Trinity Institute Era (1991-2025)

In 1991, the Trinity Institute acquired its campus properties following the death of John H. Jenkins III in 1989. The Trinity Institute was founded in 1989 by Dr. James Parker III, a professor of theology inspired by his time as a student at the renowned L'Abri Fellowship in Switzerland. His vision was to establish a Christian study center in his home state of Texas as a place where believers could engage with their faith through study, prayer, and fellowship. Like L'Abri, the Trinity Institute provided a haven for Christians seeking a deeper understanding of historic, orthodox Christianity. Visitors participated in larger gatherings such as the long-running Trinity Arts Conference, weekend events, and personal spiritual and artistic retreats, until programs at Tehuacana ended in 2024.

Pictured: Trinity Institute visitors attending a musical performance in Louisiana Hall in 2017.

Dr. Parker grew up in Abilene and attended Baylor University. He went on to earn graduate degrees from Trinity Evangelical Divinity School (M.A.), Princeton Theological Seminary (M.Div., Th.M.), Basel University (D.Theol.), and Johns Hopkins University (post-doctoral studies). His fields of specialization include the New Testament, systematic and contemporary theology, and apologetics. After completing his doctorate at Basel, Dr. Parker briefly taught a variety of theological courses at what is now McMurry University before pursuing further studies at Johns Hopkins. He later served for one year at Southeastern Seminary, two years at Eastern Baptist Theological Seminary, and also taught at Dallas Baptist University and Criswell College. Before retiring after twenty years at Southern Seminary, Dr. Parker taught in the worldview and culture division, where he led the introductory course in Christian philosophy and various apologetics courses at both the master’s and doctoral levels.

Pictured: Trinity Institute visitors on the porch of the barracks building, courtesy of thetrinityinstitute.net

Over the years that the Trinity Institute operated in Tehuacana, improvements were made to various buildings, including the reconstruction of a portion of the gymnasium, repairs to Louisiana and Texas Halls, and the central dormitory/barracks building.

Pictured: Trinity Institute visitors working on Louisiana Hall in 2017.