Reformed Presbyterian Authors
William Stavely (1743–1825), was born near Kells, Co. Antrim, in 1743. He was licensed to preach by the Irish Reformed Presbytery in December 1769, and in 1772, after receiving a call from the covenanters between the ‘bridge of Dromore and Donaghadee, Co. Down’, was ordained at Conlig, near Newtownards. By 1776 he made Knockbracken, Co. Down the centre of his work. By the close of the eighteenth century he had helped to establish five congregations in the area: Drumillar and Rathfriland, Co. Down, Ballylane, Co. Armagh, and Fairview and Creevagh, Co. Monaghan. These efforts have afforded him the title of ‘the great Irish apostle’ of the Reformed Presbyterian church. In 1800 he was installed in Kellswater congregation where he remained the rest of his ministry. He died at his home at Marymount, Cullybackey in 1825.
Rev. Thomas Houston of Knockbracken, County Down Ireland, was a minister of the Reformed Presbyterian Church of Ireland. He was born in County Antrim in 1803, grew up in the ministry of Rev. William Stavely, a prominent figure among Irish Covenanters. His early Christian devotion led him to study at the Belfast Academical Institution in 1819 and later to theological training under Rev. Andrew Symington. Licensed to preach in 1826, Houston was called to serve at Knockbracken, County Down in 1828, where he remained for 54 years. He edited The Covenanter for 30 years, during which he engaged in theological debates, notably over the duties of civil magistrates. From 1854 until his death in 1882, taught Church History and Theology at the R.P. Theological Hall.
Rev J.P. Struthers (1851–1915) was the minister of Greenock Reformed Presbyterian Church and he produced the children’s Christian magazine, The Morning Watch which ran from 1888-1915, in twenty-eight volumes. It had a monthly circulation of 11,000 with another 2000 yearly volumes printed at the end of each year. It was illustrated by Miss Annie MacDonald, whom he married in 1907. He was a humble but remarkable preacher and observer of God’s Providence. His writings and sermons were posthumously collected into separate volumes by his wife.
Rev Samuel Ferguson was born in Grange near Cookstown in County Tyrone in 1854 where his father, a grandson of Rev William Stavely, was minister. Samuel Ferguson was minister of Faughan Reformed Presbyterian Church near Londonderry and he died in 1928. ‘Brief Biographies of Some Irish Covenanting Ministers’ 1897, was a major contribution to preserving the history of some of the early Irish Reformed Presbyterian Ministers.
Rev John Paul (1777–1848), was born in 1777 at Tobernaveen, near Antrim, he became minister at Loughmourne Reformed Presbyterian Church, near Carrickfergus, co. Antrim, in 1805.
In the Arian controversy, Paul in 1819 published ‘Creeds and Confessions Defended in a Series of Letters addressed to the anonymous Author of “The Battle of the Two Dialogues”. A speech delivered by Henry Montgomery in 1827, at the annual meeting of the synod of Ulster in Strabane, brought a response from Paul in 1828, ‘A Review of a Speech by the Rev. Dr. Montgomery of Belfast, and the Doctrines of Unitarians proved to be unfavourable to the Right of Private Judgment, to Liberality, and Charity, to the Investigation of Truth and the practise of Virtue’. These three publications attained a very large circulation.
James Kennedy, (1818-1898) was born in Drumreagh, near Ballymoney in County Antrim, in 1818 and brought up in Ballylaggan Reformed Presbyterian congregation. His early training was received at the Belfast Academical Institution under the presidency of Dr. Bryce, famous as an educator in his day. After completing his studies in Belfast he went to Paisley, Scotland, to study theology and hear the lectures of Dr. Andrew Symington. He was ordained in the congregation of NewtownLimavady in 1843. Mr. Kennedy ministered for twenty-seven years with great acceptance before emigrating to America to become the pastor of the Fourth New York R.P. Congregation in 1870. From this charge he retired in 1894 and died in 1898.
Dervock, Co Antrim; s. of James and Annie Nevin; ed. O.C.B., R.P. Theological Hall,
Paisley; grad. Gen Cert 1839; D.D. (U.S.A.) 1890; lic. of Northern Presbytery, 1841, ord.
Clarendon Street, 1842; Clerk, Western Presbytery, 1863-1893, R.P. Synod of Ireland,
1863-1893; Editor, “The Covenanter” 1868-1890; died February, 1893;
William Sommerville was born in Ballyroney near Rathfriland in County Down in 1800. He was prepared for ministerial studies under his minister Rev John Stewart before attending Glasgow University and the Theological Hall in Paisley. In 1831 he was installed as Missionary to the British North American Provinces, settled Cornwallis Valley, in Nova Scotia. He was called to minister to Presbyterians, Grand Pre, Horton Township, and with clear teaching formed a Reformed Presbyterian congregation later united with Cornwallis. After a labour of forty-seven years as a pioneer missionary in this region, he died at his home in Somerset, Kings County, Nova Scotia, September 28, 1878.
Frederick S. Leahy (1922-2006) was a minister of the Reformed Presbyterian Church of Ireland and former Principal of the Reformed Theological College, Belfast. His other books, Satan Cast Out, The Cross He Bore, The Victory of the Lamb, and Is It Nothing To You? have been published by the Banner of Truth Trust and are available at the Covenanter Books.
Presented here are various articles collected for wider study.
David McKay is currently the minister of Shaftesbury Square Reformed Presbyterian Church in the busy centre of Belfast. He is the Professor of Systematic Theology at the Reformed Theological College and edits the Reformed Theological Journal. He is well known speaker and delegate at various Reformed conferences and has published with Banner of truth among others.
His books are available through the Covenanter Bookshop.
Edward ‘Ted’ Donnelly pastored the Trinity Reformed Presbyterian Church in Newtownabbey, Northern Ireland, before his retirement in 2011. He had previously served pastorates in Dervock, Portrush and with a Greek speaking church in Cyprus. He served as Professor of New Testament Language and Literature, and Principal, at Reformed Theological College in Belfast. He was a renowned speaker throughout the Church often speaking in the USA and at Banner of truth Conferences, of which he was a trustee and who published many of his books. He died in 2023.
His books are available through the Covenanter Bookshop.
Reformed presbyterian Historical Publications