Andhra Christian Theological College (ACTC) is a

seminary A seminary, school of theology, theological seminary, or divinity school is an educational institution for educating students (sometimes called ''seminarians'') in scripture, theology, generally to prepare them for ordination to serve as clergy ...

Telangana Telangana (; , ) is a state in India situated on the south-central stretch of the Indian peninsula on the high Deccan Plateau. It is the eleventh-largest state and the twelfth-most populated state in India with a geographical area of and 3 ...

which was founded in 1964. It is affiliated with

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...

's first university, the

Senate of Serampore College (University) The Senate of Serampore College (University) is located in Serampore in West Bengal, India. Serampore was granted the status of university in 1829, making it India's first institution to have the status of a university.Government of India, Mini ...

(a university under section 2(f) of the University Grants Commission Act, 1956), and has degree-granting authority under a Danish charter ratified by the government of West Bengal. ACTC is on the

Hussain Sagar Hussain Sagar (alternatively referred to as Tank Bund; ) is a heart-shaped lake in Hyderabad, Telangana, built by Ibrahim Quli Qutb Shah in 1563. It is spread across an area of and is fed by the River Musi. A large monolithic statue of the Gau ...

canal (north) in Gandhinagar,

Hyderabad Hyderabad ( ; , ) is the capital and largest city of the Indian state of Telangana and the ''de jure'' capital of Andhra Pradesh. It occupies on the Deccan Plateau along the banks of the Musi River, in the northern part of Southern India ...

, about from the

Secunderabad Junction railway station Secunderabad Junction (station code: SC) is a major intercity junction railway station and a commuter rail hub in the Hyderabad urban area. In the city centre, the station is in the South Central Railway zone of Indian Railways. Built in 1874 b ...

. The college was founded on the Lutheran Theological College campus in

Rajahmundry Rajahmundry, officially known as Rajamahendravaram, is a city in the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh and District headquarters of East Godavari district. It is the sixth most populated city in the state. During British rule, the District of Rajah ...

and the founding societies included''Prospectus ACTC'', Printed by A. Nageswara Rao at Saraswathi Power Press, Rajahmundry, 1969, p.4.Rajaiah David Paul, ''Ecumenism in action: a historical survey of the Church of South India'', Christian Literature Society, Madras, 1972, p.146.

/ref> the

Andhra Evangelical Lutheran Church Andhra Pradesh (, abbr. AP) is a state in the south-eastern coastal region of India. It is the seventh-largest state by area covering an area of and tenth-most populous state with 49,386,799 inhabitants. It is bordered by Telangana to the ...

, the Church of South India, the Convention of Baptist Churches of Northern Circars, the Methodist Church in India and the South Andhra Lutheran Church. The

Samavesam of Telugu Baptist Churches Samavesam of Telugu Baptist Churches (STBC), (Nellore) presently Headquarters A.B.M Compound, Markapur, Prakasham District, Andhra Pradesh( by its Add General Secretary Shri. Chilka David Prakash Rao ) by its Baptist Christian denomination in t ...

held its B.D. classes at ACTC in 1967, and in 1972 the B.D. programme of the

Ramayapatnam Ramayapatnam is a small village in Nellore district of Andhra Pradesh, India on the bank of the Bay of Bengal The Bay of Bengal is the northeastern part of the Indian Ocean, bounded on the west and northwest by India, on the north by Bangl ...

Baptist Theological Seminary was integrated into the college. When

M. Victor Paul M. Victor Paul (7 April 1935 – 14 October 2013) was a biblical scholar who served as President of the Andhra Evangelical Lutheran Church from 1993 to 1997. Early years and education Victor Paul was born on 7 April 1935 into a pastoral famil ...

was principal (1991–1993), Good Samaritan Evangelical Lutheran Church joined the college.

Christian missions A Christian mission is an organized effort for the propagation of the Christian faith. Missions involve sending individuals and groups across boundaries, most commonly geographical boundaries, to carry on evangelism or other activities, such ...

in Andhra Pradesh opened seminaries in

Gooty Gooty ( ) is a town in Anantapur district of the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. It is the headquarters of Gooty mandal in Anantapur revenue division. The town is renowned for the Gooty hill fort. Geography Gooty is located at , at a d ...

(Union Theological Seminary), Dornakal (Andhra Union Theological College, for the Church of South India),

(Baptist Theological Seminary, for the American Baptists), Luthergiri (Lutheran Theological College),

Kakinada Kakinada ( formerly called Kakinandiwada, Coringa, and Cocanada; ) is the sixth largest city of the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh and serves as the district headquarters of the Kakinada District. It lies on the coast of the Bay of Bengal. J. ...

( Baptist Theological Seminary, for Canadian Baptists) and

Shamshabad Shamshabad is a city in the Indian state of Telangana. It is located in Shamshabad mandal of Rajendranagar revenue division. The international airport of Hyderabad is located here. History In former times the area was known as Sedanti village, ...

( Mennonite Brethren Centenary Bible College, for the

Anabaptists Anabaptism (from Neo-Latin , from the Greek : 're-' and 'baptism', german: Täufer, earlier also )Since the middle of the 20th century, the German-speaking world no longer uses the term (translation: "Re-baptizers"), considering it biased. ...

). Although professors were exchanged among the seminaries, Bachelor of Divinity students attended

Serampore College , founders = William Ward, William Carey, & Joshua Marshman , religious_affiliation = Baptist , rector = , location = 8, William Carey RoadSerampore – 712201West Bengal, India , established = , principal = Vansanglura V ...

in West Bengal.

Overview

Kretzmann Commission

ACTC constituted the

Kretzmann Commission The Kretzmann Commission''Theological Education in Andhra Pradesh - The Kretzmann Commission Report'', Printed by A. Nageswara Rao at Saraswathi Power Press, Rajahmundry, 1970. was constituted in 1969 by the Board of Governors of the Andhra Chris ...

in 1969, consisting of: * M. L. Kretzmann, D.D., secretary for planning, study and research of the

Lutheran World Federation The Lutheran World Federation (LWF; german: Lutherischer Weltbund) is a global communion of national and regional Lutheran denominations headquartered in the Ecumenical Centre in Geneva, Switzerland. The federation was founded in the Swedish ...

's Department of World Missions * K. Devasahayam,

M.A. A Master of Arts ( la, Magister Artium or ''Artium Magister''; abbreviated MA, M.A., AM, or A.M.) is the holder of a master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The degree is usually contrasted with that of Master of Science. Tho ...

, B.D. (

Hon. ''The Honourable'' (British English) or ''The Honorable'' (American English; American and British English spelling differences#-our, -or, see spelling differences) (abbreviation: ''Hon.'', ''Hon'ble'', or variations) is an honorific Style (ma ...

), S.T.M.,

* A. B. Masilamani, M.A., Th.M., Convention of Baptist Churches of Northern Circars * C. S. Sundaresan,

bishop A bishop is an ordained clergy member who is entrusted with a position of authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance of dioceses. The role or office of bishop is c ...

of the Church of South India's Diocese of Rayalaseema The commission's report, presented to the board of governors, suggested increasing the Bachelor of Divinity curriculum and abolishing the

Licentiate in Theology The Licentiate in Theology or (in Britain) Licence in Theology (LTh or, in Australia, ThL) is a non-degree qualification in theology awarded in Canada and previously awarded in the United Kingdom, Australia, and New Zealand. A qualification simil ...

programme.

Merger

In 1964, the college was founded in Luthergiri,

East Godavari East Godavari is a district in the Coastal Andhra region of Andhra Pradesh, India. Its district headquarters is at Rajahmundry. As of census 2011, it became the most populous district of the state with a population of 5,151,549. In the Madras Pre ...

with the merger of three theological colleges: Andhra Union Theological College in Dornakal, Baptist Theological Seminary in

, and Lutheran Theological College in

.''1966 Yearbook of the Lutheran Church in America'', United Lutheran publication house, 1965, p.1

/ref> With William D. Coleman (pastor), William D. Coleman as its first principal, the college was dedicated on 1 JulyMargaret Eunice Hawkinson née Coleman, ''That they may be one - The Story of the Andhra Christian Theological College'', Published by the Mission Council of the Andhra Evangelical Lutheran Church, and printed at the Lenox Press, Madurai, 1966

/ref> 1964 by R. M. Clark of the Board of Theological Education of the Senate of Serampore College, BTESSC. The inaugural address was delivered by Senate of Serampore College registrar C. Devasahayam in

.''The Lutheran'', Volume 2, Lutheran Church in America, 1964, p.30
/ref> The

Baptist Theological Seminary was a separate part of the college in

until it merged in 1972.''Year Book of the American Baptist Convention 1971'', 1971, p.183
/ref>''Foundations: A Baptist Journal of History and Theology'', Volumes 11-12, American Baptist Historical Society, 1968, pp.320-321.

/ref> By 1973, the college had moved from Rajahmundry to Secunderabad due to pollution from nearby paper mills. The new buildings were dedicated by Church of South India bishop Pereji Solomon in the presence of Catholic archbishop

Samineni Arulappa Archbishop Samineni Arulappa (28 August 1924 – 13 February 2005), also known as S Arulappa, was an Indian Catholic clergyman who served as the Archbishop of Hyderabad from December 1971 through January 2000. The youngest priest to be consecrat ...

and seminarians from St. John's Regional Seminary. During the 1990s, the college's postal address changed to Hyderabad (now in Telangana).

Administration and faculty

Board of governors

The college is administered by a board of governors composed of representatives of participating

Protestant Protestantism is a branch of Christianity that follows the theological tenets of the Protestant Reformation, a movement that began seeking to reform the Catholic Church from within in the 16th century against what its followers perceived to b ...

ecclesiastical societies: * Telangana ** Church of South India (CSI) Dioceses of Dornakal,

Karimnagar Karimnagar is also known as Elagandula (Ancient name) is a city and District Headquarters in the Indian state of Telangana. Karimnagar is a major urban agglomeration and fifth largest City in the state. It is governed by Municipal corporation a ...

Medak Medak is a town in Medak district of the Indian state of Telangana. It is a municipality and the headquarters of Medak mandal in Medak revenue division. And There is a river named srujan which is big in length. Etymology and History Medak wa ...

(headquartered in Dornakal,

and

) ** Good Samaritan Evangelical Lutheran Church (headquartered in

Bhadrachalam Bhadrachalam is a census town in Bhadradri Kothagudem district in the Indian state of Telangana. It is an important Hindu pilgrimage town with the Bhadrachalam Temple of Lord Rama, situated on the banks of Godavari river. It is located east o ...

) ** Methodist Church in India, Hyderabad Regional Conference **

Society, Deccan Association *

Tamil Nadu Tamil Nadu (; , TN) is a state in southern India. It is the tenth largest Indian state by area and the sixth largest by population. Its capital and largest city is Chennai. Tamil Nadu is the home of the Tamil people, whose Tamil language ...

** CSI Dioceses of Madras and

Vellore Vellore (English: ), also spelt as Velur (), is a city and the administrative headquarters of Vellore district in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. It is located on the banks of the Palar River in the northeastern part of Tamil Nadu and is separ ...

(headquartered in

Chennai Chennai (, ), formerly known as Madras ( the official name until 1996), is the capital city of Tamil Nadu, the southernmost Indian state. The largest city of the state in area and population, Chennai is located on the Coromandel Coast of th ...

and

) *

Andhra Pradesh Andhra Pradesh (, abbr. AP) is a state in the south-eastern coastal region of India. It is the seventh-largest state by area covering an area of and tenth-most populous state with 49,386,799 inhabitants. It is bordered by Telangana to the ...

, headquartered in Guntur ** CSI Dioceses of Krishna-Godavari,

Nandyal Nandyal is a city and District headquarters of Nandyal district of the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. It is a municipality and the headquarters of Nandyal mandal in Nandyal revenue division. Demographics In the 2011 census of India, Nandya ...

and Rayalaseema (headquartered in

Machilipatnam Machilipatnam (), also known as Masulipatnam and Bandar, is a city in Krishna district of the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. It is a municipal corporation and the administrative headquarters of Krishna district. It is also the mandal headquarte ...

and

Kadapa Kadapa (colonial spelled Cuddapah) is a city in the southern part of Andhra Pradesh, India. It is located in the Rayalaseema region, and is the district headquarters of YSR Kadapa district. As of the 2022 Census of India, the city had a popul ...

, respectively) ** Convention of Baptist Churches of Northern Circars, originally headquartered in

, originally headquartered in

Nellore Nellore is a city located on the banks of Penna River, in Nellore district of the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. It serves as the headquarters of the district, as well as Nellore mandal and Nellore revenue division. It is the fourth most p ...

** South Andhra Lutheran Church, headquartered in

Tirupati Tirupati () is a city in the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. It is the administrative headquarters of the Tirupati district. The city is home to the important Hindu shrine of Tirumala Venkateswara Temple and other historic temples and is re ...

Motto

The college motto is derived from

Ephesians The Epistle to the Ephesians is the tenth book of the New Testament. Its authorship has traditionally been attributed to Paul the Apostle but starting in 1792, this has been challenged as Deutero-Pauline, that is, pseudepigrapha written in Pau ...

4:12, which reads in the

Latin Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through the power of the ...

Vulgate The Vulgate (; also called (Bible in common tongue), ) is a late-4th-century Latin translation of the Bible. The Vulgate is largely the work of Jerome who, in 382, had been commissioned by Pope Damasus I to revise the Gospels u ...

: ''"Ad consummationem sanctorum in opus ministerii..."'' ("For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry..." in the

King James Version The King James Version (KJV), also the King James Bible (KJB) and the Authorized Version, is an Bible translations into English, English translation of the Christian Bible for the Church of England, which was commissioned in 1604 and publis ...

Hall system

W. D. Coleman, the college's first principal, explained the hall system: "Each of the participating denominations has its own 'hall'. There are two hours of instruction each week about the liturgy, history, and policy of each denomination". The churches commonly associated with

Protestantism Protestantism is a branch of Christianity that follows the theological tenets of the Protestant Reformation, a movement that began seeking to reform the Catholic Church from within in the 16th century against what its followers perceived to b ...

in southern India include the Anglicans, Congregationalists,

Wesleyan Methodists The Wesleyan Church is a Methodist Christian denomination aligned with the holiness movement. Wesleyan Church may also refer to: * Wesleyan Methodist Church of Australia, the Australian branch of the Wesleyan Church Denominations * Allegheny We ...

, Baptists,

Lutherans Lutheranism is one of the largest branches of Protestantism, identifying primarily with the theology of Martin Luther, the 16th-century German monk and reformer whose efforts to reform the theology and practice of the Catholic Church launched ...

and Methodists. Each church has its own tradition. At ACTC, students learn their respective church doctrine in addition to general theology.

Principals

The principal serves a four-year term (2022-2026), with each participating church having an opportunity to provide a principal. The current principal is the Rev. T. Swami Raju, D.Th. (Serampore).

Serampore University affiliation

The college has affiliated since its founding with the Senate of Serampore College (University).

Degrees for pastors

ACTC and Serampore offer two degrees for pastors: Bachelor of Divinity (B.D.) and

Master of Theology Master of Theology ( la, Theologiae Magister, abbreviated MTh, ThM, or MTheol) is a post-graduate degree offered by universities, divinity schools, and seminaries. It can serve as a transition degree for entrance into a PhD program or as a sta ...

(M. Th.) under the aegis of

Advanced Institute for Research on Religion and Culture Advanced Institute for Research on Religion and Culture (ARRC) is a federated faculty established in 2016, which comprises four institutions, namely, * Andhra Christian Theological College,''CSI Life'', Volume XIV, Issue 10, October 2016, p.3/r ...

(ARRC).

Distance education

Through

distance education Distance education, also known as distance learning, is the education of students who may not always be physically present at a school, or where the learner and the teacher are separated in both time and distance. Traditionally, this usually in ...

, ACTC has Bachelor of Christian Studies (B.C.S.) and Master of Christian Studies (M.C.S.) programmes for Christian students and a Diploma in Christian Studies (Dip. C.S.) programme for Christian and non-Christian students.

Registrar visits

When the college was founded in 1964, university

registrar A registrar is an official keeper of records made in a register. The term may refer to: Education * Registrar (education), an official in an academic institution who handles student records * Registrar of the University of Oxford, one of the se ...

Chetti Devasahayam ( CBCNC) delivered its inaugural address; registrar D. S. Satyaranjan visited the college annually. Current registrar S. K. Patro has visited ACTC to investigate the prospect of upgrading the college to a postgraduate institution.

University convocations

* Senate of Serampore College (University) has held two convocations at ACTC. The February 1979 convocation''Religion and Society'', Volume 26, Issue 2, Christian Institute for the Study of Religion and Society, Bangalore, 1979, p.77.

/ref> was hosted by college during the tenures of the Old Testament faculty Victor Premasagar, CSI and G. Babu Rao, CBCNC; both had been associated with the

. The convocation was attended by university registrar D. S. Satyaranjan and

master Master or masters may refer to: Ranks or titles * Ascended master, a term used in the Theosophical religious tradition to refer to spiritually enlightened beings who in past incarnations were ordinary humans *Grandmaster (chess), National Master ...

A. D. Khan. The university president was Victor Premasagar. The

Commemoration Commemoration may refer to: *Commemoration (Anglicanism), a religious observance in Churches of the Anglican Communion *Commemoration (liturgy) In the Latin liturgical rites of the Catholic Church, a commemoration is the recital, within the Li ...

Mass was led by G. Babu Rao (CBCNC) at St. Gregorios Malankara Orthodox Syrian Cathedral near the college, and the convocation address was delivered by Samuel Rayan, S.J.''Senate Presidents and Speakers at Convocations''
/ref> * The college hosted''Address of the President of the Senate'', 2016 Convocation of the University

/ref> the 2016 convocation under the tenure of Old Testament scholars T. Matthews Emmanuel, CBCNC and Vasantha Rao, CSI. The university was represented by master John Sadananda, Senate president Issac Mar Philoxenos,

South Asia Theological Research Institute South Asia Theological Research Institute (SATHRI) was established by the Board of Theological Education of the Senate of Serampore College (BTESSC) in the year 1989. It is located at Mack House Complex in Serampore. It offers doctoral programm ...

dean P. G. George and university registrar S. K. Patro. The convocation address was delivered by Klaus Schäfer. honorary doctoral degrees were conferred on D. S. Satyaranjan (who led the 1979 convocation) and Klaus Schäfer, who taught

New Testament The New Testament grc, Ἡ Καινὴ Διαθήκη, transl. ; la, Novum Testamentum. (NT) is the second division of the Christian biblical canon. It discusses the teachings and person of Jesus, as well as events in first-century Chri ...

courses at the college from 1988 to 1993.

Master of Divinity programme through ATA

The college has begun an initiative to admit Christian candidates to a M.Div. programme, for which it has been accredited by the

Asia Theological Association Asia Theological Association (ATA) is a Christian organisation of seminaries in Asia. It is a member of the International Council for Evangelical Theological Education. The headquarters is in Quezon City, Philippines. History ATA was formally esta ...

Academics

Library

ACTC's library has reading-room facilities, over 38,000 books and 35 periodicals. When the college was founded, it was known as the Dunkelberger Memorial Library. The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America''Minutes of the twentieth biennial Convention of the United Lutheran Church in America'', Board of Publication of the United Lutheran Church in America, 1956, p.991.

/ref> had sponsored the library in memory of Roy Martin Dunkelberger, AELC, a Lutheran missionary in Rajahmundry. The library was renamed the Gipson Memorial Library in 2014 in honour of

Baptist Baptists form a major branch of Protestantism distinguished by baptizing professing Christian believers only ( believer's baptism), and doing so by complete immersion. Baptist churches also generally subscribe to the doctrines of soul compe ...

missionary T. G. Gipson, STBC, who had modernized the library during his second term as a visiting faculty member at the college.''Tracy Gipson Memorial Library.''
/ref> The renaming ceremony was held during the tenure of T. Matthews Emmanuel ( CBCNC) as principal, in the presence of board of governors chair K. Frederick Paradesi Babu (AELC) and board member V. Prasada Rao (CSI).

Student life

ACTC has recreational facilities which include

throwball Throwball is a non-contact ball sport played across a net between two teams of nine players on a rectangular court. Throwball is popular in Asia, especially on the Indian subcontinent, and was first played in India as a women's sport in Chenn ...

, tennis, basketball and volleyball courts, a

table tennis Table tennis, also known as ping-pong and whiff-whaff, is a sport in which two or four players hit a lightweight ball, also known as the ping-pong ball, back and forth across a table using small solid rackets. It takes place on a hard table div ...

room and a playing field for football and cricket. Daily

mass Mass is an intrinsic property of a body. It was traditionally believed to be related to the quantity of matter in a physical body, until the discovery of the atom and particle physics. It was found that different atoms and different eleme ...

is said in the chapel for students and teachers, and Sunday mass is open to the public. College festivals include the Christian Home Festival, Carey Day, CSI Day, Reformation Day, and Independence Day.