The Dennis and Jane Johnson Lectures on Missions honor the life and work of Dennis and Jane Johnson. Remembering their ministry, WSC has established this annual lecture series in missions in partnership with New Life Presbyterian Church to invite distinguished and experienced missionaries on campus to teach and challenge the seminary community.
Westminster Seminary California (WSC) will hold its annual Dennis and Jane Johnson Lectures on Missions on Thursday and Friday, November 13 and 14, 2025. Dr. Brian A. DeVries is the featured speaker and will give two lectures during this series on “Reformed Missiology and the Church’s Witness”. The Johnson Lectures on Missions are open to the public and will be livestreamed.
Dr. DeVries will also be giving a free public lecture about the church and mission on Saturday, November 15, from 9:30-11:00 am at New Life Presbyterian Church, 615 Citracado Pkwy, Escondido, CA 92025. All are welcome.
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Evangelical missiology today represents a diverse collection of ministry activities that often are not grounded in confessional Protestant theology and, in some instances, stretched far beyond the bounds of biblical theology. Conversely, many churches in the Reformed tradition have a solid biblical foundation, but often their mission practice falls far short of the historical examples found in the early church and the many missionary movements that followed. The solution for both is to again build our missiology and evangelistic practice on the biblical foundation of Triune doctrine and biblical theology.
Dr. Brian A. DeVries
Dr. Brian A. DeVries (B.B.A., M.Div., Th.M., Ph.D.) is Principal of Mukhanyo Theological College. He serves as a minister of the Reformed Churches of South Africa and the Heritage Reformed Congregations of North America, and presently leading Grace Reformed Church, his third multiethnic church planted in Pretoria. Dr DeVries first studied business and worked in IT management before studying theology in America and leading theological education Africa. He is an Adjunct Professor at Puritan Reformed Theological Seminary and the author of You Will Be My Witnesses (Crossway 2024). He and his wife Lanae are blessed with five children.
Thursday
10:00 am – 11:00 am Refreshments to follow
Friday
The Johnson Lectures on Missions are free, open to the public, and will be livestreamed.
Westminster Seminary California Chapel 1725 Bear Valley Parkway, Escondido, CA 92027 (888) 480.8474
From I-5 or I-15 South – take Hwy 78 east, into Escondido. At Broadway, where Hwy 78 turns right and becomes a surface street, continue straight ahead on Lincoln Avenue. At Rose Street, turn right. Rose merges with Boyle Avenue south of East Valley Parkway, and the Seminary campus is at the intersection of Boyle and Bear Valley Parkway on the hill overlooking Bear Valley.
Take Highway 163 north to Interstate 15 north and then exit at Via Rancho Parkway. Turn right on Via Rancho Parkway (which becomes Bear Valley Parkway) and continue approximately 4.5 miles to the Seminary campus at the intersection of Bear Valley Parkway and Boyle Avenue. Turn right on Boyle and enter the gates of the Seminary.
Hotels
For a list of local hotels, visit our Local Information page.
Airport
San Diego Airport
Local Information
Local Church Listing Local Newspaper Escondido at a Glance
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Experience a day in the life of a WSC student. Visit campus, check out classes, engage with faculty, tour the Housing Village, connect with current students, and more! SFAD attendees will also receive free admission to our annual conference, so register today!
