Welcome To The Christian Heritage Center

The Christian Heritage Center is a ministry dedicated to honoring, preserving, and learning from the heritage of godly figures in the past to better serve the church today.

Honoring, Preserving, Learning

The heritage we are committed to honoring, preserving, and learning from includes the lives, doctrines, practices, works, and examples of godly historic evangelical figures. This heritage is rooted in historic evangelical Christianity, characterized by orthodox doctrine, historical practices, and experiential realities. True evangelical Christianity provides the foundation and framework for any lasting godly heritage throughout history.

The Christian Heritage Conference

The Doctor: The Life, Ministry And Legacy Of Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones

Commemorating the 100th Anniversary of His Entrance into Christian Ministry, 1927–2027

📅 Saturday, March 6, 2027 🕘 A full day of worship, rich teaching, and fellowship.
🎓 The Doctor: The Life, Ministry, and Legacy of D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones
Come explore how the life and teaching of D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones are still useful for the church today.

Historical Figure Spotlight

Ignatius Of Antioch

Ignatius of Antioch (d. c. A.D. 110)

Early Church Bishop, Apostolic Father, and Martyr

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Biography Of Ignatius: Ignatius of Antioch provides one of the earliest glimpses into Christianity immediately following the age of the apostles. He served as bishop of Antioch in Syria, one of the most important cities in early Christianity and the place where the disciples were first called Christians (Acts 11:26).
Ignatius belonged to the generation immediately following the apostles and is therefore numbered among the Apostolic Fathers. Early Christian writers such as Polycarp, Irenaeus, Origen, and Eusebius knew of Ignatius or his writings.

During the reign of the Roman emperor Trajan, Ignatius was arrested for his Christian faith and transported under guard toward Rome, where he expected to be executed.Yet the journey that was intended to carry Ignatius toward death became an opportunity for Christian ministry.
Along the way, Ignatius wrote seven letters: to the churches at Ephesus, Magnesia, Tralles, Rome, Philadelphia, and Smyrna, and one personally addressed to Polycarp, bishop of Smyrna.

These letters provide an invaluable picture of Christianity in the early second century. Ignatius emphasized the importance of church unity and repeatedly encouraged Christians to respect their bishops, presbyters, and deacons. He warned against division and false teaching and strongly defended both the true deity and true humanity of Jesus Christ, particularly against those who denied that Christ had genuinely taken human flesh and truly suffered.

Ignatius is perhaps most remembered, however, for his attitude toward his approaching death.

Rather than abandoning Christ to save his life, Ignatius regarded martyrdom as an opportunity to demonstrate the reality of his faith. His Letter to the Romans reveals his determination that Christians in Rome not intervene to prevent his execution. Though some of his language concerning martyrdom can sound unusually eager to modern readers, the conviction beneath it is unmistakable: Jesus Christ was more precious to Ignatius than his own life.

Ignatius eventually reached Rome, where Christian tradition records that he suffered martyrdom.

His life and letters leave us with the testimony of a Christian pastor who faced death believing that to die in faithfulness to Christ was ultimately gain.
From His Writings: Ignatius's Letter to the Romans provides perhaps the clearest expression of his willingness to suffer for Christ.

Knowing that execution awaited him, Ignatius wrote to the Christians in Rome:

“Now I begin to be a disciple. May naught of things visible and things invisible envy me; that I may attain unto Jesus Christ. Come fire and cross and grapplings with wild beasts, wrenching of bones and hacking of limbs, crushings of my whole body, come cruel tortures of the devil to assail me. Only be it mine to attain unto Jesus Christ.”

Ignatius's language is startling, but his central concern is clear. He did not consider preservation of his earthly life his greatest good. His greatest treasure was Jesus Christ.

His words remind us of Paul's declaration: “For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain” (Phil. 1:21).

Citation: Ignatius of Antioch, Letter to the Romans 5, trans. J. B. Lightfoot, in The Apostolic Fathers.
Why Ignatius Matters Today: Ignatius reminds Christians that faithfulness to Christ is more valuable than life itself.

Most Christians will never face the particular circumstances Ignatius faced, but every Christian is called to confess Christ regardless of the cost. Ignatius challenges us to consider whether Christ is genuinely our greatest treasure.

His writings also remind us of the importance of doctrinal faithfulness and Christian unity. Ignatius opposed false teaching concerning Christ while simultaneously pleading with churches to avoid unnecessary division. Truth and unity were not competing priorities. Genuine Christian unity had to be grounded in the truth about Jesus Christ.

There is also something to learn from Ignatius's strong emphasis upon the authority of bishops.He viewed the bishop, together with presbyters and deacons, as important for preserving order, unity, and doctrinal faithfulness. His letters therefore provide significant evidence for the development of church government in the early second century.

At the same time, his writings may give us an early glimpse of the increasing prominence that individual bishops would possess in subsequent centuries. Authority attributed by Ignatius to bishops should not be equated with apostolic authority. His emphasis therefore reminds us of the necessity of continually returning every doctrine and practice of the church to the authority of Scripture.

Ignatius's life ultimately points us toward something even greater than church history. It points us toward Christ.

The old bishop walked toward death convinced that losing everything in this world was worth it if he gained Christ. That is a heritage worth remembering.
Selected Works: Seven authentic letters of Ignatius have traditionally been preserved:
Letter to the Ephesians
Letter to the Magnesians
Letter to the Trallians
Letter to the Romans
Letter to the Philadelphians
Letter to the Smyrnaeans
Letter to Polycarp

Recommended Starting Point
Begin with the Letter to the Romans. It is short, memorable, and provides a powerful window into Ignatius's devotion to Christ as he traveled toward martyrdom.

Letter From Our Founder & Director, Kyle Kearbey

Welcome To The Christian Heritage Center

Thank you for visiting the Christian Heritage Center. I am sincerely grateful that you have taken the time to learn more about who we are and the work we are seeking to accomplish.

The Christian Heritage Center was founded with a simple conviction: the church today, corporately and individually, has much to learn from the faithfulness of those who have gone before us. Our mission is to honor, preserve, and learn from the heritage of godly figures from the past to better serve the church today.

I believe church history is far more than names, dates, and events. It is the story of Christ faithfully building His church from generation to generation. When we study the lives and writings of faithful men and women from the past, we encounter individuals who faced many of the same struggles, temptations, trials, questions, and challenges that we face. By looking at their lives, we are encouraged to remain faithful in our own generation.

Through conferences, teaching, podcasts, instructional videos, articles, historical resources, and other means, the Christian Heritage Center seeks to make the riches of Christian history accessible, edifying, and useful to the church today. It is our desire to connect the past with the present—not solely for the purpose of increasing our knowledge, but to strengthen our faith, deepen our love for Christ, and encourage us toward greater faithfulness to the Word of God.

Church history is not just for academics or for seminary; it is for the pew. Men and women in the trenches need to know the great deeds the Lord has performed on behalf of His people throughout the ages!

This is a growing work, and I would love for you to come alongside us. There are many ways to be involved. Attend one of our events, watch and share our resources, or introduce others to the ministry. We sincerely desire your prayers and support. As opportunities arise, consider supporting the work and helping us expand its reach.

Thank you for visiting the Christian Heritage Center. We are grateful to have you with us, and we hope the resources you find here will encourage you to know Christ more deeply, serve His church more faithfully, and run your own race with endurance.

May the Lord bless you.

Welcome To The Christian Heritage Center

Honoring, Preserving, Learning

The Christian Heritage Conference

The Doctor: The Life, Ministry And Legacy Of Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones

Historical Figure Spotlight

Ignatius Of Antioch

Ignatius of Antioch (d. c. A.D. 110)

Biography Of Ignatius

From His Writings

Why Ignatius Matters Today

Selected Works

Welcome To The Christian Heritage Center