Christ College, formerly known as the Presbyterian Theological Centre, is the

theological college 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, ...

of the

Presbyterian Church of Australia The Presbyterian Church of Australia (PCA) is the largest Presbyterian denomination in Australia. (The larger Uniting Church in Australia incorporated about two-thirds of the PCA in 1977.) History Beginnings When captain James Cook lande ...

in New South Wales. It provides theological education for

ministry Ministry may refer to: Government * Ministry (collective executive), the complete body of government ministers under the leadership of a prime minister * Ministry (government department), a department of a government Religion * Christian ...

candidates and members of the

laity In religious organizations, the laity () consists of all members who are not part of the clergy, usually including any non-ordained members of religious orders, e.g. a nun or a lay brother. In both religious and wider secular usage, a layperson ...

. It is an approved teaching institution of the

Australian College of Theology The Australian College of Theology (ACT) is an Australian higher education provider based in Sydney, New South Wales. The college delivers awards in ministry and theology and was one of the first Australian non-university providers to offer an a ...

.ACT: Affiliated Colleges
The other theological colleges of the Presbyterian Church of Australia are the

Presbyterian Theological College The Presbyterian Theological College (PTC) is the theological college of the Presbyterian Church of Victoria. It provides theological education for candidates for the ministry of the Presbyterian Church of Australia, as well as for members of oth ...

Melbourne Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a met ...

, the

Queensland Theological College The Queensland Theological College (QTC) is a theological college in Queensland, Australia. Based in Brisbane, it is the training college of the Presbyterian Church of Queensland and takes a Reformed Evangelical or Reformed Protestant stance. T ...

(formerly the Consortium of Reformed Colleges) in

Brisbane Brisbane ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the states and territories of Australia, Australian state of Queensland, and the list of cities in Australia by population, third-most populous city in Australia and Oceania, with a populati ...

History

The Presbyterian Church of New South Wales established the theological hall in 1873,Walter Phillips (1981),
Defending "a Christian country": churchmen and society in New South Wales in the 1880s and after
', University of Queensland Press, , p. 47. to train Presbyterian ministers in accordance with the

Westminster Confession of Faith The Westminster Confession of Faith is a Reformed confession of faith. Drawn up by the 1646 Westminster Assembly as part of the Westminster Standards to be a confession of the Church of England, it became and remains the " subordinate standard" ...

, including the Presbyterian Church of Australia's later Declaratory Statement of 1901. It was located in St Andrew's College at the

University of Sydney The University of Sydney (USYD), also known as Sydney University, or informally Sydney Uni, is a public research university located in Sydney, Australia. Founded in 1850, it is the oldest university in Australia and is one of the country's si ...

,Alan Barcan (1988),
Two centuries of education in New South Wales
', NSWU Press, , p. 137. and from the early 1920s co-operated with the Methodist and Congregational colleges under the United Faculty of Theology. In 1987 the then Presbyterian Training Centre moved to Shaftesbury Road Burwood, was renamed as the Presbyterian Theological Centre, Burwood and expanded its scope to include training of the laity, as well as elders, missionaries, deaconesses, chaplains, church planters, and youth workers. The dean of the college in the early years in Burwood was John Davies, who served as principal and lecturer in Hebrew and Old Testament exegesis. In 2010 Ian Smith took over from Davies as principal. The institution was renamed Christ College in 2014.

Degrees and programs

The College is accredited to offer the following degrees in various forms. The following are the flagship programs at the College. * Diploma of Theology (DipTh)/ Diploma of Ministry (DipMin) *

Bachelor of Theology The Bachelor of Theology degree (BTh, ThB, or BTheol) is a three- to five-year undergraduate degree in theological disciplines and is typically pursued by those seeking ordination for ministry in a church, denomination, or parachurch organization. ...

(Th.B.)/ Bachelor of Ministry (B.Min.) * Graduate Diploma of Theology (GradDipTh)/ Graduate Diploma of Divinity (GradDipDiv) *

Master of Divinity For graduate-level theological institutions, the Master of Divinity (MDiv, ''magister divinitatis'' in Latin) is the first professional degree of the pastoral profession in North America. It is the most common academic degree in seminaries and divi ...

(M.Div.) *

Master of Arts 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 ...

in Theology (MA) *

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 stand ...

(Th.M.) *

Doctor of Ministry The Doctor of Ministry (abbreviated DMin or D.Min.) is a professional doctorate, often including a research component, that may be earned by a minister of religion while concurrently engaged in some form of ministry. It is categorized as an advanced ...

(D.Min.) *

Doctor of Theology Doctor of Theology ( la, Doctor Theologiae, abbreviated DTh, ThD, DTheol, or Dr. theol.) is a terminal degree in the academic discipline of theology. The ThD, like the ecclesiastical Doctor of Sacred Theology, is an advanced research degree equiva ...

(Th.D.) *

Doctor of Philosophy A Doctor of Philosophy (PhD, Ph.D., or DPhil; Latin: or ') is the most common Academic degree, degree at the highest academic level awarded following a course of study. PhDs are awarded for programs across the whole breadth of academic fields ...

(Ph.D.) For the training of candidates for ordination in the Presbyterian Church of Australia, the College offers a rich and robust 4-year 128 credit points training program that goes beyond the typical Master of Divinity program. The College is also in partnership with a number of groups and organisations to offer ministry skill-specific training. * Redeemer City to City: Incubator Program for the training of church planters * Jericho Road: Chaplaincy Program for the training of chaplains working in hospitals, school, army, and the like * Ministry Training for Women

Guest lecturers

The college also hosts annual intensives taught by eminent pastor-theologians. Some of these include

Chad Van Dixhoorn Chad B. Van Dixhoorn (born 1971), a Canadian-born theologian and historian, is the editor of the five-volume ''The Minutes and Papers of the Westminster Assembly: 1643-1652'' published by Oxford University Press in 2012. In 2013 he was elected a F ...

, Scott Rae, Michael Horton, D.A Carson, Timothy Witmer, Bryan Chappell, and

Carl Trueman Carl R. Trueman (born 1967) is a Christian theologian and ecclesiastical historian. He was Professor of Historical Theology and Church History at Westminster Theological Seminary, where he held the Paul Woolley Chair of Church History. In 2018 True ...

Facilities

The college building, completed in early 2014, consists of a large community area and an auditorium which can seat over 200. There are five purpose built class rooms and a library with over 45,000 volumes (and great views of the city of Sydney). The administration building is a restored heritage building and is connected to new building. Australian Presbyterian World Mission (APWM) also has offices in the building.

Students

The Presbyterian Theological Centre has more than 150 students, both male and female. The college also admits members of other denominations for theological training. The Students' Representative Council represents the students of the college, with responsibility for fostering community spirit, service to each other, and improving student resources

References

{{Australian College of Theology Educational institutions established in 1873 1873 establishments in Australia Education in Sydney Australian College of Theology Seminaries and theological colleges in New South Wales Theological colleges of the Presbyterian Church of Australia