PTI was conceived by Pastor Don Graham in the mid-1950s as a week-long mini-seminary course for the people of McIlwain. Then in an increasingly liberal denomination, PTI equipped, first the church, then a much larger circle to understand the importance of the inerrancy and authority of Scripture as well as to grasp the biblical doctrines of grace.

McIlwain Presbyterian Church, a historic Presbyterian Church of America (PCA) congregation in Pensacola, Florida, in partnership with the Alliance of Confessing Evangelicals, has announced the return of the Pensacola Theological Institute, June 24-26, 2016.

The 2016 Pensacola Theological Institute (PTI), The World Upside Down… Again: Cultivating Gospel Courage in a Declining Culture, will feature the teaching of Harry Reeder, Jason Helopoulos, and George Grant. For registration and more information, go here.

PTI ran from as early as 1955 until 2001, with its peak attendance in the late 1960s through mid 1970s. Several church historians have cited PTI as a significant influence in the forming of the PCA denomination.

Many share Dr. Richard Gaffin’s viewpoint that “The Pensacola Theological Institute was a highpoint, looked forward to annually for the sound biblical and theological instruction and Christian fellowship in a vacation setting it provided. News of plans for its revival in 2016 is most welcome.”

PTI was conceived by Pastor Don Graham in the mid-1950s as a week-long mini-seminary course for the people of McIlwain. Then in an increasingly liberal denomination, PTI equipped, first the church, then a much larger circle to understand the importance of the inerrancy and authority of Scripture as well as to grasp the biblical doctrines of grace. Boldly, Graham contacted some of the most prominent Reformed and evangelical names of the day with the proposition of a “vacation with a purpose.” Whether it was the draw of Pensacola’s beautiful beaches or the prospect of eager and teachable students—or both—the concept was a success.

Under Rev. Graham’s and subsequent pastors’ leadership, McIlwain pursued PTI as an annual event and invited other Presbyterian Church in the United Stated (PCUS) churches in the southeast. Each year PTI grew as men such as J.I. Packer, John Sanderson, R. Laird Harris, James Montgomery Boice, D. James Kennedy, and D.M. Lloyd-Jones proclaimed the truths of Scripture.

The new PTI will follow a weekend format as well as include some of the features of the original Institute, concluding with Sunday morning worship on June 26.

The Alliance is excited to partner in rejuvenating PTI. It works directly toward our mission of fostering a Reformed awakening in today’s Church. The Alliance is a coalition of pastors, scholars, and churchmen who hold the historic creeds and confessions of the Reformed faith and who proclaim biblical doctrine in order to foster a Reformed awakening in today’s Church.