The 2025 Annual Conference marked the 4th year of this gathering of alumni and friends of Edinburgh Theological Seminary, who packed St Columba’s Free Church, a stone’s throw from the seminary, on Saturday 27th September. This year’s conference explored various facets of the Great Commission given to the church in Matthew 28.
Dr Ben Castaneda kicked off by reflecting on the distinction between indicatives and imperatives. The command to make disciples is nestled between two statements of fact: that Jesus has all authority on heaven and earth, and that he is with us always, even to the end of the age. He explored these profound truths through a sweeping redemptive-historical lens and observed their significance for the Great Commission.
One of our guests, Rev Michael G. Brown, minister of Chiesa Riformata Filadelfia (Milan, Italy), spoke next on the mission and the marks of the church. According to the New Testament, the disciples followed the marching orders given by Christ by planting churches that exhibited distinctive marks: as the Reformation put it, the pure preaching of the gospel, the pure administration of the sacraments, and the exercise of church discipline or pastoral care. This ordinary ministry supplies the biblical coordinates for the church’s activity.
Rev Fikret Böcek, minister of İzmir Protestan Kilisesi (Izmir, Turkey), our second guest, then discussed what it means to engage in evangelism and enlist disciples, reaching the lost while also teaching the reached. The context is the local body of believers: God makes disciples, especially through the liturgy, the ministry of word and sacrament in gathered public worship.
Rev Dr Zachary Purvis brought the conference to a close by considering how the church is both catholic and confessional: united with brothers and sisters in Christ across the globe and, in our particular Presbyterian and Reformed tradition, robustly committed to the confessional standards of the church. Both shape our doctrine, our worship, and our piety and practice.
In addition to the rich theological discussion, the day was filled with vibrant singing, the sharing of unique experiences from church planters and missionaries across multiple nations and cultures, and wonderful camaraderie among friends old and new. What a joy it was to welcome everyone in attendance – and thank you to our guests and helpers! We hope you will join us next year for the 2026 Annual Conference, which promises to be a time of great spiritual nourishment, Christian fellowship, and Edinburgh charm.
Watch Conference
The full conference is now available to watch using the link below.
