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James Renihan, PhD

President, Professor of Historical Theology

After a ministry of church planting in central Massachusetts, Dr. James Renihan and his family moved to Escondido, CA in 1998 to begin serving as Dean of the newly formed Institute of Reformed Baptist Studies. He led that work for 20 years, and when it became IRBS Theological Seminary in 2018 was appointed the first president. He has served as a pastor of churches in Massachusetts, New York and California. He is a graduate of Trinity Evangelical Divinity School (PhD), Seminary of the East (MDiv), Trinity Ministerial Academy, and Liberty Baptist College (BS). His academic work has focused on the Second London Baptist Confession and the broader Puritan theological context from which it arose.

Publications

A Welcome from President Renihan

Dear Christian friends,

Welcome to the website for International Reformed Baptist Seminary. Thank you for taking the time to visit our site and learning about what the Lord is doing among us. An internet site cannot convey the warmth we wish to express, so we ask you to receive our words which express a genuine desire for the Lord’s blessing on your life.

IRBS is soon to celebrate its 25th anniversary. For twenty years we existed as an institute affiliated with Westminster Seminary California, and in 2018 developed our programs into a full seminary curriculum in our new location, Mansfield, Texas. We are committed to the infallible and inerrant Word of God, and joyfully subscribe to the Second London Baptist Confession of Faith, often called the 1689 London Baptist Confession. By God’s grace, our pledges to these documents are strong and firm and will remain so.

The Lord has allowed us to bring together an excellent faculty of pastor-scholars who together seek to honor Christ in their teaching ministries. These are experienced men who shepherd God’s flocks with loving concern. We are united in our devotion to Christ, His Word, our Confession and the task of preparing able ministers of the New Covenant (2 Corinthians 3.6). Each faculty member is available to assist students in their coursework as well as their ministry and personal questions.

Students may enroll in a variety of programs at IRBS, including the standard degree for ministerial preparation, the Master of Divinity, a two-year Master of Arts in Religion, the Certificate of Reformed Baptist Studies, a Diploma program for mature students who do not have a baccalaureate degree, as well as special opportunities for visiting students. Our flexible hybrid programs offer students the opportunity to study on campus as well as virtually in their own homes. Most classes are offered live in the classroom as well as via livestream. We hope that even our distance students will be able to enter into the live classroom experience.

We hope that you will find your visit here to be not only informative, but also the first step in getting to know us better.

May Christ be glorified!

In His name,
James M. Renihan, Ph.D.,
President