Adelaide College of Divinity (ACD) is an accredited

higher education Higher education is tertiary education leading to award of an academic degree. Higher education, also called post-secondary education, third-level or tertiary education, is an optional final stage of formal learning that occurs after compl ...

provider offering diploma, associate and bachelor's degrees, graduate diplomas, master and doctoral degrees in ministry, it is also a Registered Training Organisation offering certificates and a diploma. The ACD offers qualifications in its own right in the vocational and higher education sectors and, except for the period 2011–2013, its teaching staff have formed the Department of Theology at

Flinders University Flinders University is a public research university based in Adelaide, South Australia, with a footprint extending across 11 locations in South Australia and the Northern Territory. Founded in 1966, it was named in honour of British navigator ...

in the Faculties of Education, Humanities and Law. The ACD brought together the Adelaide Theological Library, from the collections of the three colleges which had merged for form ACD. The library has grown since the merger and in 2006 held over 60,000 volumes, including many dating back before 1850 and some to the 17th century. Within the college grounds is a

labyrinth In Greek mythology, the Labyrinth (, ) was an elaborate, confusing structure designed and built by the legendary artificer Daedalus for King Minos of Crete at Knossos. Its function was to hold the Minotaur, the monster eventually killed by the ...

Cedar Prest Cedar Prest is an Australian stained glass artist based in Maslin Beach, South Australia. Early life and education She has a B.A. and Dip.Ed. from the University of Melbourne (1961) and also studied drawing at the National Gallery of Victoria ...

to honour the journeys of refugees and migrants. Symbols incorporated in the labyrinth include a large chalice and a central wafer – a reference to

Holy Communion The Eucharist (; from Greek , , ), also known as Holy Communion and the Lord's Supper, is a Christian rite that is considered a sacrament in most churches, and as an Ordinance (Christianity), ordinance in others. According to the New Testame ...

. A stylised version of the labyrinth is used as the college logo.

History

The ACD started as an

ecumenical Ecumenism (), also spelled oecumenism, is the concept and principle that Christians Christians () are people who follow or adhere to Christianity, a monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. The wo ...

consortium of the theological colleges of the Anglican (St Barnabas College),

Baptist Baptists form a major branch of Protestantism distinguished by baptizing professing Christianity, Christian believers only (believer's baptism), and doing so by complete Immersion baptism, immersion. Baptist churches also generally subscribe ...

(Burleigh College),

Roman Catholic Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *''Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a letter ...

(the St Francis Xavier Seminary, now the Catholic Theological College) and Uniting (Parkin-Wesley College, from December 2008 known as Uniting College for Leadership and Theology) Churches in 1979, with the

Bible College of South Australia The Bible College of South Australia (BCSA), formerly known as the Adelaide Bible Institute, is an interdenominational and evangelical Bible college in Adelaide, South Australia. It offers courses accredited by the Australian College of Theology. ...

in 1980, in

Adelaide Adelaide ( ) is the list of Australian capital cities, capital city of South Australia, the state's largest city and the list of cities in Australia by population, fifth-most populous city in Australia. "Adelaide" may refer to either Greater A ...

South Australia South Australia (commonly abbreviated as SA) is a state in the southern central part of Australia. It covers some of the most arid parts of the country. With a total land area of , it is the fourth-largest of Australia's states and territories ...

. In late September 1997, the then three constituent colleges in Adelaide moved to a campus at

Brooklyn Park, South Australia Brooklyn Park is a western suburb of the South Australian capital of Adelaide. It is located on Kaurna land, immediately north-east of Adelaide Airport and the Australian Federal Police (AFP) base on Sir Donald Bradman Drive (the Boulevard of ...

which had been vacated by the

Salesian College A Salesian school is an educational institution run by the Roman Catholic Salesian Congregation of Saint John Bosco (or Don Bosco), and one that uses his methods. Salesian schools are dedicated to young people in an educational and formative envir ...

. Teaching began on 7 October and the ACD campus was officially opened on Sunday, 9 November by the Governor of South Australia, Sir Eric Neal. Nungalinya College was associated with the ACD at one time. Nungalinya College is

with a focus on theological education and training for ministry for

Aboriginal Aborigine, aborigine or aboriginal may refer to: *Aborigines (mythology), in Roman mythology * Indigenous peoples, general term for ethnic groups who are the earliest known inhabitants of an area *One of several groups of indigenous peoples, see ...

and

Torres Strait Islander Torres Strait Islanders () are the Indigenous Melanesian people of the Torres Strait Islands, which are part of the state of Queensland, Australia. Ethnically distinct from the Aboriginal people of the rest of Australia, they are often grou ...

people. It is located in

Darwin Darwin may refer to: Common meanings * Charles Darwin (1809–1882), English naturalist and writer, best known as the originator of the theory of biological evolution by natural selection * Darwin, Northern Territory, a territorial capital city i ...

Northern Territory The Northern Territory (commonly abbreviated as NT; formally the Northern Territory of Australia) is an Australian territory in the central and central northern regions of Australia. The Northern Territory shares its borders with Western Au ...

. In 2003, the Uniting Church moved its distance education focused Coolamon College from

Brisbane Brisbane ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the states and territories of Australia, Australian state of Queensland, and the list of cities in Australia by population, third-most populous city in Australia and Oceania, with a populati ...

to Adelaide where it joined the ACD In Brisbane it had been a member of the Brisbane College of Theology and also offered Sydney College of Divinity courses. In 2009 the Anglican synod voted in favour of withdrawing St Barnabas' College from the ACD and affiliating with the School of Theology of Charles Sturt University. In 2010, the Catholic theological college withdrew from the consortium to become part of the new Adelaide Theological Centre. Uniting College for Leadership and Theology has been joined by Trinity College Queensland. Trinity was initially a member of the Brisbane College of Theology that was wound up in 2009, and then offered

Australian Catholic University Australian Catholic University (ACU) is a public university in Australia. It has seven Australian campuses and also maintains a campus in Rome. History Australian Catholic University was opened on 1 January 1991 following the amalgamati ...

qualifications before joining the ACD.

References

External links

Adelaide College of DivinityFlinders University – School of TheologyThe Centre for Theology, Science and Culture
at

Uniting College for Leadership and TheologyTrinity College, Queensland
{{authority control Education in Adelaide Seminaries and theological colleges in Australia Educational institutions established in 1979 Uniting Church in Australia 1979 establishments in Australia