The College of St John the Evangelist or St John's Theological College is the residential
theological college
A seminary, school of theology, theological college, or divinity school is an educational institution for educating students (sometimes called seminarians) in scripture and Christian theology, theology, generally to prepare them for ordinatio ...
of the
Anglican Church in Aotearoa, New Zealand and Polynesia
The Anglican Church in Aotearoa, New Zealand and Polynesia, formerly the Church of the Province of New Zealand, is a Anglican province, province of the Anglican Communion serving New Zealand, Fiji, Tonga, Samoa, and the Cook Islands. Since 1992 ...
.
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 was established in 1843 by
George Augustus Selwyn,
Bishop
A bishop is an ordained member of the clergy who is entrusted with a position of Episcopal polity, authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance and administration of di ...
of
New Zealand
New Zealand () is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and List of islands of New Zealand, over 600 smaller islands. It is the List of isla ...
, 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 a Christian Full communion, communion consisting of the Church of England and other autocephalous national and regional churches in full communion. The archbishop of Canterbury in England acts as a focus of unity, ...
, with assets in 2014 of NZ$293m. It was subject to a critical review of its financial sustainability in 2014.
Theological activities
It taught the
Licentiate in Theology (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 with a specialised focus in divinity and associated disciplines. It is constituted by twelve theological colleges from seven denominations and three schools. The University of Di ...
degrees, primarily the
BD. From 1993 it offered the
University of Auckland
The University of Auckland (; Māori: ''Waipapa Taumata Rau'') is a public research university based in Auckland, New Zealand. The institution was established in 1883 as a constituent college of the University of New Zealand. Initially loc ...
BTheol.
Undergraduate ordinands study a NZ Diploma in Christian Studies and then undertake the remaining years of their theology degree at
Laidlaw College,
Carey Baptist College or the
University of Otago
The University of Otago () is a public university, public research university, research collegiate university based in Dunedin, Otago, New Zealand. Founded in 1869, Otago is New Zealand's oldest university and one of the oldest universities in ...
. 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).
It previously had an on-site
ecumenical
Ecumenism ( ; alternatively spelled oecumenism)also called interdenominationalism, or ecumenicalismis the concept and principle that Christians who belong to different Christian denominations should work together to develop closer relationships ...
partnership with
Trinity Methodist Theological College, the theological college of the
Methodist Church of New Zealand, but now has only Anglican students.
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, 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
Che ...
, notable English born botanist and naturalist
*
Mary Gray-Reeves, bishop of the
Episcopal Diocese of El Camino Real in
California
California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...
, US
*
Hone Kaa
*
Trevor Ogilvie-Grant, 4th Baron Strathspey (1879–1948), member of the
House of Lords
The House of Lords is the upper house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Like the lower house, the House of Commons of the United Kingdom, House of Commons, it meets in the Palace of Westminster in London, England. One of the oldest ext ...
*
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
*
Harry Wollaston , (1846–1921), Comptroller-General of Customs in Australia
Gallery
Complete Abraham, Caroline Harriet 1809-1877 Panorama of St John's college.png, Panorama of St John's college Tamaki Auckland St John's College 1862 by Caroline Harriet Abraham
References
External links
*
{{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
Anglicanism in New Zealand