I Will Build My Church: Selected Writings on Church Polity, Baptism and the Sabbath

Thomas Witherow (1824-1890) was born in Ballycastle in the north of Ireland, where he ministered and taught for 45 years. After pastoring a Presbyterian church in Maghera for two decades, he became professor of church history and pastoral theology at Magee College in Londonderry, where he served until his untimely death at the age of 65. Witherow wrote prolifically and on a variety of topics, but he remains best known for his defense of Presbyterian beliefs.

Editor:

Jonathan Gibson (PhD, University of Cambridge) is associate professor of Old Testament at Westminster Theological Seminary, and an ordained minister in the International Presbyterian Church, UK. He is the author and editor of several books, including two collections of liturgies for corporate and individual worship: Reformation Worship and Be Thou My Vision. Jonny is married to Jackie, and they have four children: Benjamin, Leila, Zachary, and Hannah.

Endorsements:

"Thomas Witherow was a nineteenth-century Irish Presbyterian minister and professor whose contribution to Reformed theology has benefitted the church far beyond the shores of Ireland and continues to be relevant for the contemporary church. In an age when many people have been abused and hurt by bad or dysfunctional church government, Witherow's work on ecclesiology is an important reminder of how good church government is a critical part of Christian discipleship. When properly implemented, it enables the church's members to pursue a fruitful Christian life, to pray better for others, and to serve the church most effectively. Above all, Witherow's work gives Christians a deep appreciation for the wisdom and glory of the church's Head and King, Jesus Christ. As the recently retired principal of the same theological college that Witherow served with such eminence, I am delighted to commend the work of my godly predecessor."
--Stafford Carson, Principal (Retired), Union Theological College

"Jonny Gibson introduces us to Thomas Witherow, an Irish Presbyterian who continues to speak on doctrines that have too often been side-lined as 'not essential for salvation.' But non-essential is not the same as unimportant. The Bible teaches extensively on the topics of polity, baptism and Sabbath, and that should be sufficient reason for us to be informed about them. This book is a clear and compelling resource that will inform, and maybe even convince, its readers of Presbyterian distinctives."
--Ian Smith, Principal, Christ College, Sydney

"In a day where there is so much confusion about the structures within which God has ordained believers to live out their Christian lives, we need wise guides. Enter Thomas Witherow! Witherow was deeply concerned that God's people know that God has provided sound wisdom for life in this world. After a brilliant, brief biography, Witherow himself shares his biblical wisdom about polity, baptism, and Sabbath in ways that encourage us to walk in these tested paths. I am so grateful to Jonny Gibson for bringing these wise words of Witherow to the attention of Christians around the world!"
--Sean Michael Lucas, Chancellor's Professor of Church History, Reformed Theological Seminary

"It is a great pleasure for me warmly to commend this new work by Jonny Gibson. Thomas Witherow's name ought to be better known than it is. His brief works on church polity, baptism and Sabbath, are written with admirable clarity and a generous gospel spirit. In an age when Christianity is being seduced by the shallow mantras of modernity, reading Witherow will help to recalibrate your thinking on truths that belong to the heart of the Christian faith and the health of the Christian church. The engaging introductory biography introduces us to a man who used the gifts and passions the Lord entrusted to him to serve the cause of the gospel in his homeland and beyond."
--Ian Hamilton, Professor of Historical Theology, Westminster Presbyterian Theological Seminary

"In these pages Thomas Witherow makes the case-rather convincingly, I must say-that confessional Presbyterianism is biblical Christianity come into its own. Although written in the mid-nineteenth century, the Irish pastor's spirited survey of polity, baptism, and the Christian Sabbath is surprisingly accessible for modern readers. It serves as a clarion call to practice true and consistent Presbyterianism in our churches. Read this book and you will not only better understand the distinctives of the Presbyterian tradition-you will also cherish them. This volume will be compulsory reading for present and future officers in my church. I cannot recommend it highly enough."
--Jon D. Payne, Senior Pastor, Christ Church Presbyterian, Charleston