2026 David C. Jones Theology Lectures to Feature Dr. Kelly M. Kapic
Covenant Seminary is pleased to announce that Dr. Kelly M. Kapic will be the featured speaker for the 2026 edition of the Seminary’s David C. Jones Theology Lectures on February 19 and 20 on the Seminary campus. Dr. Kapic is Professor of Theological Studies at Covenant College where he has taught since 2001. He holds a PhD in Systematic and Historical Theology from King’s College University of London, an MDiv from Reformed Theological Seminary, and a BA from Wheaton College.
Dr. Kelly M. Kapic
Dr. Kapic has written or edited over fifteen books. His most recent volumes, Christian Life (Zondervan, 2025) and You Were Never Meant to Do it All (Brazos, 2025), each received awards from The Gospel Coalition and The Southwestern Journal of Theology. His 2022 book You’re Only Human was named Christianity Today’s Book of the Year in the category of Theology (Popular) and won The Southwestern Journal of Theology’s award in Applied Theology/Ethics. In 2014, Dr. Kapic received a Templeton Grant to be part of The Center for Christian Thought, studying the topic of Psychology and Spiritual Formation. He has also served as part of ongoing Templeton-funded studies, including being on the Core Team for “Project Amazing Grace” and “Christian Meaning-Making, Suffering, and the Flourishing Life.”
The David C. Jones Theology Lectures are named in honor of the late Dr. David C. Jones, long-time professor of systematic theology and ethics at Covenant Seminary, who passed away in 2017 (see more about Dr. Jones here). They are intended to honor Dr. Jones’s teaching and influence on generations of our students and to highlight the Seminary’s Reformed theological heritage by focusing each year on a particular area of theological study with presentations by a contemporary academic authority in that area. The lectures were reinstituted in 2024 after a hiatus of several years (see more about the Jones Lectures here).
Dr. Kapic’s Jones Lectures will focus on the foundational centrality of Christ and the importance of corporate worship for forming and shaping the Christian life.
Lecture 1, “The Singing Savior: Christ as the Center of Christian Life,” explores how Jesus the Messiah is not merely the object of our worship but also the chief worshiper. Drawing from both Scripture and historical theology, the lecture demonstrates that Christ, in his full incarnate life, loves the Father for us, weaving our fragmented prayers and imperfect praise into his own perfect faithfulness, thus providing a steady foundation for our uneven faith and life.
Lecture 2, “The Ecclesia and the Arc of Christian Life,” argues that corporate worship both reflects and shapes Christian life by applying Augustine’s totus Christus hermeneutic to the basic movements of the liturgy. In dialogue with patristic and Reformation sources, and engaging contemporary warnings about the dangers of Christian practice, the lecture demonstrates how each element of worship operates along christological, ecclesiological, and personal dimensions, showing that Christian life moves in the rhythm of call and response.
The lectures will take place in Founders Hall, room 342, from 4 to 5:30 p.m. on Thursday, February 19, and from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. on Friday, February 20. The event is free and open to the public.
Questions about the lectures may be directed to Dr. Robbie Griggs, Chair of Theological Studies and Dean of Faculty, at robbie.griggs@covenantseminary.edu.
