One of the academic initiatives of the Redeemer 2020 Strategic Plan is to provide an expanded program in ministry. To assist with this effort, Rev. Cornelius (Ken) Herfst has accepted a tenure-track appointment to the Department of Religion and Theology, effective December 1, 2015.
Herfst earned a BA in history from McMaster University and then studied at the Theological College of the Canadian Reformed Churches. In 1991, he was called as a missionary pastor by the Vineland Free Reformed Church, and in July of 1992, he and his family moved to Guatemala, where they spent several years among the Achi people.
While his main focus was church planting, Herfst also supervised the translation of the Old Testament in the local Mayan language, trained leaders and planted a number of churches in the mountains of Guatemala. Herfst was later appointed as professor of theology at the Presbyterian Seminary of Guatemala, where he taught from 2004 to 2014. In the aftermath of Hurricane Stan (2005), he was instrumental in forming a Christian relief organization that continues to respond to disasters as well as contributing to community development in western Guatemala. Prior to coming to Redeemer, he was on staff at Providence Free Reformed Church in St. George, ON. He is also working to complete his doctorate in theology.