Mary Andrews College and Moore Theological College to be merged

Moore Theological College (MTC) has for many years enjoyed a partnership with Mary Andrews College (MAC, formerly Deaconess House) in the theological education and training of women for Christian ministries.
MAC is owned and governed by Anglican Deaconess Institution (Sydney) Limited (ADISL) which has been involved in the training of women for gospel ministries since 1891. Since 1992 the two colleges have jointly enrolled women students.

In May this year the Board of ADISL expressed its desire to see the partnership between MAC and MTC developed further so that the work that the two colleges have shared over a long period would be fully integrated into MTC, firmly established, securely funded and strengthened.

On Friday 12 October the Principals of MAC and MTC announced a new initiative. From 1 January 2008 the full time training of women will be integrated completely into Moore College, with the establishment of the Mary Andrews Department of Women's Ministry.

This will mean that the historic work of MAC will continue in two significant ways. The full time training of women will now be within Moore College, while the MAC courses that have equipped lay women will continue to be run at a number of centres around the diocese under the auspices of MAC/ADISL.

The two Principals are fully committed to the importance and value of teaching women the knowledge and love of God, training them in godly living, and equipping them to share the knowledge and love of God with others wherever the Lord may send them. God has blessed the co-operative work of MAC and MTC over many years, and particularly the last 20 years or so. A wide variety of ministries for Christian women in the Diocese of Sydney (and beyond) have developed. Many are committed to praying and working to see this trend continue. While there are 71 women enrolled in our colleges in 2007, the desire is to see many more, and to provide the structures that will give them a theological education and training in Christian ministry of the highest quality.

It was the need to redevelop or relocate the Moore College campus that provided the stimulus for Narelle Jarrett, the Principal of MAC, and John Woodhouse, the Principal of MTC, to engage in informal discussions over a year ago about the implications of such changes for the relationship between the colleges. This, in turn, led to a wider ranging exploration of how the two colleges might best serve the cause of providing the best possible theological education for the large number of Christian women that the Lord is raising up for gospel ministries. The recent decision of the MTC Governing Board that the main MTC campus is to remain in Newtown has come at the same time as these discussions have led to an important decision.

The Board of the ADISL and the Governing Board of MTC both welcomed the discussion and have worked through the last year developing and planning for a major new initiative in the training of women for Christian ministry.

The two boards have come to an agreement to establish, from 1 January 2008, the "Mary Andrews Department of Women's Ministry" within Moore College. Moore College plans to appoint three women to its Faculty including a Head of the new Department and a Dean of Women. ADISL intends to continue to support the work by endowing the three new Faculty positions in Moore College and by making the property at 28 Carillon Avenue available to Moore College to facilitate the provision of residential accommodation for single women students.

The decision to integrate this work into MTC has been accompanied by a re-affirmation of the fundamental equality and mutual dependence of men and women as bearers of God's image, which recognises and affirms the proper differences in roles and responsibilities in life and Christian ministry. There is a commitment to providing the highest standard of theological education and ministry training for women in the context of the Bible's teaching about the roles and relationships of men and women. The goal is, by God's enabling, to see a growing number of women deepen their knowledge of God so that they might faithfully and effectively live exemplary Christian lives, proclaim and teach the Word of God in appropriate contexts, and care for others in the name of Jesus Christ wherever he might place them.

Both boards believe that this very important development will strengthen and expand the training of women for Christian ministries in the Diocese and beyond. It builds on and is a consequence of the outstanding work that has been done by Mary Andrews College, especially over the last 22 years under the principalship of Narelle Jarrett. We pray that God will continue to send more and more women to study at Moore Theological College, supported by the new Department of Women's Ministry, and bless his church and the world through their ministries.

John Woodhouse
Principal Moore Theological College

Narelle Jarrett
Principal Mary Andrews College