Learn. Grow. Flourish.
For some years now we’ve used this short group of words to describe what we’re all about. They are a succinct summary of a couple of other phrases that we use.
Discover Your Call. Nourish Your Faith. Reach Your Potential.
We think learning is more than just head knowledge. It’s about discovering who you are in God’s eyes, finding purpose in life, and developing your God-given call.
We believe theological education should help you grow in faith. At times, it might challenge core beliefs, but ultimately we hope that through your learning your faith grows stronger and your love for God grows deeper.
We want all our students to flourish and move towards the best version of themselves. We aim to release students into their full potential, as they invest in their learning and dedicate time to dive deeper into who God is.
All of these stem from our core values:
- Provide a quality and holistic theological education.
- Equip our students for a variety of vocations in ministry and mission.
- Create a learning environment which nourishes faith.
- Be a welcoming, encouraging, and supportive community for students irrespective of background.
- Help students discover and develop their call, inspiring them to reach their full potential.
These are much more than words on a page. They embody who we are as a learning community and a group of Christians who study together and grow together.
Provide a quality and holistic theological education.
Every theology college will tell you they provide a quality education – it’s what we do! And we feel the same – our lecturers have studied to a high level, usually PhD level and have been in church ministry in one form or another. While the academic is important, for us, it’s the “holistic” part that’s more important. It’s not just about filling heads with knowledge, but it’s about forming people for ministry. As you learn, your ideas develop and impacts your character. As you spend time in an intentional community of believers, studying the Bible together and reflecting on God’s character, that shapes who you are. Our focus on holistic education is about helping you to become Christ-like in all areas of your life. We can’t promise we’ll teach you everything you need to know (like when the church boiler break down or the roof has a leak), but we hope to develop people who think deeply and learn through experience and reflection, so you continue to develop even after you’ve left.
Equip our students for a variety of vocations in ministry and mission.
We recognise that ministry and mission look different for different people. For some it will be a traditional route into local church ministry. For others it will be working outside the church with young people or in the community. Still for others it might be working as a chaplain in a hospital or a prison. And much more beyond – school teachers, charity work, in the mission field, or simply being an informed and persuasive witness in your workplace. We see all of these as ministry and mission and so our course is structured to reflect a broad range of potential outcomes, recognising that the area of ministry you start in, is not necessarily the area of ministry you will always be in.
Create a learning environment which nourishes faith.
It’s not uncommon to hear that studying theology chips away at people’s faith, destabilising the foundations of belief – we’re not about that sort of approach. We aim to create a learning environment where faith flourishes, not because we don’t ask hard questions or have robust conversation, but because we create an environment where it is safe to ask questions and explore different ideas, all in the pursuit of making your faith more vibrant. We see faith formation a little like building muscle – to make it stronger, you have to use it! Sometimes that’s hard work, but it’s also important to have time to rest and refresh. We always hope that students go out from the College stronger in their faith, with a deeper relationship with God, and equipped to live out their vibrant faith in the world.
Be a welcoming, encouraging, and supportive community for students irrespective of background.
We welcome people from all different backgrounds and stages of faith. While we are baptistic at our core, we think that puts us in a good place to welcome people from all backgrounds, denominations, and traditions. While we hold to Baptist principles, this gives us a perspective from which to engage with different approaches. At the core of being baptistic is recognising God in Christ as Saviour and Lord and the responsibility of each church, under the guidance of the Holy Spirit, to discern, interpret, and live out God’s word. This can lead to a variety of perspectives across Baptist churches and as a College we aim to serve the whole Baptist church across this spectrum. This means that irrespective of your background, Baptist or otherwise, we strive to be a space where you can belong, engaging in conversation with people who think differently, but ultimately recognising that all Christians are under the authority of Christ. As an educational institute, as well as a faith community, we believe our baptistic roots lead to a healthy academic environment where we can engage and explore different approaches and help you to develop a more robust understanding of the Christian faith regardless of your background.
Help students discover and develop their call, inspiring them to reach their full potential.
We recognise that we’re just a stepping stone! We shouldn’t be the end goal or the final destination, but simply a way to help you get from A to B, from where you are to where God is calling you to. Many students come with a sense of calling but without knowing exactly what that might look like. Through placements, teaching, conversations, and interaction with people already on the journey, we hope to be able to develop your call into a tangible reality. We want students to leave us better prepared to what God has called them into.
This captures a little of who we are – a place to belong and a space to grow. We invite you to join our learning community and explore more of who God is and where He is calling you.
