St John's College, Auckland Explained

St John's Theological College
Native Name:Maori: Hoani Tapu te Kaikauwhau i te Rongopai
Type:Anglican theological college
Location:Meadowbank, Auckland, New Zealand
Coordinates:-36.8735°N 174.8408°W
Full Name:College of St John the Evangelist
Motto:Maori: Te Whakamana i ngā Kairui
Motto Latin:-->
Motto English:Enabling Missional Leaders
Founders:-->
Namesake:or
Named After:-->
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Masters:or
Principal:Rev. Canon Tony Gerritson
Benefactor:Anglican Church in Aotearoa, New Zealand and Polynesia
Residents:50+
Membership:-->
Endowment:NZ$470 million

The College of St John the Evangelist or St John's Theological College is the residential theological college of the Anglican Church in Aotearoa, New Zealand and Polynesia.

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 of New Zealand, initially at Te Waimate mission.[1]

The College, through the St John's College Trust Board, is one of the best endowed theological colleges in the Anglican Communion, with assets in 2014 of NZ$293m.[2] [3] It was subject to a critical review of its financial sustainability in 2014.[4]

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 degrees, primarily the BD. From 1993 it offered the University of Auckland 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. 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 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.[5]

Notable alumni and alumnae

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Warren E.. Limbrick . Selwyn, George Augustus. 1990. Dictionary of New Zealand Biography. Te Ara – the Encyclopedia of New Zealand. 22 April 2019.
  2. The St John's College Trust Board report to Synod, "The church faces many challenges", 14 May 2014. In 2012 Princeton Theological Seminary had endowments of US$867m and the next richest American seminary, the University of Denver (Colorado Seminary), had US$373m. The next richest, the Columbia Theological Seminary had US$165m
  3. Web site: Almanach of Higher Education 2013.
  4. The St John's College Trust Board report to Synod, "The church faces many challenges", 14 May 2014
  5. Web site: The John Kinder Theological Library . St John's College, Auckland . 2011-09-26.
  6. News: Obituary . 15 February 2014 . . 31 December 1915 . LII . 16114 . 7.
  7. News: An Open Secret . 16 October 2014 . . XLVII . 15266 . 14 July 1920 . 5.
  8. Encyclopedia: Education Department . The Cyclopedia of New Zealand [Wellington Provincial District]. 1897. 168.
  9. News: Dr. Wallaston. 18 February 1912. 13. The Week. Brisbane, Queensland.