Siaatoutai Theological College is a

theological 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, ...

Tonga Tonga (, ; ), officially the Kingdom of Tonga ( to, Puleʻanga Fakatuʻi ʻo Tonga), is a Polynesian country and archipelago. The country has 171 islands – of which 45 are inhabited. Its total surface area is about , scattered over in ...

. It was established in 1948 by the

Free Wesleyan Church of Tonga The Free Wesleyan Church of Tonga (FWCT; Tongan: ''Siasi Uēsiliana Tau‘atāina ‘o Tonga'') is a Methodist denomination in Tonga. It is the largest Christian denomination in the nation and is often mistaken to be its state church. It has it ...

, being split away from Tupou College. The College is a member of the South Pacific Association of Theological Schools, and offers a Bachelor of Divinity programme accredited by the same. , more than 190 students attend the college.

History

The College was established in 1948 at Nafualu, which had been the location of Tupou College since its relocation from the capital city Nuku'alofa in 1921, under the patronage of Queen

Sālote Tupou III Sālote Tupou III (born Sālote Mafile‘o Pilolevu; 13 March 1900 – 16 December 1965) was Queen of Tonga from 1918 to her death in 1965. She reigned for nearly 48 years, longer than any other Tongan monarch. She was well known for her height ...

. The site is of historical and cultural significance to the Tongans as it was once the domain of the famed Tu'i Ha'amea, Lo'au, who devised the royal drinking ceremony, the ''Taumafa Kava''. Prior to the establishment of Sia'atoutai, theological training was undertaken at Tupou College, where the principal, the Reverend A. Harold Wood, fulfilled the dual roles of secondary school executive and tertiary educator (with theological classes conducted in the evening, when the school day had ended). The Church at the time was still grappling with the challenges of having to train and equip a spontaneously enlarged body of clergy, following the reunion of the Wesleyan and Free Churches in 1924, and so, with the inauguration of a new theological institute, the Church realised one its long-awaited goals in seeking to improve the theoretical and practical competencies of its ministers and workers.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Sia'atoutai Theological College Universities and colleges in Oceania Educational organisations based in Tonga Methodism in Tonga Educational institutions established in 1948 Protestant seminaries and theological colleges 1948 establishments in Tonga