Acadia Divinity College

The Acadia Divinity College (ADC) is Baptist theological institute located in Wolfville, Nova Scotia, Canada. It is affiliated with the Canadian Baptists of Atlantic Canada. It is governed by a board of trustees with members appointed by the Convention and the Board of Governors of Acadia University. The college is also the Faculty of Theology of Acadia University.

ADC shares facilities with Acadia University; the college's library is part of the university's 800,000 volume Vaughan Memorial Library collection. Also hosted at Acadia University are the Esther Clark Wright Archives, which includes an extensive collection of material relating to the Canadian Baptists of Atlantic Canada (CBAC).

History

As early as 1830, Baptists in Nova Scotia, Canada established a "department of pious scholars" at Horton Academy in Wolfville (founded 1828) for ministerial training. A decade later, Baptist Leaders resolved to establish a Baptist College, an institution of higher learning where all people would be free to work and study, regardless of religious persuasion. The decision to establish Queen's College, which would become Acadia University, was formally approved by the Nova Scotia Baptist Education Society on November 15, 1838. Preparation for ministry was carried on under various formats until the School of Theology was put on a more formal footing in 1923.

After Acadia University was reorganized in 1966, the Baptists of Atlantic Canada began to operate the School of Theology under the name Acadia Divinity College, and on June 1, 1968, the Acadia Divinity College was established by an act of the Nova Scotia Legislature.

Centres of Excellence at Acadia Divinity College

Acadia Centre for Baptist and Anabaptist Studies (ACBAS)

Established by Acadia Divinity College in cooperation with the Vaughan Memorial Library of Acadia University in April 1991, encourages and facilitates studies in the fields of Baptist and Anabaptist history and thought, especially in the Atlantic region of Canada.

Charles J. Taylor Centre for Chaplaincy and Spiritual Care

Fosters and promotes clinical and theological excellence in the area of Pastoral Care through personal growth, the building of professional capacities and rigorous theological reflection. The Taylor Centre trains and prepares men and women for pastoral ministry in specialized forms, including hospital chaplaincy, military chaplaincy, prison chaplaincy, and a variety of other caring professions, for which care for the Spirit is of primary importance.

Andrew D. MacRae Centre for Christian Faith and Culture

Provides a forum for helping students and the wider church engage with people and issues in meaningful, thoughtful, relevant, and transformative ways - by collecting and distributing resources, offering courses and programs, and as a research hub.

Teaching sites

Wolfville, Nova Scotia

Students can complete any bachelor's, master's, or doctoral degree or program part-time or full-time at ADC's main teaching site located on the campus of Acadia University in Wolfville. All courses required for all degrees are offered on a rotating basis over a two- or three-year period in a variety of teaching formats including once weekly, intensive weeks, and on weekends.

Halifax, Nova Scotia

Six to eight introductory bachelor-level and master-level courses are offered annually at various sites throughout Metro Halifax and Truro. The Graduate Diploma in Christian Studies can be completed in its entirety in Metro Halifax over a three- to four-year period, and up to one-half of the courses required for a degree program can be completed through ADC Metro.

New Brunswick

Six to eight introductory bachelor-level and master-level courses are offered annually at various sites throughout New Brunswick, often on weekends or evenings. The Graduate Diploma in Christian Studies can be completed in its entirety in New Brunswick over a three- to four-year period and up to one-half of all courses for a degree program can be completed through ADC New Brunswick.

Continuing education

The college seeks to encourage and equip leaders throughout their lifetime of ministry through two annual lectureships:

Simpson Lectures

Annual series of lectures on the practice of ministry prepared primarily for students, pastors, and spouses. The lecturers are persons in ministry who focus on the role of the minister as both preacher and pastor.

Hayward Lectures

Annual lectureship in theology and related subjects. Visiting lecturers are selected by the Faculty of Acadia Divinity College.

Affiliations

The College is affiliated with the Canadian Baptists of Atlantic Canada.

The Acadia University awards all of the Acadia Divinity College degrees, upon recommendation from the ADC Senate and the Senate of Acadia University. The graduate degrees are accredited by the Association for Biblical Higher Education and the Association of Theological Schools in the United States and Canada.

Endowed academic chairs

Endowed academic (teaching) chairs are established to ensure that permanent funding is available to the college to meet the costs of a professor's salary in a given discipline. Nine chairs have been established at ADC (one is fully funded - the John Gladstone Chair in Preaching and Worship):
* Thomas James Armstrong Memorial Professorship of Practical Theology and Church History
* Dr. Millard R. Cherry Chair of Christian Thought and Ethics
* Sheldon and Marjorie Fountain Chair of Evangelism
* John Gladstone Chair in Preaching and Worship
* Abner J. Langley and Harold L. Mitton Chair of Church Leadership
* Thomas B. McDormand, Charles J. Taylor, and Dennis M. Veinotte Chair of Pastoral Care and Counselling
* Hannah Maria Norris Chair in Christian Missions and Social Issues
* Payzant Chair of Biblical Studies
* Stevens-Fenerty Chair of Urban Ministry and Church Growth

See also

*List of evangelical seminaries and theological colleges
*Association of Theological Schools in the United States and Canada
* Canadian Baptists of Atlantic Canada (CBAC)
*Canadian Baptist Ministries
*Acadia University

References

External links

Acadia Divinity College Official siteConvention of Atlantic Baptist Churches

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Divinity College
Educational institutions established in 1968
Baptist seminaries and theological colleges in Canada