Ross Hastings
Associate Professor, Mission Studies
BSc (Hons) (Witwatersrand), PhD (Queen’s, Kingston), MCS (Regent College), PhD (St. Andrew’s, Scotland)
The Board of Governors of Regent College is pleased to announce the appointment of W. Ross Hastings as Associate Professor of Mission Studies at Regent College. Ross’s rich cross-cultural background, his multidisciplinary training and his proven track record as a missional church leader who is able to grow and nurture missionally focussed congregations are great strengths he brings to the Regent faculty.
A graduate of University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa (Bachelor of Science, Hons.), Ross did graduate studies in chemistry at Queen’s University in Kingston, Ontario, while serving as a part-time preaching elder in a local congregation. He received his PhD in Chemistry in 1987 and then served a pastorate in Burnaby, BC while completing his Master of Christian Studies at Regent College in 1992 and teaching chemistry part-time at Trinity Western University. From 1992 to 1995 he served as a pastor in Montreal before returning to BC to become the senior pastor of Peace Portal Alliance Church in White Rock, BC.
In 2004 Ross completed a PhD in theology at the University of St. Andrew’s in Scotland under the supervision of Professor Alan Torrance. His thesis was entitled: Giving Honour to the Spirit: a critical analysis and evaluation of pneumatological union in the Trinitarian theology of Jonathan Edwards in dialogue with Karl Barth. On the advice of his supervisor, Ross is revising this for publication. Ross has numerous scholarly publications in the area of chemistry and several in theology. His primary interests are in Trinitarian theology and the practice of ministry and mission, pneumatology, the development of missional churches, theological ethics, and the interface between theology and science.
Ross has served as a sessional lecturer for the past two years at Regent College teaching in the area of pastoral ethics. He is an ordained minister with the Christian and Missionary Alliance and a much sought-after conference speaker. Under his leadership the church which he serves has experienced significant growth both spiritually and numerically. In the next year he intends to continue to be closely involved with the Peace Portal Alliance Church as he transitions to full-time involvement at Regent.
Ross was born to Scottish missionary parents and spent much of his early life in southern Africa. He is married to Sharon, a fellow Scot who is actively involved in church ministry; they have two adult children. He enjoys sport, and especially rugby, cricket, soccer and squash as well as music of varied genres.
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