Seminary Faculty
Core Faculty
Dr. Barry Howson
Vice President of Academics
Degrees
- B.A. – University of Waterloo
- M.Div. – Central Baptist Seminary
- M.A. – McGill University
- Ph.D. – McGill University
Specializing in Theology & Church History, Barry graduated with a Master of Divinity from Central Baptist Seminary, Toronto in 1984, and in 2000 with his PhD in Church History at McGill University. He has been a professor at Heritage since 2001, primarily teaching in the areas of theology, NT Bible, worldviews/apologetics and Church history. Since 1980 he has been involved in the local church as a youth pastor and lead pastor, as well as an interim pastor, helping churches in transition. He currently offers regular pulpit supply for churches. He is married to Sharon, and has two daughters, Natalie and Shawna.
Dr. David Barker
Professor Emeritus of Biblical Studies
Degrees:
- B.Sc., University of Guelph
- M.Div., Grace Theological Seminary
- Th.M., Grace Theological Seminary
- Th.D., Grace Theological Seminary
David is Professor Emeritus of Biblical Studies at Heritage College & Seminary in Cambridge, Ontario. He presently teaches Introduction to the Old Testament, Hermeneutics, and the Book of Psalms. He has taught at Heritage since 1978. He has also served as Academic Dean, Vice-President of Academics, and Acting President over the years. His specialty is in Old Testament, particularly the Psalms and Wisdom Books. He has pastored several churches including Summerside Community Church (formerly Westminster Hope Baptist Church) and Stoney Creek Baptist Church (formerly Central Baptist Church), both in London, Ontario. He has also served as an Associate Pastor at Benton Street Baptist Church in Kitchener. He has ministered in several churches as an interim pastor and is busy many Sundays speaking in churches across the province. In his semi-retirement David spends several days a week working with his son who co-owns an arbourist business. David is married to Lorraine, and they have five married children and fourteen grandchildren.
Dr. Wayne Baxter
Professor of New Testament and Greek
Degrees
- B.Sc. – University of Western Ontario
- M.Div. – Trinity Evangelical Divinity School
- Ph.D. – McMaster University
Professor of New Testament and Greek, Wayne has been serving at Heritage since 2012. Previously he spent ten years in pastoral ministry, serving in Christian & Missionary Alliance churches in Windsor and Ottawa, and a CBOQ church in Mississauga. He earned his Ph.D. at McMaster University in the Department of Religious Studies, majoring in Early Christianity with a minor in Early Judaism. Wayne has also taught part-time at Wilfrid Laurier University, King’s University College (UWO), and McMaster University. He is married to Lucille and they have three sons, Ethan, Micah, and Jared.
Dr. Michael Azad A. G. Haykin
Professor of Church History
Degrees
- B.A. – Victoria College, University of Toronto
- M.Rel. – Wycliffe College, University of Toronto
- Th.D. – Wycliffe College, University of Toronto
Michael A.G. Haykin, FRHistS, serves as Professor of Church History at Heritage College and Seminary, where he has taught for much of the time since 1993. Before that he was Professor of Church History at Central Baptist Seminary in Toronto, one of the schools that formed Heritage. He also serves as Professor of Church History & Biblical Spirituality at The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, Kentucky, and is the Director of the Andrew Fuller Center for Baptist Studies, which operates under the auspices of The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. The Fuller Center also has an office on the Heritage campus in Cambridge.
Dr. Haykin has a B.A. in Philosophy from the University of Toronto (1974), a M.Rel. in Church History from Wycliffe College, the University of Toronto (1977), and a Th.D. in Church History from the University of Toronto and Wycliffe College (1982). He is the author of a number of books on Christianity in Late Antiquity and on British Dissent in the long eighteenth century. He and his wife, Alison, live in Dundas, Ontario.
Dr. Ian Vaillancourt
Professor of Old Testament and Hebrew
Degrees
- B.Th. – Tyndale University College
- M.T.S. – Tyndale Seminary
- Ph.D. – University of St. Michael’s College
Dr. Ian J. Vaillancourt serves as Professor of Old Testament and Hebrew at Heritage Theological Seminary. He earned a B.Th. from Tyndale College, an M.T.S. from Tyndale Seminary, and a Ph.D. from the University of St. Michael’s College, Toronto. He is also an ordained pastor in the Fellowship of Evangelical Baptists in Canada and served in senior/teaching pastoral roles for 14 years before transitioning to serve Christ in the classroom full-time. God has given him a passion to exalt Christ from the Old Testament, whether in the classroom, the pulpit, or in print. Dr. Vaillancourt has published articles and book reviews in several academic journals, including The Journal of the Evangelical Theological Society, Westminster Theological Journal, Journal for the Evangelical Study of the Old Testament, and The Scottish Bulletin of Evangelical Theology. His first monograph, The Multifaceted Saviour of Psalm 110 and 118: A Canonical Exegesis, has been published as a part of the Sheffield Phoenix Press Hebrew Bible Monographs series. One of Dr. Vaillancourt’s published books, Treasuring the Psalms, has recently been made available through a Seminary Now course. Take a class with Ian as he explores the rich depths of the book of Psalms. Ian is married to Natalie and they have two children: Caleb and Emily.
Dr. Franklin VanderMeulen
Director of Intercultural Studies
Degrees
- B.R.E. – Tyndale University College
- M.Div. – Heritage Theological Seminary
- D.Min – Trinity Evangelical Divinity School
Franklin & Eleanor served nineteen years with Ethnos Canada: two in Panama and then in administration and leadership in the Canadian office. In 2011 they ventured out by faith again and moved to Cambridge where Frank studied full time at Heritage. After graduating with a Master of Divinity in 2014, he was invited to join the faculty to teach missions and intercultural studies. In 2023 Frank graduated from Trinity Evangelical Divinity School (TEDS, Chicago) with a Doctor of Ministry degree.
Frank’s heart for ministry at Heritage is four-fold: 1) To help all students catch the vision for how their life and ministry fits in with the Lord’s eternal and global mission; 2) To equip students in the Intercultural Studies program for cross-cultural gospel ministry; 3) To encourage all students in their personal relationship with the Lord; 4) To enable Heritage to bless the many Canadian churches and mission agencies with whom we labour together in God’s mission.
Frank has been happily married to Eleanor since 1991 (which is when they married!) and they have three married children and a short list of grandchildren. Their favourite family memories are of camping and cross-country road trips.
Dr. Steve West
Professor of Theological Studies and Academic Advisor
Degrees
- B.A. – Trent University
- Th.M. – Toronto Baptist Seminary
- Ph.D. – Northwest University
For many years, Dr. Steve West has faithfully taught and mentored students at Heritage, teaching courses in theology, philosophy, ethics, and apologetics. In addition, West has had an international ministry, preaching, lecturing, and teaching courses in multiple countries on five continents around the world. West has also served his entire adult life as a pastor in the local church, and is currently the pastor of Madoc Baptist Church in Madoc, Ontario.
Adjunct Faculty
Dr. Joel Barker
Old Testament and Hebrew
Degrees
- B.A. – Huron University College
- M.A. – McMaster Divinity College
- Ph.D. – McMaster Divinity College
Dr. Amal Gendi
Intercultural Studies
Degrees
- B.Sc. – Assiut University
- M.T.S. – Tyndale Seminary
- D.Min. – Tyndale Seminary
Dr. Rick Reed
President Emeritus
Degrees:
- BA, Biola University
- ThM, Dallas Theological Seminary
- D.Min., Trinity Evangelical Divinity School
Dr. Linda Reed
Heritage Centre for Women in Ministry
Degrees
- B.A. – Biola University
- M.A. – University of Arlington
- Ed.D. – The Southern Baptist Seminary
Dr. Jonathan Stairs
Homiletics Studies
Degrees
- B.A. – Moody Bible Institute,
- M.Div. – Bethel Seminary
- D.Min. – Liberty University
Dr. Douglas A. Thomson
Music and Worship Studies
Degrees
- L.T.C.L., Trinity College, England
- A.Mus., Western Conservatory of Music
- B.A.Music, University of
Western Ontario - M.T.S., Tyndale Seminary
- D.W.S., Robert E. Weber Institute for Worship Studies