June brought a Head & Heart Conference with over 400 attendees, a Summer Intensive on Man and Sin, and a graduating MAPS student preparing to plant his family in pastoral ministry in North Carolina. The Lord has been kind, and the work continues.
Head & Heart Conference: Knowing the Spirit
Over 400 people gathered on campus for our 2026 Head & Heart Conference on June 5–6. Dr. Brian Borgman, Dr. Joel Beeke, and Rev. Donald Johnson preached on our theme, Knowing the Spirit. The conference is dedicated to promoting experiential Reformed theology for the glory of God and the good of His people, and the Lord met us in just that spirit.
The Sessions
Dr. Borgman, Beeke, & Johnson
Dr. Borgman opened on Friday evening, leading us through our Lord’s teaching on the Holy Spirit from John 14–16. Dr. Beeke followed with an exhortation from Acts 2:37–42 titled “The Age of the Spirit and Revival.”
Saturday morning began with Dr. Beeke encouraging us with the Holy Spirit’s role in a believer’s assurance, followed by Pastor Don Johnson’s sermon on life in the Spirit from Romans 8.
After a break for lunch and fellowship, the conference concluded with a Q&A session featuring a panel of GBTS professors, and a final session in which Dr. Borgman challenged us with “Observations from an Uneasy Cessationist.”
Every session included Scripture reading, prayer, and robust congregational singing. Many attendees rejoiced over the encouragement they received from the Holy Spirit as the Scriptures were preached, prayed, read, and sung.
The faculty and staff of GBTS are grateful to the members of our overseeing church, Grace Bible Church in Conway, for hosting us and providing the many servant volunteers without whom this conference would not have been possible.
Once the messages are edited, you will be able to listen to them here:
Listen to the Head & Heart Sessions
Graduate Spotlight: Travis West (MAPS 2026)
Travis, Karla, Stetson, & Mordecai West
(Long-time readers may recognize Karla West’s name from the May newsletter — she took the commencement photo of the four attending graduates, of which Travis was one. This month we hand the spotlight to her husband.)
Travis & Karla West moved with their two sons to Conway so that Travis could pursue his degree at GBTS in person. He explains:
“This meant I would gain face-to-face interactions with my professors and fellow classmates and receive pastoral oversight with the elders of Grace Bible Church in Conway. Attending GBTS has allowed me to grow in grace with a group of men who love the Lord and desire to magnify Jesus Christ in every aspect of life.”
Asked about the benefits of GBTS’s model of Personal Theological Education, Travis added:
“Being able to have conversations with professors within class and outside of the classroom has been the most formative aspect of attending GBTS. They open up God’s Word and their own lives to display all the ways the Lord has used them within the local church. I have gained much wisdom from all our professors on both the joys and hardships of pastoral ministry.”
His advice to prospective students:
“If you are serious about pursuing the Lord in pastoral ministry, GBTS equips students by having professors who have experience within the local church as pastors. Classes are intentionally small to maintain a high quality of education.”
Travis has accepted the call to become the Family Pastor at Lighthouse Church in Mount Pleasant, NC, and his family will relocate in July. Would you join us in praying for the Wests as they make this move and for the saints at Lighthouse Church as they receive them?
Summer Classes in Full Swing
Dr. Borgman teaching Man and Sin
Nineteen students attended our Summer Semester Intensive, June 2–4, in which Dr. Brian Borgman, Adjunct Professor of Systematic Theology, taught Man and Sin. Students commented on the helpful and practical nature of Dr. Borgman’s approach, noting that it deepened their grasp of difficult doctrines and helped them think through the pastoral implications of various theological concepts.
Two other classes are also in full swing this summer:
- Dr. Ryan Bush, Associate Professor of Missions, is teaching Christian Missions.
- Dr. David Lipsy, Adjunct Professor of Pastoral Theology, is teaching Introduction to Biblical Counseling.
Looking Ahead: Upcoming Events
October 1–2 — ARTS Annual Meeting at GBTS. We are honored to host the Annual Meeting of our accrediting body, the Association of Reformed Theological Seminaries.
A Core Value Restated: Investing in Students
Each month we put one of GBTS’s core values plainly in front of you. This month: the conviction that drives every admissions conversation, every advising meeting, and every late-night office light on campus.
Thesis. GBTS exists for students. We prioritize and invest in our students’ ongoing spiritual growth, healthy academic advancement, strong commitment to family, and active participation in local churches.
Purpose & Implementation. From a student’s initial inquiry to their graduation, GBTS prioritizes investing in students. Scripture’s description of the character and work of a pastor requires preparation and training, and whether a man is actively serving in pastoral ministry or just beginning the journey, we invest in his training and preparation.
Our admissions process focuses on the student’s academic and spiritual readiness and on whether GBTS is the best place for him to pursue training. Our advising program is designed to forge strong relationships between GBTS and our students that facilitate consistent academic advancement and active spiritual growth. All of our professors have pastoral ministry experience and regularly invest in students with the wisdom they have been granted.
Though our academics are rigorous, our pursuit of holiness is incessant — because while grades are important, character is essential. We invest in students.
How You Can Support GBTS
Summer Intensive Class
Pray. Would you lift these requests before the Lord with us?
- For our students to grow in their love for Christ as they pursue their academic studies
- For our follow-up with the many contacts and new friends made at the Head & Heart Conference
- For our graduates pursuing new ministry opportunities
- For our faculty and staff as we prepare to host the ARTS Annual Meeting in October
- For God to bring more qualified and called students to GBTS
Visit. We love when GBTS supporters visit our campus. Let us know when your next trip brings you through central Arkansas — it will be our joy to meet you and give you a tour.
Give. Partner with us in training and equipping future pastors and missionaries. Your support helps us develop faithful, godly, and strong servants of Christ, and makes theological education accessible to the men God is calling.
Church-based. Pastor-focused. Missions-minded.
Contact us: info@gbtseminary.org
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