There is no detached knowing of God any more than there is detached love of neighbour.
St Mellitus College
Named after the very first Bishop of London, whose territory covered London and Essex, the College was founded in 2007 by the Bishops of London and Chelmsford, to serve the church’s mission in this region and beyond. It consists of two main parts, St Paul’s Theological Centre (SPTC), based in west London and the North Thames Ministerial Training Course (NTMTC), based in east London and Chelmsford. The College offers courses for many different kinds of students, for example
- Anglican Ordinands looking for full-time training
- Anglican Ordinands wanting to train part-time
- Lay workers in churches
- Those in secular work who can take time off to study each week
- Church leaders from other denominations wanting to study theology and ministry more deeply
Several key values mark out the training offered at St Mellitus:
• UNITY IN DIVERSITY: We work with all kinds of Christians and denominations within a generous orthodoxy, drawing on the great tradition of Christian theology through the centuries. We also want to be open to the Holy Spirit’s transforming power at work in the church and the world.
• INNOVATION AND ACCESSIBILITY: SMC has from its beginning been committed to developing new ways of doing theological training and finding innovative ways to make theology more available and accessible in the church
• THEOLOGICAL EXCELLENCE: St Mellitus has a first-rate teaching staff, with extensive experience of theological teaching in colleges and universities. We are also able to draw on the expertise of our Visiting Professors, such as Alister McGrath, Keith Ward and Richard Bauckham, and a wide range of Associate Lecturers in the region, many of them national experts in their field, and well-known practitioners. Our goal is to make first-rate theological teaching relate to the realities of life, mission and ministry in twenty-first century society.
• PRAYERFUL FORMATION: We want our students not just to learn theology, but to learn how to pray. We try to ensure we worship in a variety of styles, held together by an expectation of encountering God as we do so, and give good attention to the process of character formation - growing into maturity not just in the mind, but in every area of our students' lives.
The Bishop of London Richard Chartres
“At a time when fragmentation and partisanship can appear to threaten the credibility and effectiveness of our ministry, St Mellitus represents a bold step of faith and trust. We believe that as we pursue the harder path of unity in diversity, the College will prove to be an instrument of the Spirit in equipping the whole people of God to proclaim the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ.”
The Bishop of Chelmsford John Gladwin
“The establishment of St Mellitus College is an exciting development for Chelmsford Diocese. It offers us new opportunities to develop theological and ministerial education to assist us in the mission of the Gospel in our time.”
The Dean Revd Dr Graham Tomlin
“St Mellitus College is a very exciting place to work. It brings together students from across the spectrum of the church to learn about and prepare for mission in the contemporary world, in a way that tries to be open to the Spirit of God and learning from each other. We have a fantastic group of students, a great staff team and it is a privilege to be part of it.”