St Mellitus College is an English

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, ...

established in 2007 by the

Diocese of London The Diocese of London forms part of the Church of England's Province of Canterbury in England. It lies directly north of the Thames. For centuries the diocese covered a vast tract and bordered the dioceses of Norwich and Lincoln to the north ...

and the

Diocese of Chelmsford The Diocese of Chelmsford is a Church of England diocese, part of the Province of Canterbury. The diocese covers Essex and the five East London boroughs of Barking and Dagenham, Havering, Newham, Redbridge, and Waltham Forest (most of which wer ...

of 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 ...

. It has campuses in

Earl's Court Earl's Court is a district of Kensington in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea in West London, bordering the rail tracks of the West London line and District line that separate it from the ancient borough of Fulham to the west, the ...

Chelmsford Chelmsford () is a city in the City of Chelmsford district in the county of Essex, England. It is the county town of Essex and one of three cities in the county, along with Southend-on-Sea and Colchester. It is located north-east of London a ...

Liverpool Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. With a population of in 2019, it is the 10th largest English district by population and its metropolitan area is the fifth largest in the United Kingdom, with a popul ...

and

Plymouth Plymouth () is a port city and unitary authority in South West England. It is located on the south coast of Devon, approximately south-west of Exeter and south-west of London. It is bordered by Cornwall to the west and south-west. Plymouth ...

, with growing links with other churches, colleges and dioceses throughout the United Kingdom and beyond. The president is Graham Tomlin,

Bishop of Kensington The Bishop of Kensington is an episcopal title used by an area bishop of the Church of England Diocese of London, in the Province of Canterbury, England. The Bishop of Kensington is responsible for a part of Greater London, including Kensingt ...

, and the dean is Russell Winfield. St Mellitus College is a wholly non-residential college and has pioneered context-based training within the Church of England, integrating academic theological study with ministry placements throughout the course of study.

History

Named after the very first

Bishop of London 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 ...

, whose territory covered London and Essex, the college was founded in 2007 by the bishops of London and

to serve the church’s mission in those regions and beyond. The college was formed as a merger between North Thames Ministerial Training Course, which was based in the dioceses of

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

and

, and St Paul’s Theological Centre (part of

Holy Trinity, Brompton Holy Trinity Brompton with St Paul's, Onslow Square and St Augustine's, South Kensington, often referred to simply as HTB, is an Anglicanism, Anglican church (building), church in London, England. The church consists of six sites: HTB Brompton ...

). It has grown significantly since being founded and moved into its own premises at

St Jude's Church, Kensington St Jude's Church, Courtfield Gardens, Kensington, London, was designed by architects George Godwin and Henry Godwin, and built between 1867–70; the tower and spire were constructed in 1879. It was built on the northern portion of Captain Rober ...

, in 2012, a building renovated specifically for this purpose. The centre houses a range of teaching space, rooms for pastoral care, academic and administrative offices, a growing academic library, space for hospitality and college worship. In 2013, St Mellitus North West was established at

Liverpool Cathedral Liverpool Cathedral is the Cathedral of the Anglican Diocese of Liverpool, built on St James's Mount in Liverpool, and the seat of the Bishop of Liverpool. It may be referred to as the Cathedral Church of Christ in Liverpool (as recorded in the ...

, reestablishing full-time

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 ...

ordination training in that area for the first time in more than 40 years. This venture was directed by

Jill Duff Jillian Louise Calland Duff (called Jill; Worsley; born 1972) is a British Anglican bishop. Since 2018, she has been the Bishop of Lancaster, a suffragan bishop in the Diocese of Blackburn. Previously, she had been Director of St Mellitus C ...

(now Bishop of Lancaster), in partnership with five dioceses in that area (Blackburn, Carlisle, Chester, Liverpool and Manchester). In September 2017, St Mellitus South West was launched, based in St Matthias Plymouth.

Organisation and purpose

The college offers courses for many different kinds of students, including: *

ordinand Ordination is the process by which individuals are consecrated, that is, set apart and elevated from the laity class to the clergy, who are thus then authorized (usually by the denominational hierarchy composed of other clergy) to perform vari ...

s looking for full or part-time training, including for self-supporting and pioneer ministry * Lay workers and

licensed lay minister In Anglicanism, a licensed lay minister (LLM) or lay reader (in some jurisdictions simply reader) is a person authorised by a bishop to lead certain services of worship (or parts of the service), to preach and to carry out pastoral and teaching ...

s (LLMs, also known as readers) *

Undergraduate Undergraduate education is education conducted after secondary education and before postgraduate education. It typically includes all postsecondary programs up to the level of a bachelor's degree. For example, in the United States, an entry-lev ...

students on certificate, diploma and BA courses in theology, ministry and mission, or theology and youth ministry *

Postgraduate Postgraduate or graduate education refers to academic or professional degrees, certificates, diplomas, or other qualifications pursued by post-secondary students who have earned an undergraduate ( bachelor's) degree. The organization and stru ...

students on the MA in Christian Leadership, or MA in Theology, Ministry and Mission (specialising in systematic theology * Church leaders from a range of denominations wanting to study theology and ministry more deeply * Those looking for an introduction to the study of theology, through the Beginning Theology programme, non-accredited study, or the School of Theology from SPTC * Those wanting to learn more about

church planting Church planting is a term referring to the process (mostly in Protestant frameworks) that results in a new local Christian congregation being established. It should be distinguished from church development, where a new service, worship center or ...

under the guidance of associate tutor

Ric Thorpe Richard Charles "Ric" Thorpe (born 3 February 1965) is a British Church of England bishop and an expert in church planting. Since September 2015, he has been the Bishop of Islington, a suffragan bishop in the Diocese of London, and the "bishop f ...

(

Bishop of Islington The Bishop of Islington is an episcopal title used by a suffragan bishop of the Church of England Diocese of London, in the Province of Canterbury, England. The title takes its name after Islington, an inner-city district of London, and the fir ...

) The college's programmes are validated by the universities of

Durham Durham most commonly refers to: *Durham, England, a cathedral city and the county town of County Durham *County Durham, an English county * Durham County, North Carolina, a county in North Carolina, United States *Durham, North Carolina, a city in N ...

Middlesex Middlesex (; abbreviation: Middx) is a Historic counties of England, historic county in South East England, southeast England. Its area is almost entirely within the wider urbanised area of London and mostly within the Ceremonial counties of ...

, depending on the course.

Name and link to college mission

The college is named after St Mellitus, one of the least known but most significant figures in the establishment of the church in London and

Essex Essex () is a county in the East of England. One of the home counties, it borders Suffolk and Cambridgeshire to the north, the North Sea to the east, Hertfordshire to the west, Kent across the estuary of the River Thames to the south, and G ...

– a key moment in the conversion of the British Isles. Mellitus was sent to England by Pope Gregory the Great, following in the footsteps of St Augustine who had made the same journey a few years before.

Publications by college members

* ''Why did Jesus have to die?'', Jane Williams * ''Kierkegaard: A Single Life'', Stephen Backhouse * ''The Widening Circle'', Graham Tomlin * ''Looking Through the Cross'' (the Archbishop of Canterbury's Lent Book 2014; Bloomsbury Continuum), Graham Tomlin * ''Am I My Brother's Keeper?'', Mark Scarlata * ''A Brief Theology of Sport'' (SCM), Lincoln Harvey * ''Beyond Old and New Perspectives on Paul: Reflections on the Work of Douglas Campbell'', Chris Tilling (editor) * ''How God Became Jesus'', including contributions from Chris Tilling * ''Theology and Economic Ethics: Martin Luther and Arthur Rich in dialogue'' (OUP), Sean Doherty * ''The Only Way is Ethics'', Sean Doherty *''Faithful Living: Discipleship, Creed, and Ethics'' (SCM), Michael Leyden * "God, Freedom and the Body of Christ" (Cascade), Alex Irving * "We Believe: Exploring the Nicene Faith" (Apollos), Alex Irving * "God's Church Community: The Ecclesiology of Dietrich Bonhoeffer" (T&T Clark), David Emerton * "An Interweaving Ecclesiology: The Church, Mission, and Young People" (SCM), Mark Scanlan

Notable alumni

* Stephen Cottrell, Archbishop of York, Master of Arts degree *

Tim Hughes Timothy David Llewelyn Hughes (born 23 July 1977) is a British worship leader, singer, songwriter, and Anglican priest. Formerly the director of worship at Holy Trinity Brompton, a large Anglican church in central London, he has since been ...

, worship leader, founder of Worship Central and vicar of St Luke's Gas Street *

Mike Pilavachi Michael Pilavachi, (; born 7 March 1958) is a British charismatic Christian evangelist and author of Greek Cypriot descent. He is the co-founder and former leader of the Soul Survivor charity based in Watford, England. In May 2023, he was suspe ...

, founder of Soul Survivor and senior pastor of Soul Survivor Watford

References

External links

Official website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Saint Mellitus College Buildings and structures of the Church of England Educational institutions established in 2007 2007 in London 2007 establishments in England Anglican buildings and structures in the United Kingdom St Mellitus College