Speakers

Phil Reinders served as the Senior Minister at Knox Presbyterian Church from 2012 until 2020. He previously served congregations in Calgary, AB and Vancouver, BC., providing missional leadership to the church within the multi-cultural, metropolitan Canadian context. Phil is married to Betty, a Marriage and Family Therapist and Spiritual Director, and is also known as “Dad” to Owen and Lily. Phil has degrees from Calvin College (BA), Calvin Theological Seminary (MDiv), Regent College (ThM), and Acadia University (DMin). Phil is the author of the popular prayerbook Seeking God’s Face: praying with the bible through the year, (2010). He has studied widely in the area of spiritual formation, being deeply shaped by the spiritual disciplines and contemplative practices of the Christian church, and encourages the development of “rule of life” communities in local churches (habituscommunity.org). Phil enjoys hiking, skiing, biking, or anything that gets him outside, preferably in the mountains or meandering through the streets of the city, and loves the creative and experimental challenge of writing, photography, cooking/baking (he makes a seriously good sourdough bread).

Nick Renaud is currently the Associate Minister at Knox Presbyterian Church. He began serving in 2013, and was ordained to his current role in 2018. His education includes a BA in Dramatic Art from the University of Windsor, and an MDiv from Knox College at the University of Toronto. He also spent time studying missional ecclesiology and urban missional engagement at Tyndale Seminary, where he engaged with ideas which continue to form his pastoral theology and preaching. When not engaged in church work, he’s probably on a wine tour with his wife, Margaret, doing web development in his spare time, or enjoying the many delights Toronto has to offer.

Between 2010 and 2019, Paul Johansen served Knox in several pastoral roles including Interim Preacher – Pastoral Staff Leader, Pastor for Discipleship and Care, and Pastoral Assistant to the Senior Minister. Through these roles, Paul’s main contributions came through supporting the congregation and the pastoral staff in areas of preaching/worship, pastoral care, spiritual formation, and leadership development. Paul has been a Congregational Pastor in churches in the GTA for over 30 years. He pursued his passion for scripture, theology and spirituality at the University of Toronto (Religious Studies), Tyndale Seminary (Pastoral Studies) and Wheaton Graduate School (Historical/Systematic Theology). Presently, Paul serves as the Chaplain of King-Bay Chaplaincy in Toronto’s Financial District and Pastoral Leader at Good Shepherd Community Church, Scarborough.

John was the Senior Minister at Knox Church from 1995 to 1999. He has also served as Professor of Systematic Theology at Ontario Theological Seminary (now Tyndale); Principal of The Presbyterian College, Montreal; and is now Principal and Professor of Historical Theology at Knox College, Toronto. In 2012 he was elected as Moderator of the 138th General Assembly of The Presbyterian Church in Canada. John is deeply committed to expository preaching and Reformed theology and teaches and writes widely in the areas of historical theology, spiritual formation, theological education, Biblical preaching, missional leadership, and congregational renewal. John is a graduate of the University of Toronto (B.A.), Knox College (M.Div.), Princeton Theological Seminary (Th.M.), and the Toronto School of Theology (Th.D). In 2012 he was awarded an honorary doctorate in sacred theology (D.D.) from the Montreal Diocesan Theological College affiliated with McGill University for his contributions to Reformed theology and theological education. John is married to Lynn, a lay pastor and artist. They have three adult children and five grandchildren.

Mariano Di Gangi was Senior Minister at Knox from 1987 to 1992. He served congregations in Montreal, Hamilton and the historic 10th Presbyterian Church in Philadelphia. He was the North American Director of BMMF (now Interserve) and the first Professor of Pastoral Studies at Tyndale Seminary. Dr. Di Gangi authored several books on the Puritans, on preaching and on world missions. Dear to his heart was a commitment to global evangelism, which provided him many opportunities to preach the Gospel world-wide, including a devoted ministry in his ancestral homeland of Italy. He was a graduate of the City College of New York and Westminster Theological Seminary and the recipient of an honorary doctorate from Gordon-Conwell Seminary.

Don MacLeod was a China Mishkid, his father a professor at North China Theological Seminary. A graduate of McGill, Harvard, and Westminster Seminary, he served churches in Nova Scotia (1963-1967). In 1967 he founded Knox’s daughter church, Bridlewood in Scarborough, Ontario. He was Vice-President and President of Evangelical Fellowship of Canada (1971-1975). In 1975 he was appointed General Director of the Inter-Varsity Christian Fellowship of Canada. At the end of his 5 year term, he was invited by Dr. Owen to serve as Associate Pastor at Knox Church. During that time he founded the Renewal Fellowship within the Presbyterian Church in Canada. Eight years later he moved to Boston, Massachusetts, where he became Senior Pastor of the historic Newton Presbyterian Church (1987-1997). His final pastoral responsibility was a call to St. Andrew’s Presbyterian Church, Trenton, Ontario (1997-2006). At that time he also became an Adjunct at Tyndale Theological Seminary, teaching Missions and Church History with his wife Judy, retiring from there in 2019. He and Judy currently reside in Brighton, Ontario. The author of six books, Don MacLeod has two honorary degrees from Gordon-Conwell and Westminster Seminaries.

J. Glyn Owen was born and raised in rural Pembrokeshire in Wales. As a teenage reporter he was sent to cover some evangelistic meetings in Camarthen, as a result of which he committed his life to Christ, and subsequently felt called to ministry. He graduated from Cardiff University (BA), and from Aberystwyth Theological College (BD) while heavily involved with the Inter-Varsity Christian Fellowship. He later received an honorary doctorate from Houghton College. In 1948 Glyn married Prudence Roberts, his wife of 69 years, and was installed in his first charge to Heath Presbyterian Church, Cardiff. He later ministered in Trinity Presbyterian Church, Wrexham (1954), then in Berry Street Presbyterian Church, Belfast (1959), before moving to Westminster Chapel, London, where he succeeded Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones (1969). In 1974 Glyn was called to be Senior Minister of Knox Presbyterian Church in Toronto where he served until he retired in 1986. His ministry in Knox was defined by his inspirational, expositional preaching, his pastoral heart, and his passion for evangelism and worldwide mission. After his retirement, Glyn continued to preach throughout Southern Ontario and held Bible studies in his home. Over the course of his life, Glyn was involved with the Keswick Conventions, the Evangelical Movement of Wales, the Qua Iboe Mission, and was also Chairman of the European Missionary Fellowship for many years.

Dr. Fitch was born and raised in Scotland. He pursued his studies there, (BD, MA, PhD) pastoring two congregations in Scotland. In 1955 he received a call to be the Senior Pastor at Knox Church where he served until 1972. During his tenure, Knox expanded by building the Fellowship Centre, establishing a significant children’s outreach programme and camping ministry, and the Summer Fellowship, which ran on Wednesday evenings during July and August for 49 years. He focused greatly on world mission and was widely known for his Bible teaching and preaching. He authored eight books, one of which was a history of Knox, titled “Knox Church, Toronto: Avant-Garde, Evangelical Advancing.” After leaving Knox he developed and ran Church Renewal Fellowship for the next decade before passing to glory in 1984.