In the fall of 1970, I was a private in the United States Army in advanced infantry training at Fort Ord, Calif. My life was consumed with preparation for future service to my country (which proved to be a year in the 101st Airborne Division in Vietnam) and with concerns for my wife and unborn first child. I seemed to have little time to reflect on the significance of what was going on in other parts of the church.

But in Pittsburgh, Pa., in the fall of 1970, a young professor by the name of Wayne Spear began a teaching ministry at the Reformed Presbyterian Theological Seminary that would span 35 years of full-time service. I knew of Wayne’s appointment, and I had heard him speak at the RP International Conference at Carleton College only a few weeks earlier. But I had no thought that this appointment would have such a profound impact on the ministry of the Reformed Presbyterian Church during the last half of the 20th Century and the first half of the 21st.

Today, when Dr. Spear teaches church history, he is quick to point out the impact on our denomination in the last century of the late J.G. Vos, of former presidents of the Seminary, and of pastors who have been used powerfully in the work of the church in places like Indiana, central New York, and Pittsburgh. His humility keeps him from even considering in this context one who has done as much, or more, than anyone else to shape pastors and ultimately congregations within our denomination in the last generation: Wayne Renwick Spear.

Dr. Spear’s teaching has tremendously influenced my theological convictions, as well as the convictions of most of my colleagues in Synod, both young and old. He has the uncanny ability to read and understand complicated theological works, critique them from a biblical perspective, and then, in a clear and concise way, explain them to others who might not even be able to wade through the original material.

Dr. Spear’s knowledge of theology and church history is remarkable. Seldom is he without an answer to a student’s question. Sometimes a student will ask a question on an obscure subject about which few others in the class have any knowledge. Certain students seem to have the desire to stump the professor on these obscure questions. But all of us who have attended Dr. Spear’s classes can recall how he will often pause, sometimes for a considerable length of time, reach into his vast memory—almost appearing to be thumbing through his mental Rolodex—and pull out an answer that amazes everyone in the class. He will not only recall the author and the book from which he draws his answer, but he will be able to quote almost verbatim what the author said.

Dr. Spear’s teaching is clear, systematic, and thorough. Occasional stories, illustrations, and wise proverbs provide clarification and humor to his lectures. Some of these were passed along from those who taught him, some are his own. One example, given to budding preachers as they consider the preferred length of sermons, is Spear’s Law: “If it is long, it had better be good!”

At the same time that I was preparing for military service and Dr. Spear was beginning his service at RPTS, a young pastor in the St. Lawrence Presbytery named Ed Robson was in the beginning stages of his pastorate in Syracuse, N.Y., where he would be for 24 years. Although I had visited this congregation several months prior to my military service, I could not have predicted what God had in store for Syracuse and for the St. Lawrence Presbytery.

When Ed Robson was ordained to the gospel ministry and installed as pastor of Syracuse RPC in December 1968, there were 331 members total in the St. Lawrence Presbytery, and there was a general sense of discouragement in several of the congregations. Thirty-five years later, in December 2003, there were 1,033 members of the same presbytery, an increase of 300 percent.

One explanation for this remarkable growth, in a denomination not known for its numerical growth, is that the Lord Jesus Christ raised up Ed Robson, planted him in Syracuse, and gave him a fearlessness to stand for what he believed to be the right thing. God gave him a vision of what might be—although Dr. Robson himself would never use that terminology! But Dr. Robson could foresee a healthy, growing church in Syracuse, if the Lord would bless his preaching and teaching. He could imagine other RP churches planted throughout the St. Lawrence Presbytery. He could envision a summer conference at White Lake Covenanter Camp that was full of fun and good teaching. With those thoughts in mind, and in reliance upon God, he went to work.

Dr. Robson’s ministry was marked by at least three ingredients: faithful preaching of the Word of God each Lord’s Day, faithful teaching of God’s Word during one or more midweek Bible studies, and hospitality. As he worked and prayed, the Lord blessed his efforts. The church in Syracuse stabilized. A church plant in Rochester began. Another church plant in Oswego took shape. Men came into the church, were trained for the ministry of the gospel, and then were sent out into the harvest field.

Among the men who came into the church were Kit Swartz, pastor of Oswego, N.Y., RPC, and Rich Ganz, pastor of Ottawa, Ont., RPC. Several other men who now serve as pastors also came into the church through the ministry in Syracuse, but these two men have both been church planters in the St. Lawrence Presbytery and been instrumental in starting other church plants—including Fulton, New Hartford, Russell, and Toronto.

In 1993, Dr. Robson began his teaching ministry at RPTS. He and Dr. Spear have worked side by side in the ministry, training pastors for the ministry of the gospel, and preparing others in the church for effective service in Christ’s kingdom. They have a similar heart for Christ, His Word, and His Church, even though they are different in personality and approach to ministry. Their gifts have been complementary, and their value to the Seminary has been incalculable. Both will retire at the end of this year, and we will miss them.

But the work of Christ’s kingdom goes forward. The Lord raises up other gifted and godly men to fill the needs of His church. As we go forward, we also pause to look back. We celebrate the lives and the ministries of two esteemed servants of the Lord Jesus Christ: pastor-teachers Wayne Spear and Ed Robson. We pray for God’s richest blessings for them in the years to come.

We also pause to remember the incredibly faithful service of their wives, Mary Spear and Gretchen Robson. These women have modeled Christian womanhood. They have modeled Christian service. They have modeled the roles of wife and mother, especially in the demanding context of a pastor’s family. We celebrate their service as we reflect on the public ministry of their husbands.

To God be the glory!