The College of St John the Evangelist or St Johns Theological College, is the residential

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

Anglican Church in Aotearoa, New Zealand and Polynesia The Anglican Church in Aotearoa, New Zealand and Polynesia ( mi, Te Hāhi Mihinare ki Aotearoa ki Niu Tīreni, ki Ngā Moutere o te Moana Nui a Kiwa; formerly the Church of the Province of New Zealand) is a province of the Anglican Communion serv ...

. The site at Meadowbank in Auckland is the base for theological education for the three Tikanga of the Province with ministry formation onsite as well as diploma level teaching in the regions across New Zealand and Polynesia. The College has partnerships with various other tertiary providers of degrees in theology. The College celebrates our diversity as a people of faith honouring varied histories, traditions, and links with Anglican communities both within this Province and beyond. St Johns is proud to have faculty and alumni of the College working around the globe. The College was established in 1843 by

George Augustus Selwyn George Augustus Selwyn (5 April 1809 – 11 April 1878) was the first Anglican Bishop of New Zealand. He was Bishop of New Zealand (which included Melanesia) from 1841 to 1869. His diocese was then subdivided and Selwyn was Metropolitan (later ...

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 ca ...

New Zealand New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island count ...

, initially at Te Waimate mission. The College, through the St John's College Trust Board, is one of the best endowed theological colleges in the

Anglican Communion The Anglican Communion is the third largest Christian communion after the Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox churches. Founded in 1867 in London, the communion has more than 85 million members within the Church of England and other ...

, with assets in 2014 of NZ$293m. It was subject to a critical review of its financial sustainability in 2014.

Relationships with other organisations

It previously had an on-site

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 ...

partnership with Trinity Methodist Theological College, the theological college of the

Methodist Church of New Zealand The Methodist Church of New Zealand ( mi, Te Hāhi Weteriana o Aotearoa) is a Methodist denomination headquartered in Christchurch, New Zealand. It is a member of the World Methodist Council. History The Methodist movement was started by John W ...

. However, St John's College now only has Anglican students. St John College and Chapel

Academic study

It taught 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 simila ...

(LTh) for the Joint Board of Theological Studies from 1968. Later it offered

Melbourne College of Divinity The University of Divinity is an Australian collegiate university of specialisation in divinity. It is constituted by eleven theological colleges from eight denominations. The University of Divinity is the direct successor of the second oldest ...

degrees, primarily the BD. From 1993 it offered the

University of Auckland , mottoeng = By natural ability and hard work , established = 1883; years ago , endowment = NZD $293 million (31 December 2021) , budget = NZD $1.281 billion (31 December 2021) , chancellor = Cecilia Tarrant , vice_chancellor = Dawn F ...

BTheol. Undergraduate ordinands study a NZ Diploma in Christian Studies and then undertake the remaining years of their theology degree at Laidlaw College, Carey College or the University of Otago. Other lay and ordained persons around NZ study the NZ Diploma in Christian Studies regionally (through weekend intensives) and by FlexiLearn (a distance learning programme with live online classes).

The John Kinder Theological Library

The John Kinder Theological Library Te Puna Atuatanga is the library and archives for the college as well as for the Anglican Church in Aotearoa New Zealand and Polynesia. Although based on the St John's College site, it also has responsibilities to the whole Church and all its theological educational enterprises. It is named after

John Kinder John Kinder (born September 28, 1974 in Santa Ana, California) is a Japanese American stock car racing, stock car racing driver. He is a former competitor in the NASCAR SuperTruck Series by Craftsman and the Winston West Series, and in the United ...

, a former principal of the college.

Notable alumni and alumnae

* Frank Buckland (1847–1915), MP and mayor *

Thomas Frederic Cheeseman Thomas Frederick Cheeseman (8 June 184515 October 1923) was a New Zealand botanist. He was also a naturalist who had wide-ranging interests, such that he even described a few species of sea slugs (marine gastropod molluscs). Biography Chee ...

, notable English born botanist and naturalist *

Mary Gray-Reeves Mary Gray-Reeves (born July 5, 1962) was the third bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of El Camino Real. Early life and education Mary Gray-Reeves was born in Coral Gables, Florida, in 1962 and grew up in the Miami neighborhood of Coconut Grove, whe ...

, bishop of the

Episcopal Diocese of El Camino Real The Diocese of El Camino Real is a diocese of the Episcopal Church in the United States of America, located in northern and central California. The diocese includes the cities of San Jose (the see city), Monterey, Santa Cruz, and San Luis Obispo ...

California California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...

, US *

Hone Kaa Archdeacon Hone Kaa (9 April 1941 – 29 March 2012) was an Auckland-based Anglican church leader, child welfare advocate and social-justice campaigner. He was a Māori of Ngāti Porou and Ngāti Kahungunu descent. Born to Rev. Tipi (whenua) a ...

Trevor Ogilvie-Grant, 4th Baron Strathspey Trevor Ogilvie-Grant, 4th Baron Strathspey (2 March 1879 – 11 November 1948) was born in New Zealand, the son of a Scottish peer. He inherited his father's subsidiary title under the Peerage of the United Kingdom and became the 4th Baron Straths ...

(1879–1948), member of the

House of Lords The House of Lords, also known as the House of Peers, is the Bicameralism, upper house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Membership is by Life peer, appointment, Hereditary peer, heredity or Lords Spiritual, official function. Like the ...

* Sir Edward Osborne-Gibbes, (1850–1931) — a

baronet A baronet ( or ; abbreviated Bart or Bt) or the female equivalent, a baronetess (, , or ; abbreviation Btss), is the holder of a baronetcy, a hereditary title awarded by the British Crown. The title of baronet is mentioned as early as the 14th ...

, former Secretary of the New Zealand Education Department and the architect of that country's modern public education system * Dr. Sir

Harry Wollaston Sir Harry Newton Phillips Wollaston (17 January 184611 February 1921) was a senior Australian public servant. He was the first Comptroller-General of the Department of Trade and Customs, from 1901 to his retirement in 1911. Life and career W ...

ISO ISO is the most common abbreviation for the International Organization for Standardization. ISO or Iso may also refer to: Business and finance * Iso (supermarket), a chain of Danish supermarkets incorporated into the SuperBest chain in 2007 * Iso ...

, (1846–1921), Comptroller-General of Customs in Australia. * Christopher Douglas-Huriwai, Co-host of RevTalk: The Mihinare Podcast, Presenter of RevLife, and social commentator. * Zhane Rawiri Tahau Whelan, Co-host of RevTalk: The Mihinare Podcast, Presenter of RevLife, and first Prior of the Society of Emanuera.

References

External links

St. John's College websiteJohn Kinder Theological Library website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Saint John's College, Auckland Educational institutions established in 1843 Anglican seminaries and theological colleges Seminaries and theological colleges in New Zealand Education in Auckland 1843 establishments in New Zealand