2022 New Geneva Academy Shepherds Conference
OLD PATHS
OLD PATHS
Online registration is open!
The annual New Geneva Academy Shepherds Conference exists to strengthen church officers and their wives, as well as other lay leaders, both men and women, with a heart for Christ's sheep.
As pastors and church leaders, we need to walk in the paths of faithful shepherds before us, learning to serve our flocks with care and humility. In this year's conference, pastor, professor, and Calvin scholar Richard Gamble will open up Calvin's ministry in Geneva and its application to our ministries today. Pastors Stephen Baker, Josh Knipp, and Jody Killingsworth will teach on following the "old paths" of ministerial training, pastoral care, and worship.
Join us for a restorative time of sound Bible teaching, warm fellowship, good food, and sweet worship.
Register here!
October 5-6 at Trinity Reformed Church, Bloomington, IN, presented by New Geneva Academy. All attendees are warmly invited to Evangel Presbytery's Fall Stated Meeting on Friday, October 7.
In addition to the plenary sessions, we'll have a breakout seminar for wives on Thursday afternoon. More details forthcoming...
As pastors and church leaders, we need to walk in the paths of faithful shepherds before us, learning to serve our flocks with care and humility. In this year's conference, pastor, professor, and Calvin scholar Richard Gamble will open up Calvin's ministry in Geneva and its application to our ministries today. Pastors Stephen Baker, Josh Knipp, and Jody Killingsworth will teach on following the "old paths" of ministerial training, pastoral care, and worship.
Join us for a restorative time of sound Bible teaching, warm fellowship, good food, and sweet worship.
Register here!
October 5-6 at Trinity Reformed Church, Bloomington, IN, presented by New Geneva Academy. All attendees are warmly invited to Evangel Presbytery's Fall Stated Meeting on Friday, October 7.
In addition to the plenary sessions, we'll have a breakout seminar for wives on Thursday afternoon. More details forthcoming...
Session Descriptions
SESSION 1 | Training Our Men
Rev. Stephen Baker
Pastors have trained pastors ever since the Apostle Paul trained Timothy, but in modern times the Church has outsourced much of this work to academic institutions loosely connected to the church. We need to recover older methods.
Pastor Stephen Baker will make the case for a more personal and Church-centered approach to pastoral training from Scripture and history as he shows the damaging effects of a purely academic approach.
SESSIONS 2 & 3 | Learning from Calvin
Rev. Dr. Richard Gamble
John Calvin worked ceaselessly to recover old paths of sound doctrine and faithful pastoral care, implementing them in his 16th-century context. As he mined Scripture and church history for wisdom, his life and ministry became a template that has never lost its relevance for the Church.
Dr. Richard Gamble will teach us about John Calvin’s understanding of the Church in the Old and New Testaments, how that shaped his life and ministry in Geneva, and how it can shape us as pastors today.
SESSION 4 | Caring for Souls
Rev. Josh Knipp
The care and cure of souls is a pastor’s responsibility. He must look after each of his sheep. Long before modern psychology, men and women found love, counsel, and life-giving reproof in the Church for this reason.
Pastor Josh Knipp will exhort us to return to historic pastoral care, caring for the souls in our congregation with skill and humility, one by one, at the point of their most serious sins and weaknesses.
SESSION 5 | Worshipping with Simplicity
Rev. Andrew Dionne
Shepherds ought to lead God’s people to worship Him with understanding as well as emotion. This is the Bible’s focus, and it trains pastors to aim at simplicity in preaching, song, and liturgy.
Pastor Andrew Dionne will look to the example of the Apostles, the ancient church, and the Reformed Fathers as he encourages us to avoid giving up a plain use of words for ornamentation, symbolism, and ritual.
Rev. Stephen Baker
Pastors have trained pastors ever since the Apostle Paul trained Timothy, but in modern times the Church has outsourced much of this work to academic institutions loosely connected to the church. We need to recover older methods.
Pastor Stephen Baker will make the case for a more personal and Church-centered approach to pastoral training from Scripture and history as he shows the damaging effects of a purely academic approach.
SESSIONS 2 & 3 | Learning from Calvin
Rev. Dr. Richard Gamble
John Calvin worked ceaselessly to recover old paths of sound doctrine and faithful pastoral care, implementing them in his 16th-century context. As he mined Scripture and church history for wisdom, his life and ministry became a template that has never lost its relevance for the Church.
Dr. Richard Gamble will teach us about John Calvin’s understanding of the Church in the Old and New Testaments, how that shaped his life and ministry in Geneva, and how it can shape us as pastors today.
SESSION 4 | Caring for Souls
Rev. Josh Knipp
The care and cure of souls is a pastor’s responsibility. He must look after each of his sheep. Long before modern psychology, men and women found love, counsel, and life-giving reproof in the Church for this reason.
Pastor Josh Knipp will exhort us to return to historic pastoral care, caring for the souls in our congregation with skill and humility, one by one, at the point of their most serious sins and weaknesses.
SESSION 5 | Worshipping with Simplicity
Rev. Andrew Dionne
Shepherds ought to lead God’s people to worship Him with understanding as well as emotion. This is the Bible’s focus, and it trains pastors to aim at simplicity in preaching, song, and liturgy.
Pastor Andrew Dionne will look to the example of the Apostles, the ancient church, and the Reformed Fathers as he encourages us to avoid giving up a plain use of words for ornamentation, symbolism, and ritual.
SPEAKER BIOS
![]() Dr. Richard C. Gamble
Richard Gamble has served as Professor of Systematic Theology at Reformed Presbyterian Theological Seminary in Pittsburgh since 2005. He has served as a pastor and church planter for a number of churches, and is currently a minister in the Reformed Presbyterian Church of North America. He is a past president of the Calvin Studies Society and has written and edited a tremendous number of books and articles on Calvin, as well as authoring the multi-volume systematic theology The Whole Counsel of God. He and his wife Janice have five daughters and four grandchildren. ![]() Rev. Josh Knipp
Josh Knipp has been the senior pastor of Bloomington Bible Church since 2011. In addition to his work as a pastor, Josh has worked as a professional counselor. He is married to his lovely wife Rachel, and they have four children. |
![]() Rev. Stephen Baker
Stephen Baker has served as the dean and lead instructor of New Geneva Academy since 2005. He has been an associate pastor of Trinity Reformed Church since 2003. Stephen is married to Sebra, and they have six sons and a gaggle of grandchildren. ![]() Rev. Andrew Dionne
Andrew Dionne began his pastorate at Trinity Presbyterian Church in August 2011. He was ordained in the PCA’s Great Lakes Presbytery in Nov. 2004. From 2004 to 2011, Andrew served as a pastor at Christ the Word Church in Toledo, OH. Andrew received his M.Div. in 2004 after earning a doctorate in music composition from Indiana University. He currently serves as president of New Geneva Academy. He and his wife, Sarah, have been married for twenty-three years and have six children. |
SCHEDULE
Wednesday, October 5
600 PM Registration
700 PM Session 1 (Stephen Baker)
830 PM Meet & Greet
Thursday, October 6
800 AM Continental Breakfast
900 AM Session 2 (Richard Gamble)
1030 AM Session 3 (Richard Gamble)
1200 AM Lunch
130 PM Session 4 (Josh Knipp)
300 PM Women's Breakout Session
300 PM Free Time, grab dinner on your own
700 PM Session 5 (Andrew Dionne)
815 PM Possible Panel Discussion
[Friday, October 7 | Evangel Presbytery Meeting]
830 AM Coffee & Light Breakfast
900 AM Evangel Presbytery Meeting
1200 PM Lunch
100 PM Presbytery Resumes
500 PM Presbytery Adjourns
600 PM Registration
700 PM Session 1 (Stephen Baker)
830 PM Meet & Greet
Thursday, October 6
800 AM Continental Breakfast
900 AM Session 2 (Richard Gamble)
1030 AM Session 3 (Richard Gamble)
1200 AM Lunch
130 PM Session 4 (Josh Knipp)
300 PM Women's Breakout Session
300 PM Free Time, grab dinner on your own
700 PM Session 5 (Andrew Dionne)
815 PM Possible Panel Discussion
[Friday, October 7 | Evangel Presbytery Meeting]
830 AM Coffee & Light Breakfast
900 AM Evangel Presbytery Meeting
1200 PM Lunch
100 PM Presbytery Resumes
500 PM Presbytery Adjourns