The Rev Dr Mark Thompson is now officially Principal of Moore Theological College, after an inauguration service held in St Andrew's Cathedral.

The ceremony was presided over by Archbishop Peter Jensen, and was attended by Dr Thompson's family and friends, past and present students of the College, and others from across the Diocese.

Dr Thompson says that the night really demonstrated the team effort that is the running of the college, and also the work of the Sydney Anglican Diocese.

"It was a wonderful night of having people supporting the College," he says. "This is a great meeting together of the College and the Diocese, and that's what we wanted it to be. It's not about any one person, it's about the work of God in this city, and that's what the College and the Diocese together are on about."

Dr Thompson also preached on the night, speaking from 1 Corinthians 15 on the importance of holding fast to those 'first things' of the gospel.

"One of the things I was very concerned about was to make sure that all we were doing tonight had its focus on Christ," says Dr Thompson, "and that the College, and me as the Principal of the College, are serving the cause of Christ, not our own cause."

Dr Thompson is now the thirteenth Principal of the College, succeeding the Rev Dr John Woodhouse.

The College originally began in Liverpool, in south-western Sydney, in 1856, thanks to the efforts of Thomas Moore and Bishop Frederic Barker. The college was later moved to Newtown in Sydney's inner west, and has trained over 3000 men and women since its inception.