| | News   Statement
from the Churches of Christ Theological College Board
Co-location
of Tabor College Vic to Jacksons Rd Mulgrave in 2011
The Churches of Christ Theological College (CCTC) Board
is delighted to announce that from January 2011, Tabor College Victoria (TCV) will co-locate to the CCTC
campus on Jacksons Road, Mulgrave.
This means that the two colleges will provide parallel operations on the
one site. This new arrangement makes no changes
to the ownership of the property on Jacksons Road which is owned by CCTC. It also does not change the programs offered by CCTC
through the Melbourne College of Divinity. CCTC
remains a fully participating Recognised Teaching Institution in the MCD. It fulfils our desire that the CCTC
property will be used more and maximised for the ministry training purposes to
which many have generously given over decades.
This co-location will enable two separate Christian Higher
Education providers with a common mission of providing quality education and training
for a broad range of ministry settings to work closely together to enable efficiencies,
diversity and opportunities and therefore maximise the economies of scale of both
colleges. This is intended to maximise the significant
foresight and investment made by the Churches of Christ over many years.
By any measure this is a genuine and substantial renewal of Kingdom commitment
to unity and cooperation in the Christian community by both CCTC and TCV. For over a century CCTC (until 1989 The College of The Bible)
has provided high quality theological education, from Diploma to PhD, accredited
through the MCD. CCTC will continue to do this with
its particular emphases on the formation of God’s people for a wide diversity
of ministry settings, church leadership and higher research.
CCTC exists for the empowerment and formation of God’s church. Approximately half of CCTC students come from a Churches
of Christ background. Tabor Victoria, a Christian College, is an independent Higher Education
Provider and a Registered Training Organisation. It is known for its commitment
to Christian values, academic excellence and creativity in a broad range of theological
and non-theological disciplines from VET to post-graduate level.
As such, Tabor Victoria seeks to graduate students who are
deep-thinking Christians who lead significant lives in the church, society and
marketplace.
CCTC Board Chair, John Sharpe commented, We
are often challenged to imagine what Kingdom attitudes
and relationships actually might look like. So I am personally thrilled to see
CCTC and Tabor College Victoria discovering an unexpected relationship which expresses
both a new layer of ecumenism and a healthy synergy that can only be good for
God’s mission overall. While maintaining our own unique identities and processes,
there will nonetheless be conversations, shared moments and opportunities that
will enrich us all. I would invite your ongoing prayer and support for Tabor
as the faculty and staff are faced with significant logistical
and practical changes and for CCTC as strategic preparations are made to welcome
our guests. As Psalm 133 says, ‘How good and pleasant it is when brothers
(and sisters) live together in unity…’ The CCTC board acknowledge the many hundreds of generous
and faithful supporters, churches, students and staff who have made the college
what it is today. We believe this partnership enables
the College to enlarge its influence and commitment in the mission of the unity
of the Church, and the provision of Christian leadership and ministry formation
in addition to the significant avenues already undertaken. We look forward to the arrival of our new partners
and the opportunities for increasing the good things already on offer. In affirming this partnership the President of Churches of
Christ Council in Vic/Tas Robyn Millership
and its Executive Officer Paul Cameron stated, These new circumstances reflect our
deeper story of welcome and hospitality, of unity under the Lordship of Jesus
Christ, and of willingness to seek even higher levels of excellence in theological
education and ministry formation. Council affirms
this imaginative and innovative step.
| A
relay of leadership Ben Chong completed a Bachelor
of Arts at Monash University in 2009. The next move for this 21 year old was to
come to CCTC and enrol full-time in a Masters programme. It was a move motivated
by a growing interest in a way of life that he was able to envision only with
eyes of faith. He wants a vocation in which he can demonstrate God's love for
people and build community. Indeed, this life has already begun at Doncaster Church
of Christ in his work as a leader of Vetamorphus (a year 12 learning programme),
and the boy's ministry. Along with a couple of other young people at Doncaster,
Ben has a dream about communal living which speaks about God's love to people
who are lonely or marginalised. Not surprisingly, Ash and Angie Barker of UNOH
are two of the people who inspire him.
In May, Ben joined 1000 other young
people from across Australia who are passionate about relieving extreme poverty.
They went on road trips through marginal electorates and finished in Canberra
for a 2 day summit calling for greater action from our political leaders. They
spoke to AusAID, MPs, non-government organisations, churches, schools and universities,
and traded stories with each other. Ben says, It was great to be around other
young people who are passionate and not wearied by work or apathy.
After Sunday School and youth group, Ben went
through a period of questioning. During this time leaders like Linda Bailey, encouraged
him to remain in the community of faith at Doncaster and participate in its activities.
Ben now attributes his present life of faith to Linda's influence and that of
youth leader Simon Albury who baptised him in April this year. Both Linda and
Simon are CCTC alumni.
Ben feels like he has landed at the right
place. He says that at College he is given space and help to think about faith,
vocation and what it means to live as a Christian. He came to College wanting
to be challenged, prompted and grow in faith and that is what he has experienced.
I've learnt a lot
about the Christian tradition and acquired skills that I can use to help others...
It's great, I feel cared for and valued... The balance between learning at College
and practising faith in the Church is very enjoyable.
Ben has been further encouraged by a scholarship
from Prop Corp. He and Adrian Hough (see below) were very excited to be awarded
$5000.00 each in May. The scholarship represents Prop Corp's commitment to developing
future leaders for Churches of Christ.
Ben finds life very busy.
With his commitments at Church, assessments and reading for College, playing basketball
and piano, and learning guitar there's a lot to fit in every day. There's no telling
what he might eventually become and where God will lead him but it is sure to
be interesting and inspiring. Keep watching and praying. | Affirmation
of Lyn McCredden - This
last month Lyn McCredden (pictured) concluded a long involvement with the CCTC
board. While Lyn has been (and will be) a contributor to the leadership of Churches
of Christ in several ways, at its March 31 meeting the
 Vic/Tas
Churches of Christ Conference Council unanimously supported the following Affirmation
of her leadership: - That the Conference
Council of Churches of Christ in Victoria and Tasmania recognises and affirms
the unique and outstanding leadership offered by Lyn McCredden to the boards of
the then College of the Bible, and subsequently the Churches of Christ Theological
College. Lyn has selflessly offered this leadership since July 1983, nearly 27
years. She has done this by sensitively yet courageously weaving together a strong
Christian faith and worldview with a constantly evolving and yet always high commitment
to academic excellence and process. Through all this she has been able to integrate
the skills and passion of her daily vocation (and what it means to be a follower
of Jesus and a part of Churches of Christ there), with the rigours of governance
of another academy of learning. Her contribution to a wide range of sub committees,
task groups and selection and review panels has been significant.
| The
Future Starts Here…
 In
the next ten years 48% of ministers in all churches will reach retirement age.
In the next twenty years demographers inform us that some of our cities will double
in population as Australia moves towards 35 million people. The mix of new immigrants
from every continent across the globe; the anticipated extraordinary needs of
the growing majority world combined with growing political instability and machinations
caused by continued industrialisation, militarisation, ecological crises and poverty;
advances in technology; scarcity of water; food insecurity; corporatisation and
the lack of Biblical memory among emerging generations remind us of what we sense:
everything is up for grabs. As
we look into the future we have many reasons to feel similar anxieties to those
felt by God’s people in ages past. We remember God’s people facing challenges
like forty years in the desert; exile in Babylon; oppression and persecution;
and the well documented mysteries and uncertainties of the early church. We can
so easily be overwhelmed as we look at the horizon and contemplate the changes
needed. We
can also take another view. A different perspective that marvels at the opportunities
presented in participating with God in the healing and restoration of the creation.
A perspective that looks for the possibilities when everything is up for grabs.
A perspective that understands that a threat is also an opportunity. A perspective
that understands that every time God’s people are thrust into confusion and uncertainty,
God is present and active despite seeming hidden. To
paraphrase Charles Dickens, ‘these are the best of times and the worst of times’.
These are times that require skilled and mature leaders who can lead and shape
God’s people towards a preferred future. Simplistic, glib and trite phrases are
not, and will not be, enough. These are times that call for leadership with a
diversity of skills:
· People who know God and reflect it
in the world around them
· People who understand the scriptural story of God’s past actions
in
the world (including the responses of God’s people) and the
meaning
of this for our future together
· People who cultivate
a depth of spirituality
and creativity
· People who understand the world
· People with a developed
gift for pastoral care and the
ministry
of presence
· People who understand leadership, organisations
and systems
· People
who are of reliable character and demonstrate
a
grounded lifestyle
· People who form other leaders and build
teams
· People who embrace diversity and unity together
· People who can communicate, inspire and cause
reflection
· People who hunger to learn new things
· People who research,
wrestle and engage theologically No
leader is perfect. Naturally leaders are stronger in some areas and weaker in
others. But it is a generation of leaders who are committed to developing qualities
such as these that that we need if we are to seize the potential of the moment
and its’ possibilities. It
is humbling to be called to be Principal at CCTC. To work with such a gifted faculty,
staff, student body and community of generous supporters (past and present) towards
our common purpose in Christ. Together, we too have many reasons to feel the pressing
sense of Mordecai’s advice to Queen Esther “And who knows but that you have come
to royal position for such a time as this?”
| Orange
to Melbourne: Adrian’s story Last
year, 23-year-old Adrian Hough completed an apprenticeship as a printing machinist
in Orange, NSW. In this exacting trade, he learnt the importance of patience,
precision and having an eye for detail. He enjoyed working to produce quality
products. At the same time, he felt a growing call to ministry that was affirmed
and encouraged by the congregation at the Orange Church of Christ; his pastor,
John Shuttleworth; his small group, and his parents, Greg and Sue. Adrian
became convinced that the ministry and leadership of the church was his responsibility
- not someone else’s. I am willing to take the burden of leadership, he says.
He is very humble but determined about this. At the same time, he felt he was
being equipped and gifted for ministry by God through his participation in 5 Beach
Missions on the central coast of NSW. In February, he moved to College to begin
studies.  Adrian’s
journey to CCTC can be traced back to when he dropped out of school halfway through
year 12. This caused something of a crisis because it felt like my hopes had been
quashed and that I had disappointed many people. Reassessing my life during this
time brought me closer to God and back to my Church.
It’s
interesting to talk to Adrian and hear the powerful role that testimony has played
in his life. His pastor and members of his Church have all influenced him with
moving personal testimonies. Of course, testimony is also the principal method
of witness employed in Beach Mission. After
4 weeks, Adrian has found life at College to be full of challenge and discovery.
He finds that his pastoral studies have uncovered a few “deficiencies.” Ministry
studies are exciting as he discovers that he already has many of the skills required
for doing theology. The Biblical studies are throwing up one stimulating new idea
after another. Adrian has also found that being part of the on-campus residential
community is “great.” Please pray for him as he settles into Melbourne and follows
God’s call.
| FABULOUS
FAREWELL The
College was not going to let Merrill Kitchen retire without celebrating a decade
of outstanding  leadership
and service, but it wasn't easy. Merrill kept saying that she did not want a fuss
and certainly no presents. Well, she didn't get her way entirely. A farewell dinner
was held for Merrill at the Peppertree Retirement Village dining hall in December.
It was attended by a diverse group of over 180 people who represented the many
areas of ministry and interests that have characterised Merrill's teaching ministry
in the last decade. A three course dinner was served to tables decorated in St
Kilda colours (to remind guests of Merrill's one fault). - The
speakers were students, faculty, colleagues from other teaching institutions,
CCTC Board members, and the president of the Vic/Tas Conference. Each one admired
Merrill's integrity, witness and her commitment to theological education. Merrill
flushed at some of the comments but they were certainly well-deserved. Here are
some of the things that people said:
 Merrill
has consolidated our educational links with the Melbourne College of Divinity,
she has re-affirmed our ecumenical relationships with many arms of the Christian
Church.
In her teaching of the New Testament
she has teased out the biblical links to vocation, life and ministry
Merrill
has renewed my faith in the Church and the New Testament is transforming my view
of mission and my sense of call
Merrill
does not let us escape the need to make the Gospels relevant Merrill shows us
a Church that is so much bigger and richer
In
Greek, Merrill made it possible for me to succeed brilliantly by getting 51%
All
ministers and leaders in the Church should be taken, (dragged kicking and screaming
if necessary), to Palestine and to Nazareth, to listen to Merrill’s lectures.
Alan Niven,
the Vice Principal, noted that Merrill had a knack of bringing people who felt
on the outer into the centre. Instead of presents, Clive Ward, the College Treasurer,
launched the “Nazareth Scholarship' for future students and spoke about the respect
that Merrill's service had brought upon the College. John Sharpe, the master of
ceremonies and CCTC Board Chair, spoke of Merrill's warmth of  personality
and her quiet encouragement and mentoring of future women leaders. Merrill
thoroughly enjoyed the evening and her husband, Paul, video-taped the entire affair
in case she forgot anything. John Sharpe commented that he would like to recapture
the feeling of fraternity and generosity of spirit that was evident and make it
a constant feature of College life. It was a splendid evening and a fitting tribute
to Merrill's contribution to the College and the church. | Teaching
theology in Indonesia During
November 2009, Stephen Curkpatrick visited the Churches of Christ Conference of
Central Java, Indonesia with Paul Cameron, the CEO of Conference of Churches of
Christ in Vic/Tas. Stephen, with the  assistance
of Martono, a skilled translator, gave a series of lectures on the Epistle to
the Romans and he visited, and worshipped with a number urban and village ministries.
The
connection with Conference in Central Java came through Yohannes Marsona. Yohannes
is a teacher at Churches of Christ Theological College, Indonesia (STJKI). In
2007, he attended the Clayton Church of Christ and became acquainted with the
Faculty at CCTC. Stephen
was very impressed by the faith and formation of the students at the College in
Central Java. He came home with the following reflections. Two
crucial qualities characterise the Churches of Christ ethos of Central Java, Indonesia,
as these are expressed in church life and theological education. First, there
is clear expression of Christian identity; second, there is a transparent desire
to be a blessing to the community. The second is an integral expression of the
first; the first clarifies the focus of the second. Both foci are essential within
the world’s largest Islamic society as Christian faith is expressed with clarity
and compassion. Both foci are at the heart of theological education at Churches
of Christ Theological College, Indonesia (STJKI).  Theological
engagement occurs primarily through Scripture, the experience of Christian faith
and challenges of ministry, which is expressed within a desire, faithfully to
communicate the Christian story in word and deed. Theological
education can provide useful secondary sources or tools for clarifying its primary
work of engaging Scripture, Christian faith and ministry. Without this primary
work, a surfeit of secondary sources adds nothing essential to Christian faith
and stymies clear imperatives for Christian ministry. With a judicious approach
to secondary sources, which has long been a Churches of Christ value, and under
winsome leadership, the focus of theology at STJKI is orientated unequivocally,
toward the primary sources of Scripture, Christian faith and ministry. Students
have no inclination to distrust the veracity of Scripture
and the imperatives of Christian testimony. With
their discoveries, challenges, joys of faith and strong
sense of call to ministry, student engagement with  Romans
was expressed with charming, intelligent
passion. Consistent with New Testament testimony and without apology, Romans calls
into question human assumptions about life before God among others in the midst
of creation. Of ourselves, we never get this right; everything is skewed from
one generation to another, whether religious or not. Our resources are inadequate
for durable righteousness without compromise and self-deception. In their honest
engagement with Romans, students had no illusions about human life and the necessity
of transformation through redemptive grace. At
STJKI there is no sense that the “big issues” of theology need to be prompted
by complex and sometimes convoluted expositions of what a text “is really saying.”
Human dilemmas and their resources in grace are inscribed clearly within biblical
testimony, awaiting heartfelt and intelligent responses that can be given genuine
and life-changing expression in Christian ministry. With this approach, Scripture
is read by students and graduates alike with clarity and thirst. These
heartfelt and intelligent responses are given life-changing expression in diverse
ministries, in which the
reality of human need and trauma is always present and embraced. Intelligent
and contemporary theological interest does not need to be endorsed by deference
to religion. This may seem plausible where theological education reflects a flattening
of Christian faith to comparative expressions of religious phenomena. Trusting
grace and truth in Jesus Christ within a pervasive religious society, students
feel no need to approach theological engagement from an interfaith perspective.
Consistent with the gospel, their conversation is with humanity not religion.
The
dignity of human life in genuine hope that does not disappoint is conveyed
through grace and truth in Jesus Christ. For this reason, two crucial foci—distinctive
Christian faith and a transparent desire to be a blessing to others—are characteristic
of the Churches of Christ ethos in ministry and theological education within the
Lemkersa Conference of Central Java. Clearly,
the learning in Indonesia ran both ways. This is a relationship that CCTC is committed
to continuing.
| INVESTMENT
OPPORTUNITY Invest
in people! Churches of Christ Theological College has some very exciting students
who will become long term servants, leaders and ministers in our Churches. We
need your support to teach and form them for ministry. Donors receive regular
updates. All donations are
tax deductible.
www.cctc.edu.au | GIVE
GOD A PIECE OF YOUR MIND! People
study (part-time or full-time) at Churches of Christ Theological College for all
sorts of reasons. Some are discerning God’s call on their lives, some are training
for ministry and all enjoy the thrill of discovering more about God, faith and
themselves.
You can join them on the journey…
Take the next step!
Phone CCTC today (03) 9790 1000 | 
| If
you’ve been asking yourself this question then it’s time you took the next step
and came to CCTC. People study at Churches of Christ Theological College for different
reasons. Some are discerning God’s call on their lives. Some are training for
ministry. All enjoy the thrill of discovering more about God, faith and themselves.
Why don’t you join them on the journey? Call
the Registrar! |
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