Reverend Dr Kenneth Jeffrey

Reverend Dr Kenneth Jeffrey
Reverend Dr Kenneth Jeffrey
Reverend Dr Kenneth Jeffrey

BA (Stirling) BD (Aberdeen) Phd (Stirling) DMin (Aberdeen/ Pittsburgh)

Senior Lecturer

Accepting PhDs

About
Email Address
ksjeffrey@abdn.ac.uk
Telephone Number
+44 (0)1224 274276
Office Address

KCF2

Kings College

Old Aberdeen

AB24 3UB

Scotland, UK

 

School/Department
School of Divinity, History, Philosophy & Art History

Biography

Born in Northern Ireland and brought up in Holywood where he attended Sullivan Upper School, Ken Jeffrey went to Stirling University in 1988 to study History.

After graduating, he travelled to Malawi and taught English and Bible Knowledge for two years at Livingstonia Secondary School.

In 1994, he returned to Aberdeen University and gained a first class honours BD. Ken undertook post graduate research with Prof David Bebbington at Stirling University and studied the 1859 Revival in the north east of Scotland. He was awarded his PhD in 2000, while his thesis was published by Paternoster under the title When the Lord walked the land.

Between 2000 and 2002, he served as a Probationary Minister at Rubislaw Parish Church in Aberdeen, before being ordained and inducted as minister of The Parish Church of Cupar Old and St Michael of Tarvit in Fife where he served for almost twelve years. During this time, he undertook further studies at Aberdeen University and Pittsburgh Theological Seminary and was awarded a DMin degree.

In January 2014 he was appointed as the new Director of the Centre for Ministry Studies at Aberdeen University. The CMS has nurtured an innovative working relationship between the academy and the church, providing education and training for people involved in Christian ministry at home and abroad through undergraduate and postgraduate courses and a calendar of annual activities and events.

Ken also created a collaborative partnership between Aberdeen University and Zomba Theological College in Malawi where he delivered the MTh Ministry Studies programme to ministers of the Central Church Africa Presbyterian.

More recently, Ken has transitioned within the Divinity department towards Modern Church History. His current research interests include Billy Graham and the All Scotland Crusade of 1955. In 2019 he was promoted to Senior Lecturer, while in 2021 he became Padre of 7SCOTS, 51st Highland, 7th Battalion of The Royal Regiment of Scotland.

Qualifications

  • BA History 
    1992 - University of Stirling 
    Specialist Honours Subject: William Ewart Gladstone uG Dissertation: The 1859 Revival in Ulster
  • BD Divinity 
    1997 - University of Aberdeen 
    First Class Honours
  • PhD History 
    2000 - University of Stirling 
    Subject: The 1859 Revival in the north east of Scotland
  • DMin Ministry Studies 
    2016 - University of Aberdeen and Pittsburgh Theological Seminary 

    Dissertation: The Practice of Hospitality in Cupar Old Parish Church

Memberships and Affiliations

Internal Memberships

 

  • DRS Undergraduate Programme Coordinator
  • DHPA Director of Education

 

External Memberships
  • External Examiner:

Birmingham University, England (DPT Programme) (2016-2021)

Union Theological College, Northern Ireland (2017-2021)

Highland Theological College, UHI, Scotland (2023-2027 )

  • MTh External Examiner at:

Moore Theological College, Sydney, Australia

  • PhD External Examiner at:

Glasgow University, Scotland

  • Membership of Scholarly Societies

Christianity and History Forum

Ecclesiastical History Society  (Committee Member, 2020-2023)

Fellow of Advance HE

Fellow Royal Historical Society

Scottish Church History Society

Latest Publications

View My Publications

Research

Research Overview

I am interested in the history of Evangelicalism, religious revivals and Christian missions. I  have undertaken research in modern Scottish revivals, the nineteenth century missionary movement in Malawi and the 1955 All Scotland Crusade, while, more broadly, my interests extend to modern Scottish church history from the eighteenth century to the present day.

 

Research Areas

Accepting PhDs

I am currently accepting PhDs in Divinity, History.


Please get in touch if you would like to discuss your research ideas further.

Email Me

Divinity

Supervising
Accepting PhDs

History

Supervising
Accepting PhDs

Research Specialisms

  • Christian Studies
  • Divinity
  • History
  • Theology

Our research specialisms are based on the Higher Education Classification of Subjects (HECoS) which is HESA open data, published under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International licence.

Current Research

My current research project is concerned with the American evangelist Billy Graham and his participation in the All Scotland Crusade of 1955.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Past Research

  • The 1859 Revival in the north east of Scotland
  • The industrial mission of Robert Laws of Livingstonia
  • Conversion in the sermons of Billy Graham during the All Scotland Crusade of 1955
  • The threat of crisis in the sermons of Billy Graham during the All Scotland Crusade of 1955
  • The lack of emotion in the sermons of Billy Graham during the All Scotland Crusade of 1955

Knowledge Exchange

As coordinator of the Centre for Ministry Studies, I have facilitated, since 2014, more than sixty events including courses, day conferences, lectures, Retreats, seminars and Summer Schools that have given the Divinity Department, and our friends, an opportunity to engage publicly with church leaders from around the world.

Our current engagements include:

  • Aberdeen Academy of Theology
  • Annual conference for the  north east Presbyteries of the Church of Scotland
  • Worship Leading and Preaching courses for the north east Presbyteries of the Church of Scotland

Supervision

My current supervision areas are: Divinity, History.

RECENTLY COMPLETED DOCTORAL SUPERVISION

  • Dr Sheila Akomiah (Ghana): The changing landscape of the church in post-Christendom Britain: New churches in Glasgow 2000-2016
  • Dr Sara Blakeney (America): The Discipleship of Millennials in Missional Communities in Texas
  • Dr Paul Coulter (Northern Ireland): Church and Mission in Four Aspects: Locating church planting within a missionary ecclesiology for the one, holy, catholic and apostolic church in contemporary Northern Ireland
  • Dr Erin Crider (America): Planting the Word: Theological reflection on the operant missional ecclesiology of US church planting movements 1960s-present
  • Dr Nam Vo (Vietnam): Spiritual Formation Practices and Youth Ministry in Vietnam
  • Dr Stuart Sheehan (America): The Changing Theological functions of Corporate Worship among Southern Baptists: What they were and what they became, 1638-2008

CURRENT POSTGRADUATE SUPERVISION

  • Timothy Ang (Singapore): Representations of Revival in Eighteenth-Century British Methodism
  • Winfield Bevins (America): The Impact of the Evangelical Ressourcement Movement on the Liturgical Practices of Neo-liturgical Churches in the United States
  • Sam Crossley (England): Revivals in the Potteries, 1807-1886: From 'Mow Cop' to 'Gipsy Smith'
  • William Hamilton (Northern Ireland): Ministries of Reconciliation within the Presbyterian Church in Ireland
  • Seonkuk Kim (South Korea): Disappearing GenZ: A missional challenge in the changing context of South Korea
  • Billy Linscott (America): The Evangelical Church and the Urban Poor in Kansas
  • Rubens Muzio (Brazil): Sanctification in seventeenth-century English Puritan pastoral theology
  • Andrew Saunders (Nepal): Exploring resistance to contextualisation in Nepal's theological colleges
  • Brian Theu (Malawi): The Impact of Witchcraft Beliefs and Practices on members of Church of Central Africa Presbyterian: A Case Study of Livingstonia Synod
  • Bethany Watt (Scotland): Presbyterian Secession in north east Scotland
  • George Weagba (Liberia): A contemporary survey of narrative preaching among United Methodist Pastors in Liberia
Teaching

Courses

  • Preaching (DR503M)
  • Christian Practices (DR553M)

Teaching Responsibilities

1. Undergraduate:

  • A History of Evangelicalism
  • An Introduction to Pastoral Care
  • An Introduction to Christian Spirituality
  • Scottish Church History and Theology
  • Scottish Revivals
  • Theology and Practice of Preaching

2. PGT: MTh Ministry Studies: (At Aberdeen University and Zomba Theological College, Malawi)

  • Spiritual Formation
  • Leadership
  • Preaching
  • Christian Practices

3. PGT: MLitt Scottish Heriage

  • Scottish Church History: From Columba to Graham and Beyond

 

 

 

 

Non-course Teaching Responsibilities

I provide courses for the north east Presbyteries of the Church of Scotland in:

  • Preaching
  • Worship Leading
Publications

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  • Religious conversion in the sermons of Billy Graham during the All Scotland Crusade of 1955

    Jeffrey, K. S.
    Scottish Church History, vol. 51, no. 2, pp. 157-173
    Contributions to Journals: Articles
  • ‘Strangely Un-warmed’: The absence of emotion in the experience of conversion during the All Scotland Crusade of 1955

    Jeffrey, K. S.
    Expository Times, vol. 133, no. 12, pp. 509–520
    Contributions to Journals: Articles
  • The threat of crisis in the sermons of Billy Graham during the All Scotland Crusade in 1955

    Jeffrey, K. S.
    Scottish Church History, vol. 51, no. 1, pp. 53-69
    Contributions to Journals: Articles
  • The Industrial Gospel of Robert Laws and the Livingstonia Expedition

    Jeffrey, K. S.
    Scottish Church History, vol. 49, no. 1, pp. 38-50
    Contributions to Journals: Articles
  • A Vision of Pastoral Care

    Jeffrey, K. S.
    Pastoral Care: Learn: Connect: Resource: Inspire. Um, H. (ed.). St Andrews Press, pp. 12-15, 4 pages
    Chapters in Books, Reports and Conference Proceedings: Chapters
  • Making sense of the 1859 Revival in the North-East of Scotland

    Jeffrey, K. S.
    On Revival: A Critical Examination. Walker, A., Aune, K. (eds.). Paternoster Press
    Chapters in Books, Reports and Conference Proceedings: Chapters
  • When the Lord walked the land: The 1858-62 Revival in the North East of Scotland

    Jeffrey, K. S.
    Paternoster Press, Carlisle. 303 pages
    Books and Reports: Books
  • Work, Leisure and Revival: The integration of the 1859 Revival into the working and social lives of the townsfolk, fermfolk and fisherfolk of Aberdeenshire

    Jeffrey, K. S.
    The Use and Abuse of Time in Christian History. Swanson, R. (ed.). The Boydell Press
    Chapters in Books, Reports and Conference Proceedings: Chapters
  • Physical Phenomena in the 1859 Ulster Revival

    Jeffrey, K. S.
    The Rutherford Journal
    Contributions to Journals: Articles

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Chapters in Books, Reports and Conference Proceedings

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