HISTORY
In September 1978 several individuals from different churches, being in agreement with the teachings of John Calvin, gathered together in Montmorency Québec with the purpose of establishing a Reformed Evangelical Alliance. “L’Alliance Réformée Évangélique,” desiring to promote a biblical and reformed worldview, formulated the following objectives: 1) The publication of a Reformed magazine, which was realized with the publication, three times a year, of “La revue Parole” (Word magazine) 2) The establishment of a publishing house, “Les éditions Parole” (Word Editions) 3) The establishment of a Reformed Theological Seminary. Institut Farel was the realization of this third objective. In the summer of 1979, Rev. David Craig began teaching courses in dogmatics and church history. (He was elected as the Institut’s first and only president until his sudden death in October 2001.) Three years after FAREL’s humble beginnings, Rev. Martin Geleynse accepted a call to become coordinator and professor of the young faculty of theological education. In January 1986 Rev. Jean-Guy deBlois, then president of “L’Alliance Réformée Evangelique”, was named Secretary General of the Institut and remains it’s part-time Director today.
Throughout the years the Seminary has been served by several part-time professors, including Rev. Jean Zoellner, Dr. William Edgar, and the faculty of the Faculté de Théologie Libre d’Aix-en-Provence, France. Many students have been trained at FAREL through part-time and full-time studies, including some students who now serve as pastors in Québec and other French-speaking countries in the world.
The continued need for Biblical and Reformed theological education in Québec, Canada, and other parts of the world (French- and English-speaking) have prompted the Board of Farel to reposition itself as a bilingual Seminary serving first-and-foremost the French-speaking world but also English-speaking students who wish to study theology in a missionary context. A new logo, the expansion of the full-time faculty, and the hiring of a Director of Development were all initiatives of the Board to further this goal.
