J. I. Packer was born in England, and educated at Oxford. Soon after entering the university, he gave his life to Christ during an InterVarsity service, a momentous event that changed the trajectory of his life and calling. He went on to study theology and was ordained in the Church of England in 1952. Two years later, he completed his doctorate at Oxford, and married his wife, Kit. For the next quarter century he ministered, taught, and wrote in Britain in a variety of appointments. His two most influential books, Fundamentalism and the Word of God (1958), and Knowing God (1973) established him, along with John Stott, as one of the most influential evangelical leaders in the church.

In 1979, Packer moved to Vancouver to join the faculty at Regent College as professor of theology, a position he retained until his retirement.  In addition to teaching and public speaking, he published over 30 works after moving to Canada, and enjoyed increasing influence not only in Anglican circles, but within the wider church. He served in various capacities, including executive editor of Christianity Today, general editor of the English Standard Version (ESV) translation of the Bible, and various task forces involving prayer book revision and catechesis for the Anglican Church in North America. 

Packer was a member of the Anglican Network in Canada since its founding, and long-time honorary assistant at St John’s Church in Vancouver. He was forced to retire from public ministry in 2016, due to macular degeneration. He went to be with the Lord in July 2020, aged 93.  

J. I. Packer leaves a rich legacy to the church and to orthodoxy.  Packer College seeks to honour this legacy by retaining his emphasis of “majoring in majors” via a seminary curriculum that places heavy emphasis on Scripture, and our received Christian and Anglican heritage, in order to equip ministers—both theologically and practically—for fruitful service in the Lord’s vineyard.