Communiqué Farel | 1.1E (March 2022)
News for Your Prayers
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A Word of Welcome
In an effort to keep the friends of Farel informed, we are launching this newsletter in both French and English. We are excited to journey with you and we are grateful for your prayers and support.
Please know that we have worked from an old list that most likely needs updating. If you have received this letter in one language, but would like to receive it in the other, please reply to this email and let us know. If you prefer not to receive these updates, please feel free to unsubscribe by clicking on the appropriate link near the bottom of this email.
Dr. Jacques Boulet
Director of Farel
Significant Changes
Since 1980, Institut Farel has operated as a non-accredited seminary for training men seeking to serve the church as pastors or elders, as well as instructing men and women in Reformed theology and practice. While our mission continues, Farel may no longer operate as a full seminary due to a decision made by the Quebec Ministry of Higher Education.
Over the past few years, Farel’s board examined carefully how to move forward with clarity, integrity and creativity.
- We reflected on our mission, consulting leaders of the Église réformée du Québec (ERQ), in order to respond to real educational needs in the Quebec mission.
- We considered the ramifications of the decision by the Quebec Ministry of Higher Education determining that Farel can no longer operate as a seminary or present itself as an institution of higher learning.
- We were pleased with the new relationship we have been developing with the Faculté de théologie évangélique (FTE), a seminary of Reformed Baptist conviction located in Montreal.
In 2020, an administrative agreement was signed with the FTE. All students are now enrolled exclusively in the FTE pastoral study program. However, the FTE curriculum offers courses with a distinctly Reformed flavour taught by Farel professors (e.g. Reformed confessions; the Reformation; Christian education; ecclesiology). In addition, our professors teach other FTE courses in the B.Th/M.Div programme. Farel has two permanent seats on the FTE governing board and pays the salary of an administrative assistant.
While Farel no longer operates as a full seminary, we retain our own independent legal and financial status as a center for Reformed education. With the Lord’s blessing, we desire to instruct more students in the richness of Reformed theology.
New to Farel
Watch Bernard's self-introduction here
Since February 1st, Bernard (Ben) Westerveld has joined the Farel staff as professor and administrator. Besides teaching courses for Farel in Reformed confessions and practical theology, Ben will develop popular level courses in Reformed theology and life.
Having grown up in a Reformed Chistian family in Dunnville, Ontario, Ben’s interests wavered between politics and the pastoral ministry. Somehow Quebec got into the mix. In 1995, while studying at Westminster Theological Seminary (Philadelphia), Ben sensed a strong call to serve the Reformed mission in Quebec.
With his wife, Melanie, and their eight children, they settled in Quebec City where Ben served the Église réformée St-Marc as pastor for just over twenty-years. Having taught the course Reformed Confessions for Farel in 2020, Ben discovered an interest in training men for the ministry. At the same time, he desires to feed a growing curiosity amongst Quebec evangelicals for Reformed theology and for living the Reformed faith in the world.
Plans for the Future
As Farel opens a new chapter in its forty-plus year history, several exciting opportunities are being explored:
- Teaching at the Faculté de théologie évangélique (FTE)
- Offering 6-8 courses in Reformed theology to Farel and FTE students
- Refreshing the Farel Institut de théologie réformée website
- Setting up online Moodle classes - Autodidact for God, Reformed 101
- Publishing Reformed literature with Éditions La Rochelle
- Developing our relationship with a network of Reformed French-speaking missions
As we serve with the strength and wisdom that our Lord provides, please pray regularly for Farel, for our teachers and particularly our students.
A sneak peek at our online platform for mini-courses