“When I was fifteen, I left school,” he says. His words blanketed in a deep Scottish burr. It was familial financial constraints and logistics which forced that decision. The next day Ian Shields walked into the Port Glasgow [Scotland] Co-op and became a grocery assistant.
Ian has never given up on learning. Following the abrupt departure from the classroom to entering the workforce, he set his mind.
“I got to work. I had a talk with myself: ‘Ian you have to learn at least one new thing every day that you don’t know. Be curious. Be observant.’”
The eighty-five-year-old has stayed curious and remains observant. On Friday, May 30, 2025, he was joined by his learning cohort at a virtual graduation ceremony hosted by Dallas Theological Seminary. His completion of the Old Testament Track with DTS was celebrated.
This course took Shields through the entire 39-book canon of the Old Testament with special focus on Genesis, 1 Samuel, selected Psalms, Daniel and Jonah. During his learning, he was assigned a mentor: Dr. David A. Shaffer, whom is Director of Son Shine Ministries and a DTS alum.
“What made mentoring Ian so enjoyable was his enthusiasm for life and ministry,” writes Shaffer in emailed responses to questions. “His faith runs deep, and he longs to share it effectively with others. I loved hearing of his efforts and the joy he felt when sharing Christ with others. Ian chooses to focus his time on sharing God’s Word in a relevant and hopeful way rather than complaining about the current state of things. He is someone who, after having spent time with him, you come away feeling as though God has used him to put wind in your sails.”
“It is for people who wish to dive deeper into scripture,” Shields explains of the course. “And when I was invited to apply, I had to be invited to apply…in September of last year, we started into it.”
The Canadian Midwest District, in which Mr. Shields serves, is committed to learning as expressed in their licensing and ordination processes and ongoing offerings of professional development for their licensed workers. Following Mr. Shields completion of the licensing process, he was asked to prepare a learning plan and complete some ‘foundation for ministry’ classes. Completion of five well-chosen courses would have been more than sufficient. Now, however, Ian’s personnel file is home to 18 course completion certificates from DTS. Abundant learning.
Ian and his wife Margaret immigrated to Canada in 1969 after both becoming Registered General Nurses. They lived in Ontario for a time, then Winnipeg and in 1984 found their way to Regina. Shields is well-known in Alliance Church circles and continues to serve the church in new and diverse ways. Most recently he was involved in the start-up of the Regina Arabic Church New Venture.
DTS course completion requirements included submitting papers, book reports and the completion of sermon prep and preaching on four occasions: on the book of Jonah.
“As an academic, I value learning and the process of learning,” says Rev. Dr. Bernie Van De Walle, District Superintendent of the Canadian Midwest District. “In ministry, I believe that a passion for knowing more and more about the Jesus we serve helps us serve His church. A commitment to lifelong learning keeps each of us ‘in the saddle,’ so-to- speak. We are never to give up on longing for an ever-deepening understanding of God and His word.”
“I’ve been taught how to read the Bible properly and how to ask questions,” says Shields of just some of the value he has received in the time invested in his DTS studies. “When you read the Bible, you don’t just read it, you question it. Have questions. And I question every word, every passage.” He joyfully goes on to explain his learning and finding ties between the book of Jonah and Peter’s journey in the book of Acts.
As he speaks and shares, he becomes ageless. His face changes and he becomes an excited child of God, revelling in the Word and what it continues to reveal to him eight decades into a lifetime.
“God has to keep reminding me that I am just a man,” he says, emotion evident. “You see, what we do for him, we are nothing. You are nothing. But He is everything…What is an eighty-five-year-old doing this for? I’m not doing anything. I am nothing. Because God is saying: open your heart, open your life, open your mind and I will do everything.”