Rev. Dr. Cyril Guerette

About

Rev. Dr. Cyril Guerette

Rev. Dr. Cyril Guerette is a theologian, pastor, chaplain, and musician. Born in Sarnia, Ontario, he received his call to ministry as a teenager at a revival conference at Temple Baptist Church — a call that has since taken shape in the classroom, the pulpit, corporate chaplaincy, and rap. He currently lives in Hamilton, Ontario with his wife Maegan Guerette and their four children.

Academic

Dr. Guerette holds a BTh from Heritage Baptist College (1998), a Diploma (1999) and MPhil (2000) in Theology from the University of Cambridge, and a PhD from the University of St. Michael's College, University of Toronto (2013). After fifteen years teaching Theology and Philosophy at Heritage College & Seminary in Cambridge, Ontario, he joined Tyndale University, where he is Assistant Professor of Theology & Philosophy specializing in Systematic Theology, Medieval Philosophy, Hermeneutics, and Cultural Studies. He has also taught Discipleship in the 21st Century at the graduate level (Pathways/MacDiv).

Courses Taught

  • Introduction to Christian Theology
  • Aquinas
  • Introduction to Philosophy
  • Ancient and Medieval Philosophy
  • Doctrine of God
  • Doctrine of Christ
  • Doctrine of Holy Spirit
  • Doctrine of Salvation
  • Doctrine of Scripture
  • Doctrine of Eschatology
  • Hermeneutics (Biblical Interpretation)
  • Angels (Seminar)
  • Theology & Poetry (Seminar)
  • Theology of Missions
  • Discipleship in the 21st Century
  • Spiritual Formation
  • Ethics
  • Philosophy of Religion
  • Philosophy of Education
  • Analysis of Contemporary Culture
  • Greek Elements I & II
  • Sociology

Pastoral

Beyond the classroom, Dr. Guerette pastored churches across the Greater Toronto Area for two decades — Freedomize Toronto, FreeChurch Toronto, Forestview, and, until 2024, The Groundswell Church, which he planted in Burlington as part of The Alliance Canada. He speaks regularly at local churches, ministry events, conferences, concerts and camps. He has always had a heart for the next generation and has served to lead the reflection room creative installations and served on the Advisory Board of Outpour Young Adults Conference since its inception. Twenty years of his preaching live on the Teaching & Sermons page.

Chaplaincy

Dr. Guerette also serves as chaplain for Stillwater Capital, a merger & acquisition company — caring not for the deals themselves, but for the employees living through them, offering confidential, non-denominational pastoral support through the personal and professional upheaval that comes with M&A work. He also works with individuals who are looking for an experienced personal chaplain. Full detail lives on the Chaplain Services page — to request preaching, teaching, or chaplaincy services, use the Booking page.

Music

Long before Prophetic Poetic, Dr. Guerette was recording as ILL SEER — a name that goes back to discovering Public Enemy on MuchMusic's Rapcity growing up in Sarnia, Ontario, and fronting a scrappy alt-funk-punk-hiphop outfit called The Chevrons as a teenager. At Cambridge, while pursuing his MPhil, he joined an acid-jazz group called Octopus, then co-founded Co-Lab.Oration, which merged with another Cambridge crew to form the ten-man, five-country Delegates of Culture. The Delegates put out the Headcleaners and Resented EP vinyl releases, drew UK press from Muzik Magazine, DJ Magazine, and HipHop Connection, and helped found the UK promotion collective Rawganics — the academic and the emcee were never really two different people.

Dr. Guerette has performed as ILL SEER since 1995, recording with Delegates of Culture since 1999 and, back in Toronto, alongside Jon Corbin, Eternia, Mindbender, Relic, and Shad (host of Netflix's Hip-Hop Evolution). He founded the indie label "Prophetic Poetic" in 2002 and has performed under that moniker, bringing the same voice to a more liturgical project — hip-hop as a way of performing Scripture's own poetry, from a day-by-day Easter meditation to a paraphrase of the book of Habakkuk. "Good Friday (Seven Last Words)," a feature with Drew Brown, won Rap Song of the Year at the 2019 Gospel Music Association of Canada's 40th annual Covenant Awards. He is also a published author. Full discography, credits, and collaborators — including Delegates of Culture, Jon Corbin, Theory Hazit, and DJ Moves — are on the Music page.