About the Conference

The Spiritual Life Conference  gives students time at the midpoint of each spring semester to focus on their own biblical piety and personal communion with the Lord Jesus Christ. In the midst of hectic class, church, and family schedules, it is imperative that students walk closely with the Lord, knowing that apart from him our lives and ministries will bear no spiritual fruit. The Spiritual Life Conference is indicative of RTS’s desire that students finish their studies strong in the Lord.

About the 2019 Speaker

Rev. Dr. Jon D. Payne, Senior Pastor of Christ Church Presbyterian in Charleston/Mt. Pleasant, South Carolina, speaks on the topic “The Reformed Pastor in the 21st Century,” emphasizing the concepts of piety, proclamation, and prayer.

Rev. Dr. Payne previously served for 10 years as the senior pastor of Grace Presbyterian Church (PCA) in Douglasville, Georgia, near Atlanta (2003-2013). Rev. Payne is a graduate of Clemson University, Reformed Theological Seminary, and the University of Edinburgh, New College.
He serves as the Executive Coordinator of the Gospel Reformation Network, a network that seeks to cultivate theological and ministerial faithfulness within the PCA and beyond. Rev. Payne also serves on the Board of Trustees for the Banner of Truth Trust.

Dr. Payne is series co-editor of and contributor to the new Lectio Continua Expository Commentary on the New Testament (Reformation Heritage Books, 2012––), and author/editor of several books including John Owen and the Lord’s Supper (Banner of Truth), In the Splendor of Holiness: Rediscovering the Beauty of Reformed Worship for the 21st Century (Tolle Lege; translated into Spanish, Burmese, Chinese, Portuguese, & Italian), and A Faith Worth Teaching: The Heidelberg Catechism’s Enduring Heritage (Reformation Heritage Books). He is presently working on writing projects related to the Gospel of Luke, the Synod of Dort, church planting, and the Reformed ministry. Rev. Payne frequently contributes to numerous publications including TableTalk and Modern Reformation. He and his wife Marla have been happily married for twenty years, and have two teenage children, Mary Hannah and Hans.