THE PASTOR-THEOLOGIAN
TRINITY IS COMMITTED TO TRAINING PASTOR-THEOLOGIANS FOR PASTORAL MINISTRY AND MISSIONS
TRINITY LEADERSHIP
Life is too short for bad theology!
We strongly believe that New Zealand urgently needs men who are both biblically grounded and have a pastoral heart for souls to effectively lead the local church.
Trinity's primary focus is to serve Christ by teaching its students biblical and experiential pastoral ministry to passionately live, preach, and teach the Word of God. Our commitment at Trinity is to strengthen the men whom God is setting apart to enter pastoral ministry and mission work to be anchored in sound, historical, and reformed theology.
Dr Phil Henderson
Principal of Trinity Institute and Pastor of Onekawa Bible Church
Ps Matthew Johnston
Vice-Principal of Trinity Institute and Pastor of Riverbend Bible Church
A Word to the Local Pastor
"We want to encourage you to send us the very best of men who have received that external affirmation from their local church elders and we will work alongside you in a remote mentor model to equip them as pastor-theologians."
Our Unique Program
Diploma of Divinity (Dip.Div.)
Our robust, unique theological program is designed to train and prepare men, particularly pastors/elders, to lead God's church with excellence. Our courses are designed to cultivate spiritual maturity in every student as they devote themselves to the Holy Scriptures. (2 Timothy 2:2; 1 Peter 5:1-4)
COURSES
Hermeneutics
Hebrew & Greek
Systematic Theology
Old Testament
New Testament
Expository Preaching
Pastoral Ministry
Historical Theology
Evangelism/Apologetics
Missions
+ Impact Conference Block Courses
+ Selective Courses
PART-TIME
Why part-time?
Because we understand that the students who will undergo the rigors of formal theological training will be working in their local churches or in their secular jobs.
Why 3 years?
Trinity has designed a program that will equip the students with the necessary tools for pastoral, gospel ministry in the local church. Each student will learn hermeneutics, biblical languages, sound theology, and homiletics; among other essential courses.
MENTOR MODEL
To study at Trinity, the student must have the support and endorsement of their local church’s elders and pastors. The Mentor Model at Trinity facilitates collaboration between faculty and the local pastors for the student’s academic and spiritual development.
FUTURE STUDENTS
Evidence of spiritual character is essential in the lives of each student, and personal qualities such as integrity, faithfulness, holiness, and commitment are encouraged in all our classes, ministry experience, and student body life.
(Titus1:5-9, 1 Tim 3:1-7).
Our Mission
Trinity Institute is committed to training pastor-theologians for pastoral ministry, missions, and the advancement of the Kingdom of God. Our mission is to equip men to serve Christ and His church with excellence, integrity, and compassion.
We have a strong conviction that students must be well-prepared to serve Christ and His saints, by gaining a comprehensive understanding of God’s full revelation of His written word and developing a tender pastoral experiential heart. This is the reason why all our professors are not only theologians but primarily possess practical experience serving in their local churches. (1 Timothy 4:13; Rom 12:1-2; John 14:15)
TRINITY FOUNDING FACULTY
Trinity offers a unique opportunity to receive training from lecturers who have a significant experience in both theology and pastoral ministry. These pastors are serving in local churches throughout New Zealand.
DR PHIL HENDERSON
Phil Henderson serves as pastor at Onekawa Bible Church in Napier since 2015. He complete a Master of Divinity (M. Div) and a Doctorate of Ministries (in Expository Preaching) at The Master's Seminary In Los Angeles CA. He is now affectionately known as "Dr Phil".
Phil is married to Natalie and they have 3 children.
PS MATT JOHNSTON
Matthew Johnston serves as Pastor of Riverbend Bible Church. Prior to this he ministered at Grace Community Church in Sun Valley, California leading Bible Studies, teaching Evangelism, and was actively involved in the Biblical Counselling Ministry. He is a graduate of The Master’s Seminary.
Matthew is married to Lisa and they have three children
DR SIMON PYATT
Simon Pyatt has been involved in training people to take the gospel to the unreached in remote parts of Asia.
Simon is currently in Indonesia full time, training pastors there with The Masters Academy International. Simon has a doctorate in Theology that he gained in Indonesia.
Simon is married to Ann and they have three children.
PS ANDREW YOUNG
Andrew Young serves as an Elder and as the Associate Pastor of Riverbend Bible Church. Andrew also spent some time at The Shepherds Bible College the former Bible School located here at Riverbend Bible Church. He serves as a board member of Gracebooks NZ and is married to Jenny and they have four children.
TRINITY ADJUNCT FACULTY
Nick Clevely is currently the pastor of Covenant Grace Baptist Church. He has served in pastoral ministry for over 20 years, serving in South Africa; St Helena; and New Zealand. He is married to Lynn and they have two sons and one granddaughter.
PS NICK CLEVELY
André was born in Pretoria, South Africa. He is married to Masha since 1997 and has three children. André served In Russia, Saint Petersburg as a missionary over a period of 8 years. After more theological studies in England at the London Theological Seminary, He pastored a church in South Africa after which he was called to worked as a Church Planter in Germany from 2009-2013. Since 2013 André has been a pastor at a Reformed Baptist church called, "Shore Baptist Church” on the North Shore of Auckland.
PS ANDRE BAY
Jason lives in Darfield, Canterbury, with his wife, Claret, and their six children. Following Jason’s conversion by God’s grace in 2003, Jason was ordained into pastoral ministry in 2009, and he has been pastoring at Redemption Church in Christchurch from that point until now. The primary areas of ministry which Jason is given to are expository preaching, leadership development, biblical counselling, and pro-life outreach
PS JASON WINSLADE
Darryl completed a Bachelor of the Arts in Biblical Counseling at the Master's University, and then graduated with a Master of Divinity degree from the Master's Seminary. He then went on to doctoral studies, earning a Master of Theology and a Doctor of Philosophy in Biblical Counseling with a minor in Biblical Spirituality from The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. He wrote his dissertation on "The place of union with Christ in the theology and practice of marriage."
DR DARRYL BURLING
TRINITY TEACHING FELLOWS
Together with our amazing local faculty, Trinity has recruited world-class professors. These men are not only highly prepared academically but are also serving as elders and pastors in their local churches.
DR. JOEL BEEKE
President and professor of systematic theology and homiletics at Puritan Reformed Theological Seminary, and pastor of the Heritage Reformed Congregation of Grand Rapids Michigan. He is the Author or co-author of more than 100 books and editor of another 100 volumes.
He is an editor of Puritan Reformed Journal and Banner of Sovereign Grace Truth, editorial director of Reformation Heritage Books, president of Inheritance Publishers, and vice-president of the Dutch Reformed Translation Society.
DR. JAMES DOLEZAL
Dr. Dolezal is associate professor of theology in the School of Divinity at Cairn University in Langhorne, PA. . Prior to undertaking PhD studies at Westminster Seminary, he pastored in Lethbridge, Alberta. He is the author of God without Parts: Divine Simplicity and the Metaphysics of God’s Absoluteness (Pickwick, 2011), All That Is in God: Evangelical Theology and the Challenge of Classical Christian Theism (Reformation Heritage, 2017).
PS. MATT SMITH
Matt Smith was born in San Diego, CA. Matt has a passion for preaching the Word of God as well as for apologetics. He is the author of two books and a commentary on the book of Colossians. He holds the following degrees:
- B.A. in Psychology with a minor in Athletic Coaching from UC Santa Barbara - M.R.S from Southern California Seminary (SCS)
- M.A. in Biblical Studies from SCS
- Master of Divinity from SCS
- Masters of Theology from SCS
DR. SCOTT ARDAVANIS
The Senior Pastor of Grace Church of Valley in central California. He begins his Pastoral ministry at Grace Community Church with John Macarthur. Scott served for 20 years as a Senior Pastor in Chicago and Southern California. He is an adjunct professor at The Master’s Seminary. He also serves as board member at The Master’s University/Seminary.
DR. MIKE RICCARDI
Mike Riccardi serves as the Pastor of Local Outreach Ministries at Grace Community Church, which includes overseeing Fundamentals of the Faith classes, eight foreign language outreach Bible studies, and evangelism in nearby jails, rehab centres, and in the local neighbourhood. He serves as Assistant Professor of Theology at The Master’s Seminary. He has the privilege of serving alongside Phil Johnson as co-pastor of the GraceLife fellowship group at Grace Church.
