (IRBS) and he blogs at Particular Voices.

2013: The School of Theology was entitled Our great and glorious God (on the Doctrine of God) and the speaker was Dr. Raymond Perron from Quebec, Canada. Dr. Perron is a French Canadian who has been involved in church planting in Quebec and has served as President of l’Association d’Églises réformées baptistes du Québec (the Association of Reformed Baptist Churches in Quebec). He is currently involved in radio ministry and the training of pastors.

2007-2012, 2015 & 2023-2024: Dr. James M. Renihan taught at our School of Theology between 2007 and 2012, returned in 2015, and again in 2023 and 2024. He is a respected author, preacher, and conference speaker. He serves as the President and Professor of Historical Theology at the International Reformed Baptist Seminary (IRBS) based in Texas, having previously served as Dean and Professor of Historical Theology at the Institute of Reformed Baptist Studies at Westminster Seminary in Escondido, California. He has also served as an elder and pastored churches in California, Massachusetts and New York.

Reports:

• 2007 Jim Renihan on Baptist Symbolics: the history, language and theology of the 1689 Baptist Confession of Faith
• 2008 Jim Renihan on Baptist History
• 2009 Jim Renihan on Distinctives of Reformed Baptist Theology
• 2010 Jim Renihan on A Theology of Ministry
• 2011 Jim Renihan on Puritanism in context
• 2012 Jim Renihan on the Doctrine of the Church
• 2013 Raymond Perron on the Doctrine of God
• 2014 Fred Malone on Preaching Christ in all the Scriptures
• 2015 Jim Renihan on the Doctrines of Grace
• 2016 Sam Renihan on Covenant Theology
• 2017 Fred Malone on The Pastoral Ministry (Part 1)
• 2018 Richard Barcellos on Hermeneutics and Theological Formulation
• 2019 Fred Malone on The Pastoral Ministry (Part 2)
• 2020-2022 the School of Theology could not be held due to Covid-19 restrictions
• 2023 Jim Renihan on Baptist Symbolics (Part 1)
• 2024 Jim Renihan on Baptist Symbolics (Part 2)

Please contact us if you would like further information