Cliff College is a

Christian Christians () are people who follow or adhere to Christianity, a monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. The words ''Christ'' and ''Christian'' derive from the Koine Greek title ''Christós'' (Χρι ...

theological college in

Calver Calver (Old English ''Calf Slope'') is a village and civil parish in Derbyshire, England. The population of the civil parish at the 2011 census was 710. Overview Calver is a small village situated in the Derwent Valley, Derbyshire. The village ...

Derbyshire Derbyshire ( ) is a ceremonial county in the East Midlands, England. It includes much of the Peak District National Park, the southern end of the Pennine range of hills and part of the National Forest. It borders Greater Manchester to the nor ...

, that teaches Biblical Theology at the undergraduate level and a number of mission courses to postgraduates. There are currently about 30 full-time undergraduates, 80 part-time undergraduates and 100 part-time postgraduates. There are also a number of research (MPhil and PhD) students and full-time postgraduates enrolled at the College. College courses up to and including MA level are validated by

University of Manchester , mottoeng = Knowledge, Wisdom, Humanity , established = 2004 – University of Manchester Predecessor institutions: 1956 – UMIST (as university college; university 1994) 1904 – Victoria University of Manchester 1880 – Victoria Univer ...

, and students at higher levels are jointly enrolled at both institutions.

History

Cliff College traces its roots back to 1883 in Bolton, Lancashire, when Reverend Thomas Champness took a number of men into his home in order to train them. Shortly afterwards they all moved to Castleton Hall, Rochdale being known as "The Joyful News Training Home and Mission". On the expiration of the lease on Castleton Hall, the work moved to its present site in March 1904. Prior to this, the premises at Curbar, Derbyshire had been used by

Henry Grattan Guinness Henry Grattan Guinness (11 August 1835 – 21 June 1910) was an Irish Protestant Christian preacher, evangelist and author. He was the great evangelist of the Third Evangelical awakening and preached during the Ulster Revival of 1859 which dr ...

, who moved students from Harley College, in Bromley-by-Bow to Derbyshire. The institution was known as "Hulme Cliffe College" after Elizabeth Hulme, who had donated "Cliffe House" in Curbar, Derbyshire, England to further Guinness's work, this work was transferred back to London in 1902. The premises were purchased by the Wesleyan Methodist Church in 1903, to house the Joyful News Training Home and Mission, and the name was changed to "Cliff College". Today the college trains and teaches undergraduate and post-graduate students at their campus in Calver, Derbyshire. In the later 19th Century, many of the college's graduates worked with

Hudson Taylor James Hudson Taylor (; 21 May 1832 – 3 June 1905) was a British Baptist Christian missionary to China and founder of the China Inland Mission (CIM, now OMF International). Taylor spent 51 years in China. The society that he began was respons ...

and his

China Inland Mission OMF International (formerly Overseas Missionary Fellowship and before 1964 the China Inland Mission) is an international and interdenominational Evangelical Christian missionary society with an international centre in Singapore. It was founded i ...

as missionaries. Many present day Cliff College graduates choose to do Christian missionary and evangelistic work both in the United Kingdom and abroad. The Wesleyan Methodist Minister and theologian,

Samuel Chadwick Samuel Chadwick (1860–1932) was a Wesleyan Methodist minister. He served as President of the Wesleyan Methodist Conference, 1918–1919. Early life Samuel Chadwick was born in Burnley, Lancashire in the industrialised north of England into a ...

, was principal of the college from 1913 to 1932. See:- Weekly newspaper "Joyful News" issues 22 February 1883 to December 1914, "The Guinness Legend" Michele Guinness 1990, "The Life Story of Thomas Champness" E M Champness 1907, "The Story of Cliff" W Fiddian Moulton 1928, "Cliff More Than a College" G Howard Mellor 2005. The college hosts the UK headquarters of the

Girls' Brigade The Girls' Brigade is an international, interdenominational Christian youth organisation. It was founded in 1893 in Dublin, Ireland. The modern organization was formed as the result of the amalgamation of three like-minded and similarly structur ...

Faculty

Since the summer of 2017, the Principal of Cliff College has been Rev Ashley Cooper. The Head of Academic Strategy and Innovation is Rev Dr Andrew Stobart, and the Head of Academic Delivery is Dr Sandra Brower.

Programmes of study

Undergraduate degrees, Master's degrees and research programmes are validated by the

, and the college also run a broad range of short courses, validated by a Cliff College Certificate.

Festival

Each year, over the May Whitsun Bank Holiday (late bank holiday in May), the college holds an annual all age Cliff Festival event which includes worship, bible study, a variety of seminars, entertainment and outdoor activities led by tutors of the college, as well as outside guests.

References

External links

''Cliff College website''
{{authority control Bible colleges, seminaries and theological colleges in England Derbyshire Dales Education in Derbyshire Methodist universities and colleges