The Acadia Divinity College (ADC) is

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 ...

theological institute A Bible college, sometimes referred to as a Bible institute or theological institute, is an evangelical Christian or Restoration Movement Christian institution of higher education which prepares students for Christian ministry with theological educ ...

located in

Wolfville, Nova Scotia Wolfville is a Canadian town in the Annapolis Valley, Kings County, Nova Scotia, located about northwest of the provincial capital, Halifax. The town is home to Acadia University and Landmark East School. The town is a tourist destination du ...

, Canada. It is affiliated with the

Canadian Baptists of Atlantic Canada The Canadian Baptists of Atlantic Canada (CBAC), formerly known as Convention of Atlantic Baptist Churches (CABC), is an association of Baptist Churches in the eastern provinces of Canada. The offices of the CBAC are located in Moncton, New Bruns ...

. It is governed by a board of trustees with members appointed by the Convention and the Board of Governors of Acadia University. The college is also the Faculty of Theology of

Acadia University Acadia University is a public, predominantly undergraduate university located in Wolfville, Nova Scotia, Canada, with some graduate programs at the master's level and one at the doctoral level. The enabling legislation consists of the Acadia ...

. ADC shares facilities with Acadia University; the college's library is part of the university's 800,000 volume Vaughan Memorial Library collection. Also hosted at Acadia University are the Esther Clark Wright Archives, which includes an extensive collection of material relating to the Canadian Baptists of Atlantic Canada (CBAC).

History

As early as 1830, Baptists in Nova Scotia, Canada established a "department of pious scholars" at Horton Academy in Wolfville (founded 1828) for ministerial training. A decade later, Baptist Leaders resolved to establish a Baptist College, an institution of higher learning where all people would be free to work and study, regardless of religious persuasion. The decision to establish Queen's College, which would become Acadia University, was formally approved by the Nova Scotia Baptist Education Society on November 15, 1838. Preparation for ministry was carried on under various formats until the School of Theology was put on a more formal footing in 1923. After Acadia University was reorganized in 1966, the Baptists of Atlantic Canada began to operate the School of Theology under the name Acadia Divinity College, and on June 1, 1968, the Acadia Divinity College was established by an act of the Nova Scotia Legislature.

Centres of Excellence at Acadia Divinity College

Acadia Centre for Baptist and Anabaptist Studies (ACBAS)

Established by Acadia Divinity College in cooperation with the Vaughan Memorial Library of Acadia University in April 1991, encourages and facilitates studies in the fields of

and

Anabaptist Anabaptism (from New Latin language, Neo-Latin , from the Greek language, Greek : 're-' and 'baptism', german: Täufer, earlier also )Since the middle of the 20th century, the German-speaking world no longer uses the term (translation: "Re- ...

history and thought, especially in the Atlantic region of Canada.

Charles J. Taylor Centre for Chaplaincy and Spiritual Care

Fosters and promotes clinical and theological excellence in the area of Pastoral Care through personal growth, the building of professional capacities and rigorous theological reflection. The Taylor Centre trains and prepares men and women for pastoral ministry in specialized forms, including hospital chaplaincy, military chaplaincy, prison chaplaincy, and a variety of other caring professions, for which care for the Spirit is of primary importance.

Andrew D. MacRae Centre for Christian Faith and Culture

Provides a forum for helping students and the wider church engage with people and issues in meaningful, thoughtful, relevant, and transformative ways - by collecting and distributing resources, offering courses and programs, and as a research hub.

Teaching sites

Wolfville, Nova Scotia

Students can complete any bachelor's, master's, or doctoral degree or program part-time or full-time at ADC's main teaching site located on the campus of

Wolfville Wolfville is a Canadian town in the Annapolis Valley, Kings County, Nova Scotia, located about northwest of the provincial capital, Halifax. The town is home to Acadia University and Landmark East School. The town is a tourist destination du ...

. All courses required for all degrees are offered on a rotating basis over a two- or three-year period in a variety of teaching formats including once weekly, intensive weeks, and on weekends.

Halifax, Nova Scotia

Six to eight introductory bachelor-level and master-level courses are offered annually at various sites throughout Metro Halifax and

Truro Truro (; kw, Truru) is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city and civil parishes in England, civil parish in Cornwall, England. It is Cornwall's county town, sole city and centre for administration, leisure and retail trading. Its ...

. The Graduate Diploma in Christian Studies can be completed in its entirety in Metro Halifax over a three- to four-year period, and up to one-half of the courses required for a degree program can be completed through ADC Metro.

New Brunswick

Six to eight introductory bachelor-level and master-level courses are offered annually at various sites throughout

New Brunswick New Brunswick (french: Nouveau-Brunswick, , locally ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada. It is one of the three Maritime provinces and one of the four Atlantic provinces. It is the only province with both English and ...

, often on weekends or evenings. The Graduate Diploma in Christian Studies can be completed in its entirety in New Brunswick over a three- to four-year period and up to one-half of all courses for a degree program can be completed through ADC New Brunswick.

Continuing education

The college seeks to encourage and equip leaders throughout their lifetime of ministry through two annual lectureships:

Simpson Lectures

Annual series of lectures on the practice of ministry prepared primarily for students, pastors, and spouses. The lecturers are persons in ministry who focus on the role of the minister as both preacher and pastor.

Hayward Lectures

Annual lectureship in theology and related subjects. Visiting lecturers are selected by the Faculty of Acadia Divinity College.

Affiliations

The College is affiliated with the

. The

awards all of the Acadia Divinity College degrees, upon recommendation from the ADC Senate and the Senate of Acadia University. The graduate degrees are accredited by the

Association for Biblical Higher Education The Association for Biblical Higher Education (ABHE), formerly The Accrediting Association of Bible Colleges (AABC) is an evangelical Christian organization of bible colleges in the United States and Canada. It is a member of the International Co ...

and the

Association of Theological Schools in the United States and Canada The Association of Theological Schools in the United States and Canada (ATS) is an organization of seminaries and other graduate schools of theology. ATS has its headquarters in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. History It was founded in 1918. The associ ...

Endowed academic chairs

Endowed academic (teaching) chairs are established to ensure that permanent funding is available to the college to meet the costs of a professor's salary in a given discipline. Nine chairs have been established at ADC (one is fully funded - the John Gladstone Chair in Preaching and Worship): * Thomas James Armstrong Memorial Professorship of

Practical Theology Practical theology is an academic discipline that examines and reflects on religious practices in order to understand the theology enacted in those practices and in order to consider how theological theory and theological practices can be more full ...

and

Church History __NOTOC__ Church history or ecclesiastical history as an academic discipline studies the history of Christianity and the way the Christian Church has developed since its inception. Henry Melvill Gwatkin defined church history as "the spiritual ...

* Dr. Millard R. Cherry Chair of

Christian Thought Christian theology is the theology of Christianity, Christian belief and practice. Such study concentrates primarily upon the texts of the Old Testament and of the New Testament, as well as on Christian tradition. Christian theology, theologian ...

and

Ethics Ethics or moral philosophy is a branch of philosophy that "involves systematizing, defending, and recommending concepts of right and wrong behavior".''Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy'' The field of ethics, along with aesthetics, concerns m ...

* Sheldon and Marjorie Fountain Chair of

Evangelism In Christianity, evangelism (or witnessing) is the act of preaching the gospel with the intention of sharing the message and teachings of Jesus Christ. Christians who specialize in evangelism are often known as evangelists, whether they are i ...

* John Gladstone Chair in

Preaching A sermon is a religious discourse or oration by a preacher, usually a member of clergy. Sermons address a scriptural, theological, or moral topic, usually expounding on a type of belief, law, or behavior within both past and present contexts. El ...

and

Worship Worship is an act of religious devotion usually directed towards a deity. It may involve one or more of activities such as veneration, adoration, praise, and praying. For many, worship is not about an emotion, it is more about a recognition ...

* Abner J. Langley and Harold L. Mitton Chair of Church Leadership * Thomas B. McDormand, Charles J. Taylor, and Dennis M. Veinotte Chair of

Pastoral Care Pastoral care is an ancient model of emotional, social and spiritual support that can be found in all cultures and traditions. The term is considered inclusive of distinctly non-religious forms of support, as well as support for people from rel ...

and

Counselling Counseling is the professional guidance of the individual by utilizing psychological methods especially in collecting case history data, using various techniques of the personal interview, and testing interests and aptitudes. This is a list of co ...

* Hannah Maria Norris Chair in Christian Missions and Social Issues * Payzant Chair of

Biblical Studies Biblical studies is the academic application of a set of diverse disciplines to the study of the Bible (the Old Testament and New Testament).''Introduction to Biblical Studies, Second Edition'' by Steve Moyise (Oct 27, 2004) pages 11–12 Fo ...

* Stevens-Fenerty Chair of Urban Ministry and Church Growth

References

External links

Acadia Divinity College Official siteConvention of Atlantic Baptist Churches
{{authority control Divinity College Educational institutions established in 1968 Baptist seminaries and theological colleges in Canada