St Augustine's College of Theology is a non-residential

Anglican Anglicanism is a Western Christian tradition that has developed from the practices, liturgy, and identity of the Church of England following the English Reformation, in the context of the Protestant Reformation in Europe. It is one of th ...

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, ...

in the Southeast of England. Founded in 1994 as the South East Institute for Theological Education (SEITE), the college trains men and women for ordained and lay ministry in the

Church of England The Church of England (C of E) is the established Christian church in England and the mother church of the international Anglican Communion. It traces its history to the Christian church recorded as existing in the Roman province of Britain ...

and other denominations, under the Common Awards programme. The college is based at St Benedict's Centre in the grounds of

Malling Abbey St Mary's Abbey, also known as Malling Abbey, is an abbey of Anglican Benedictine nuns located in West Malling, Kent, England. It was founded around 1090 by Gundulf, Bishop of Rochester. History The manor of West Malling was given by King Ed ...

West Malling West Malling ( , historically Town Malling) is a market town in the Tonbridge and Malling district of Kent, England. It has a population of 2,590. Landmarks West Malling contains several historic buildings, including St Leonard's Tower, a Norma ...

, Kent, and also has a teaching centre at

Southwark Cathedral Southwark Cathedral ( ) or The Cathedral and Collegiate Church of St Saviour and St Mary Overie, Southwark, London, lies on the south bank of the River Thames close to London Bridge. It is the mother church of the Anglican Diocese of Southwark. ...

, London.

History

In 1959, the Bishop of Southwark had a vision for training Christians to take ministry from the church out into society. In doing so, he broke with the normal pattern of ministerial training in which ministers are taken away from their everyday situations to study theology in a college community. Instead he set up the Southwark Ordination Course which trained people for ministry whilst they remained firmly rooted in their everyday lives and local communities. This way, people learn to make connections between Christian theology and the world in which they live. This vision remains central to the college. The mode of learning which this course set up has become the model for all such courses in the UK today. In 1977 the Canterbury diocese set up an equivalent course, the Canterbury School of Ministry. SEITE was founded as the merger of these two institutions in partnership with the

Methodist Methodism, also called the Methodist movement, is a group of historically related denominations of Protestant Christianity whose origins, doctrine and practice derive from the life and teachings of John Wesley. George Whitefield and John's b ...

and

United Reformed The United Reformed Church (URC) is a Protestant Christian church in the United Kingdom. As of 2022 it has approximately 40,000 members in 1,284 congregations with 334 stipendiary ministers. Origins and history The United Reformed Church resulte ...

churches. The college also now trains people for ministry with the

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 compete ...

and

Lutheran 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 th ...

churches and for reader ministry in the Dioceses of Canterbury,

Chichester Chichester () is a cathedral city and civil parish in West Sussex, England.OS Explorer map 120: Chichester, South Harting and Selsey Scale: 1:25 000. Publisher:Ordnance Survey – Southampton B2 edition. Publishing Date:2009. It is the only ci ...

and

Southwark Southwark ( ) is a district of Central London situated on the south bank of the River Thames, forming the north-western part of the wider modern London Borough of Southwark. The district, which is the oldest part of South London, developed ...

. The college is an

ecumenical Ecumenism (), also spelled oecumenism, is the concept and principle that Christians who belong to different Christian denominations should work together to develop closer relationships among their churches and promote Christian unity. The adjec ...

foundation, drawing together Christians from different denominations. St Augustine's provides courses in theology for a variety of people in a variety of circumstances. Students come from many different denominations and church traditions, as well as from a variety of social, cultural and ethnic backgrounds. Students come with different academic experiences and abilities, are at different stages in life and bring with them a rich variety of Christian experience. The programmes of ministerial formation are rooted in both good theological learning and practical ministerial experience in local churches. The college chose a new name in 2016 which refers to

St Augustine Augustine of Hippo ( , ; la, Aurelius Augustinus Hipponensis; 13 November 354 – 28 August 430), also known as Saint Augustine, was a theologian and philosopher of Berber origin and the bishop of Hippo Regius in Numidia, Roman North Afr ...

, the first

Archbishop of Canterbury The archbishop of Canterbury is the senior bishop and a principal leader of the Church of England, the ceremonial head of the worldwide Anglican Communion and the diocesan bishop of the Diocese of Canterbury. The current archbishop is Justi ...

Notable staff

Justine Allain Chapman Justine Penelope Heathcote Allain Chapman (née Chapman; born 30 June 1967) is a British Anglican priest, academic, and former teacher. Since 2013, she has served as the Archdeacon of Boston in the Diocese of Lincoln. She was previously a religi ...

, Vice Principal from 2007 to 2013.

Notable alumni

SEITE *

Penny Sayer Penelope Jane Sayer (born 1959) is a British Anglican priest. Since 2018, she has served as Archdeacon of Sherborne in the Church of England's Diocese of Salisbury. She had served in parish ministry in the Dioceses of Chichester and of Chelmsfor ...

, Archdeacon of Sherborne *

Sarah Mullally Dame Sarah Elisabeth Mullally, (''née'' Bowser; born 26 March 1962) is a British Anglican bishop, Lord Spiritual and former nurse. She has been Bishop of London since 8 March 2018.

, Bishop of London

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Saint Augustine's College of Theology Anglican seminaries and theological colleges Bible colleges, seminaries and theological colleges in England 1994 establishments in England Educational institutions established in 1994 Christianity in Kent Education in Kent Tonbridge and Malling