01. Introducing the College

01.1 Our Vision, our Mission, our Priority and our Distinctive

Our Vision is to see God glorified by men and women living for and proclaiming Jesus Christ, growing healthy churches and reaching the lost.

Our Mission is to provide excellent evangelical theological education.

Our Priority is to seek to be faithful as an Anglican evangelical theological college that is biblically and theologically directed in all we do as we service the churches.

The Distinctive of our full-time programs is the integration of a deep, broad and sustained immersion in the text of Scripture with attention to Christian character and ministry skills development, in the context of a residential community of teachers and students, and in partnership with local churches.

01.2 Strategic Objectives

The College has developed four long-term Strategic Objectives:

Quality – we aim to provide:

• the best theological formation for evangelical ministry

• inspirational teaching

• scholarship and research that enriches learning and extends theological knowledge

Influence – we aim to develop:

• a fellowship of faithful pastor-teachers serving the churches and other ministries in the Diocese of Sydney, around Australia and throughout the world

• resources to shape Christian thinking and witness in the wider Christian community

• theological educators for seminaries both in and beyond Australia

Capacity – we aim to grow:

• a learning community that serves the needs of gospel mission in Sydney and around the world

• the College as a global resource for study and ministry training

• suitable facilities to enable the College’s mission to be achieved in community

Sustainability – we aim to progress:

• a responsible and sustainable business plan

• proper stewardship of the College’s resources

• minimisation of risk in a changing cultural and fiscal environment

01.3 Values

The College seeks to achieve its mission in a manner consistent with its longstanding values, which are:

• Christian faith – trust in God and his purposes as these are revealed in Jesus Christ and conveyed to us by the Holy Spirit in the canonical Scriptures of the Old and New Testament

• Integrity – honesty, transparency, fairness and accountability in all personal behaviour and community practices

• Grace – generosity and compassion in dealings with each other reflecting the undeserved mercy of God in Christ

• Service – placing the welfare of others above personal interests and convenience, using the gifts and talents that God has graciously given

• Community – loving personal relationships, developed through regular meeting and a common focus, as the proper context for learning about the triune God and his purposes

• Scholarship – rigour of thought characterised by a careful use of the primary evidence, breadth of research and appropriate inferences, resulting in fresh and readily accessible approaches to both classic issues and contemporary questions

• Gender complementarity – affirmation of the fundamental equality and mutual dependence of men and women as image bearers of God, while recognising proper differences in roles and responsibilities in life and Christian ministry

• Freedom of inquiry – the freedom to subject all ideas to honest inquiry

• Integration – growth in the knowledge of God is best conducted for, and in the context of, life application and active participation in Christian service.

01.4 Graduate Attributes & Capabilities

Moore College exists to prepare men and women for Christian ministry. Our graduates ought to be followers of Jesus Christ whose love for God and service of people is the proper context of their studies. This means that personal character and evangelical Christian convictions are as important as specific capabilities and skills. These are the result of more than just the formal academic program. Membership of the College and participation in its community life are vital in producing the kind of graduate the College aspires to produce. For these reasons, the following graduate attributes and capabilities are read alongside the published values of the College and its global gospel mission.

01.5 Principles of Teaching and Learning

1. We accept the Christian Scriptures (constituted by the Old and New Testaments) as the written word of God, authoritative, clear, sufficient, without error in all that they teach, and containing all that is necessary for salvation and the informed practice of the Christian life of discipleship. We confess that God can only be known in Jesus Christ as he is presented to us in the Scriptures and therefore the study of Scripture and its ancillary disciplines is indispensable in training for Christian ministry, since the central function of such ministry is to make God known. We are therefore committed to:

• the Christian scriptures as the basis and discerning norm of all that we teach;

• our students gaining a coherent, integrated and extensive knowledge of the Christian Scriptures including principles of sound exegesis of the biblical text in the original languages, and an understanding of the basic unity of the Bible being found in the person of Jesus Christ and his proclamation and inauguration of the Kingdom of God;

• the study of Christian systematic theology as an integrating discipline in which the knowledge of God given in Christ through the Scriptures is reflected upon humbly, attentively and rationally, and articulated systematically. We therefore aim to equip our students with a coherent, integrated and extensive knowledge of Christian doctrine that gives due attention to appropriate theological method;

• a core of units of study throughout the curriculum that cohere and build on one another to reflect the sense of unity and coherence that we acknowledge to exist in our foundational text, the Christian Scriptures; and

• supporting students to grow in their confidence in the authority of the Bible and in its significance for Christian life and practice.

2. We believe the teaching of the Christian Scriptures is faithfully reflected in the historic creeds and in the Protestant Reformed tradition as expressed in the Thirty-Nine Articles of Religion. We are therefore committed to:

• our students gaining a coherent knowledge of the history of reflection upon the Scriptures from both a biblical and theological perspective. This will include the history of biblical interpretation and of key doctrines, particularly from a Protestant, Reformed and Evangelical point of view,

• our students gaining an understanding of the major periods of Christian history, especially the Patristic period, the Reformation and the Modern Evangelical Movement, all with particular reference to Anglicanism.

3. We are committed to the integration of theoretical and applied aspects of knowledge. We understand that the knowledge of God cannot be isolated from the application of this knowledge to all aspects of life, thought, and conduct, and that the proper expression of the knowledge of God is found in a life lived in accordance with his will, seeking to extend the reach of his kingdom through teaching and proclamation.

We acknowledge that the life of Christian discipleship is lived in the midst of, and engaging with, a diverse and complex world. We are therefore committed to:

• Exploring and demonstrating the relevance and application of the material learnt to contemporary society and the practice of Christian ministry.

• Encouraging and equipping our graduates for effective teaching and proclaiming ministries in a diverse and complex world. We acknowledge that this needs to be done at both a theoretical and practical level. This means giving proper attention to Christian Mission and its history.

• Teaching Christian Ethics as an integral component of the knowledge of God, and an essential contribution to a life lived in service of others, and engaged with the contemporary culture.

• Exploring and providing learning opportunities that demonstrate and encourage an integrated and holistic personal response to the gospel of God’s grace in Christ.

4. Our conviction is that, in keeping with the personal nature of Christian truth and the relational nature of our God expressed in his being and his plans to bring to himself a people described in family terms, theology is best learned in a community that is both a Christian family and an academic fellowship. We are therefore committed to:

• The understanding that teaching and learning in the college must be accompanied by appropriate application and modelling of the practice of the Christian life in all its facets. This includes respect and care for one another as brothers and sisters in Christ in all matters of teaching, learning and administration, and

• Exploring and creating opportunities in the context of the learning program to facilitate and express our conviction that theology is best learned as stated above.

5. We are grateful for the rich diversity of God’s gifts to his people and acknowledge that this diversity is expressed in a variety of abilities, interests and learning styles. We are therefore committed to responding to the range of student abilities, interests and learning styles in the planning and implementation of the Units of Study that comprise the curriculum.

01.6 Governance

The Moore Theological College Council is incorporated under the Anglican Church Bodies Corporate Act 1938 and is constituted by the Moore Theological College Ordinance 2009. Under the Ordinance the Council is charged with the provision of training for ordination candidates and other church workers.

The Council has a Governing Board. The current members of the Governing Board can be found on our website at http://www.moore.edu.au/about-us/governance

01.7 Academic Structures

The Governing Board of the College has delegated to the Academic Board responsibility for policy formulation and decision making in all academic matters, and maintaining the academic values, quality, and standards of the College. The membership of the Academic Board includes the Principal, Heads of Department, Heads of Committees, elected representatives of the students and the Registrar. It is scheduled to meet six times per year. The Academic Board delegates some academic responsibilities to its standing committees. The Learning and Teaching Committee oversees all coursework awards. The Research Committee oversees research awards. The Moore PTC Committee oversees the Moore PTC unaccredited course.  

Various bodies report to the Academic Board or its standing committees.  They include:

The Academic Dean in conjunction with the Academic Board and its committees is responsible for the supervision of the studies of theological students.

The Academic Departments and their respective Heads are:

01.8 Student Participation in College Decision Making

As a community, we seek to foster conversations at a variety of levels about how we can improve our community life as well as the academic program of the College. These happen in chaplaincy groups, year group meetings, and one-on-one conversations with the Senior Students, members of the Faculty or the Principal. However, there are a number of opportunities for more formal involvement in College decision making through its boards and committees.

1. Governing Board (GB)

The GB governs all aspects of the College. It appoints the Principal (who leads and manages the College), the Faculty, the Chair of the Academic Board, the Registrar and certain senior members of the administrative staff. It determines the College’s strategic plan, approves its policies, and awards its degrees and diplomas. An election (within the College) is held each year for a student representative on the Governing Board who is able to provide a student perspective on the issues being discussed.

Who you can talk to on matters relating to College governance: GB student rep, Principal

2. Academic Board (AB)

The AB provides the academic governance of the College. It formulates all the academic policies of the College and oversees its academic programs. It is responsible for maintaining the College’s academic values, quality and standards. It is chaired by an external academic and its membership includes all the Faculty, the Registrar, various other members of the staff whose activities directly impact the academic programs of the College, an external academic and two student representatives elected each year. The student representatives are there to provide a student perspective on the issues being discussed.

Who you can talk to on matters relating to Academic governance: AB student reps, Academic Dean

3. Learning and Teaching Committee (L&TC)

The L&TC implements the College’s academic policies and regulates its academic life, from the details of individual admissions, results, appeals etc., to the big-picture development and review of courses, coursework, and teaching. It receives reports from each of the Academic Departments of the College. Its membership includes the heads of the Academic Departments, the Registrar, Deans of Students and an annually elected member of the student body. The student representative provides a student perspective on learning and teaching matters.

Who you can talk to on more specific aspects of the academic program: LTC student reps, Registrar

01.9 Courses Offered

Moore College does not use recruitment agents to recruit students to any of the College courses. Moore College does not have any relationships with recruitment agents.

For more information on undergraduate studies, including the BTh/ThM, see section 3. For more information on postgraduate study, see Section 5. 

01.10 History

The College opened at Liverpool, NSW in 1856. It owed its existence to two people. The first was an early settler in Sydney, Thomas Moore, who left his estate to the Church of England for educational purposes. The second was the Anglican Bishop of Sydney, Frederic Barker. During its long history, the College has had thirteen principals and close to 4,000 graduates. In 1891 the College moved from Liverpool to Newtown.

It has rendered its chief service to the Anglican Diocese of Sydney, the majority of whose clergy train at the College. However, it has also trained many men and women who have served in other parts of Australia and beyond and in both the Anglican Church and in other Protestant denominations.

The College benefited from a long association with Mary Andrews College (formerly Deaconess House) in the training and encouragement of women in ministry.

From the late 1950s there has been a significant extension of the College campus, the growth the library into a world-renowned theological library, an increase in the numbers and qualifications of Faculty, introduction of the four-year course for undergraduates and a number of postgraduate programs.

Purchases of property on the southern side of Carillon Avenue have made it possible over the years to expand the Library, Administration and Dining Hall facilities and to provide considerable housing for married students and faculty. 1994 saw the opening of the Broughton Knox Teaching Centre. The year 2017 saw the opening of a new library and other facilities on the College campus.

01.11 Anglican Ordination in the Diocese of Sydney

Requirements for ordination to the Diaconate or commissioning as Diocesan Lay Worker include the following:

1. The normal academic requirement for ordination/commissioning in the Diocese of Sydney is the award of the Bachelor of Divinity until the teach-out phase ends. From 2026 the Bachelor of Theology/Master of Theology (Coursework) will become the normal requirement.

2. Admission to the College does not guarantee acceptance for ordination. 

3. The Archbishop’s Ministry Chaplains interview candidates for ordination/commissioning at the end of each year.

4. Where candidates for ordination/commissioning in the Diocese of Sydney withdraw their candidature or leave College they should notify Ministry Training and Development, the Principal, the Registrar, the Dean of Students and their chaplain.

5. Students accepted as ordination candidates part way through their College course should inform the College Registrar in writing.

6. Students should consult the Diocese of Sydney and the Ministry Training and Development website about requirements for ordination. Address any questions to the Diocesan Registrar. 

7. Candidates for ordination are advised that they must satisfy their respective Diocesan Bishop or his Ministry Chaplains, that they have no outstanding financial liabilities, either at Moore College or elsewhere.

8. Exiting ordination candidates are encouraged to restrict their planning for the following year to Term 3, perhaps extending into Winter and/or Spring break.

9. For further information on ordination in the Diocese of Sydney see Anglican Diocese of Sydney, Ministry Training and Development.

01.12 Students

1. While the College is residential for full-time students as far as resources permit, a proportion of students live off campus. The College aims to provide full-time students with on-campus accommodation for at least two years in a three- or four-year course, subject to availability. 

2. The student body includes both men and women of a variety of ecclesiastical and ethnic backgrounds. The average age at entry to on campus courses is 28-29 years.  A number are from overseas and plan to return to their respective countries of origin. 

3. Over ninety percent of full-time undergraduate students have a prior degree or diploma.  Most students have had considerable experience in the workforce before entering College, and most are planning to engage in paid ministerial work on graduation.