President Richard Topping Granted $30K for Research on the Holy Spirit
The Vancouver School of Theology is thrilled to announce that President Richard Topping has received grants totaling $30,000.00 to conduct research, writing, and resource development on the person and work of the Holy Spirit in contemporary and Reformed theology. The project is funded by the Reid Trust and a bequest to The Presbyterian Church in Canada.
This generous funding will enliven the church in Canada by supporting the development, curation, and sharing of theological resources.
Retrieving a Reformed doctrine of the Holy Spirit that embraces God’s agency in the church and the world will bless the church by encouraging it get caught up in the life of the Spirit, which is the life of God. Rather than rehearsing the story of numerical decline, this vision embraces the fact that God is not in decline, and that the risen Christ is renewing the church in the power of the Holy Spirit.
Rev. Dr. Topping’s work will be curated into a deeply faithful and relevant body of material to be shared in imaginative and engaging formats. Generous funding from the Reid Trust and a bequest to The Presbyterian Church in Canada, as well as in-kind contributions, will support the facilitation and development of:
- A scholarly conference on the Holy Spirit and congregational vitality, as well as a published book composed of the conference proceedings.
- A Master of Divinity-level course syllabus on the Holy Spirit to be taught at VST by the Professor of Studies in the Reformed Tradition.
- Resources to extend VST’s teaching excellence out of the classroom, to be freely distributed for congregations to use in their own educational settings.
“This is particularly important in that we as Christians are now, more than ever, called into the challenging and counter-cultural work of the renewal and healing of the world, a calling that can only be faithfully undertaken when led by the Holy Spirit.”
—The Most Rev. Melissa M. Skelton
As President of the Vancouver School of Theology, as well as Professor of Studies in the Reformed Tradition, Rev. Dr. Richard Topping is uniquely positioned to carry out this research in conversation with leading academics, educators, and students following their calling in the church, and congregational partners in the Reformed tradition across the country. His extensive experience as a minister, professor, and seminary leader—matched with his personal passion for this work—will allow him to undertake and broadly share this research, to the benefit of the whole church.
“[Dr. Topping] cares about how theology informs and deepens the faith of individuals and congregations. He is an academic and a pastor in the life of the Christian Church.”
—Rev. Dr. M. Jean Morris
VST exercises its commitment to forming adaptive and engaged leaders. This research will enrich students’ theological foundations, extend VST’s teaching excellence to multiple venues, and strengthen relationships between the school and churches that hunger for life in the Holy Spirit.