| Melbourne School of Theology | |
|---|---|
| Motto | Truth informing life and practice |
| Established | September 1920 |
| Type | Christian Tertiary Education |
| Location | Melbourne, Australia |
| Campus | Wantirna South, Victoria, Coldstream, Victoria, Melbourne CBD, |
| Website | mst.vic.edu.au |
The Melbourne School of Theology (formerly the Bible College of Victoria) is an evangelical Christian theological college with its main campus in Wantirna, a suburb of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. People from all over Australia and the world travel to study there. It is one of Australia's largest Bible colleges and is highly recognised for its reputation in the training and development of missionaries. It partners with the Australian Centre for Mission Aviation which focuses on training pilots and engineers for aviation mission work. It also has a Chinese department in which courses are taught in both Mandarin and Cantonese.
In 2011 the main (Wantirna) campus relocated from the suburb of Lilydale, in the central eastern suburbs of Melbourne. The Chinese department, which used to operate in Box Hill, also relocated to the new campus and the college was renamed to the Melbourne School of Theology.[1]
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Founded as the Melbourne Bible Institute (MBI) in September 1920, the institution was established to train missionaries to serve with the China Inland Mission in China. At its opening only one student sat down with the principal in the hall of the Congregational church in the suburb of Prahran near the city centre. Most appropriately they began with the study of Genesis. The college's first principal was a 54-year-old Anglican priest, the Reverend Clifford Nash, who was there because, in his words, "he felt constrained to undertake the task". For six weeks they continued until another man and two women joined the class. They were the first of the 1000 students trained by Nash at the institute. The total now approaches 5000 graduates. At the foundation of the college Nash made a public statement, saying:
The MBI stands foursquare for the wholehearted acceptance of the entire sacred volume of the Old and New Testaments as from God. This is God's book for the plain man, and to such He will interpret its full meaning progressively by His Holy Spirit. Herein, too, is provided a full equipment for everyone who would serve Jesus as Lord. This book holds a message from God adapted to the spiritual needs of every class in every age. That message received makes men "wise unto salvation" which has all the elements of completeness. But if the book is from God, it will bear without loss the sincerest and most searching examination . . . Its genuineness will defy the acid as well as the sledgehammer of criticism. It is sufficient, and always sufficient, for the purposes for which it has been given to us.
The college was later moved to the outer-eastern suburb of Lilydale. The current principal is the Reverend Michael Raiter.
In 2010 the Bible College of Victoria, as it was then known, began a relocation to the suburb of Wantirna, which is situated in the centre of the eastern suburbs. Classes commenced at the new campus in 2011.
There are a range of MST courses at undergraduate certificate, undergraduate degree, graduate degree and postgraduate level, including specialised options such as mission aviation and a Chinese department. In 2008, MST established the Centre for the Study of Islam and Other Faiths, through which students are given the opportunity to learn about the distinctives of other faiths and thereby be better equipped to minister to people from those faiths.
Courses range from one year full-time through to three or four year degrees and provide a wide range of choices for Christians looking to be equipped for ministry. Core subjects tend to be biblical or theological in nature with certain essentials such as communication skills, while electives provide opportunity for students to pursue particular areas of interest such as youth ministry, pastoral skills and methods, leadership, cross-cultural communication, aid and development and Christian worship.
Current accreditations available are:
Most courses/subjects are available full-time, part-time or via distance learning. Many are also offered through the Chinese department at which students undertake their studies in the Mandarin and Cantonese languages. Students participating in the aviation flight stream will also earn their commercial pilot licence with NVFR rating and command instrument rating.
| Principal |
The Reverend Michael Raiter |
| Vice-principal | The Reverend Sam Reeve |
| Dean of Studies | Delle Matthews |
| Dean of Postgraduate Studies, Nash Institute | The Reverend Jeff Pugh |
| Professorial Dean, Centre for the Study of Islam and Other Faiths | Peter Riddell |
| Dean of Chinese Department (MSTCD) | Y. Liong |
| Dean of Mission Aviation Course | The Reverend Bruce Searle |
| Dean of Students | Phyll Oostwoud (women) / Stuart Ray (men) |
| Head of Department of Biblical Studies | Greg Forbes |
| Co-ordinator of Diploma Studies | The Reverend Edward (Ted) Woods |
| Librarian | Kathy Caddy |
| Distance Learning Coordinator | Nigel Cunningham |
| Administration and Finance Manager | Rosemarie Eloff |