Regent College is an

interdenominational Ecumenism ( ; alternatively spelled oecumenism)also called interdenominationalism, or ecumenicalismis the concept and principle that Christians who belong to different Christian denominations should work together to develop closer relationships ...

evangelical Christian College of

Christian A Christian () is a person who follows or adheres to Christianity, a Monotheism, monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus in Christianity, Jesus Christ. Christians form the largest religious community in the wo ...

studies, and an affiliated college of the

University of British Columbia The University of British Columbia (UBC) is a Public university, public research university with campuses near University of British Columbia Vancouver, Vancouver and University of British Columbia Okanagan, Kelowna, in British Columbia, Canada ...

, located next to the university's

campus A campus traditionally refers to the land and buildings of a college or university. This will often include libraries, lecture halls, student centers and, for residential universities, residence halls and dining halls. By extension, a corp ...

in the

University Endowment Lands The University Endowment Lands (UEL) is an unincorporated area in Metro Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. It lies west of Vancouver and east of the University of British Columbia's Point Grey campus lands. Most of the University Endowment ...

west of

Vancouver Vancouver is a major city in Western Canada, located in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia. As the List of cities in British Columbia, most populous city in the province, the 2021 Canadian census recorded 662,248 people in the cit ...

British Columbia British Columbia is the westernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Situated in the Pacific Northwest between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains, the province has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that ...

. The school's stated mission is to "cultivate intelligent, vigorous, and joyful commitment to Jesus Christ, His church, and His world." About 500 students are enrolled in full or part-time studies. In any given year, one-third to one-half of students are Canadian, another one-quarter to one-third are American, and the remaining twenty to thirty per cent come from around the globe.

History

Regent was established in 1968 to provide graduate

theological Theology is the study of religious belief from a religious perspective, with a focus on the nature of divinity. It is taught as an academic discipline, typically in universities and seminaries. It occupies itself with the unique content of an ...

education to the

laity In religious organizations, the laity () — individually a layperson, layman or laywoman — consists of all Church membership, members who are not part of the clergy, usually including any non-Ordination, ordained members of religious orders, e ...

, and only in 1979 started a program to train students who will become

clergy Clergy are formal leaders within established religions. Their roles and functions vary in different religious traditions, but usually involve presiding over specific rituals and teaching their religion's doctrines and practices. Some of the ter ...

. After the first summer school class, the graduate Diploma of Christian Studies began; within two years, enrollment grew from 4 to 44 students and the Master of Christian Studies was added. Affiliation with UBC followed in 1975, and accreditation by the Association of Theological Schools in 1985. The last comprehensive evaluation occurred in 2010. The principals and presidents of the college have been James M. Houston (1970–1978), Carl Armerding (1978–1988), Walter Wright Jr. (1988–2000) and outgoing president Rod Wilson (2000–2015). Jeffrey P. Greenman began his term as the fifth president on February 1, 2015. Greenman is the first alumnus of Regent College to become president. Regent initially rented rooms in various buildings at UBC, including St. Andrews Hall and Vancouver School of Theology, and occupied two fraternity houses on Wesbrook Mall for a time. In 1989, Regent moved into its own new building in the current location at the corner of Wesbrook & University, with the distinctive green roof. A subsequent capital campaign finished in 2006, adding the John Richard Allison Library and the Windtower to Regent College's architectural distinctiveness.

Academic programs

Though Regent College is an affiliated school of the UBC, unlike other affiliated schools such as Vancouver School of Economy, the University does not offer any theological degree due to the ''University'' Act. The college does offer four main graduate programs, all ATS-accredited: * Graduate Diploma in Christian Studies (DipCS) * Master of Arts in Christian Studies (MACS) * Master of Arts in Theological Studies (MATS) *

Master of Divinity For graduate-level theological institutions, the Master of Divinity (MDiv, ''magister divinitatis'' in Latin) is the first professional degree of the pastoral profession in North America. It is the most common academic degree in seminaries and ...

(M.Div.) * Master of Theology (Th.M.) * Master of Arts in Leadership, Theology, and Society (MALTS)

Student life

On Tuesdays during fall and winter term, the college community gathers for chapel, followed by optional community group meetings and a lunch of homemade soup and bread. The Regent College Student Association oversees a variety of student life activities and services, including Taste of the World, book sales, an annual Christmas Party, an annual retreat, the Regent Spouse's Network, and more. Because Regent is a UBC affiliate school, Regent students qualify for the U-Pass and the AMS insurance plan, and may make use of other UBC services such as the library system, health centre, and the pool.

Alumni and faculty

More than 4,500 students have graduated from Regent College and, due to the summer programs, over 30,000 students have taken classes. After Vancouver,

Hong Kong Hong Kong)., Legally Hong Kong, China in international treaties and organizations. is a special administrative region of China. With 7.5 million residents in a territory, Hong Kong is the fourth most densely populated region in the wor ...

hosts the second greatest number of Regent graduates, with other major pockets in

Seattle Seattle ( ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Washington and in the Pacific Northwest region of North America. With a population of 780,995 in 2024, it is the 18th-most populous city in the United States. The city is the cou ...

Calgary Calgary () is a major city in the Canadian province of Alberta. As of 2021, the city proper had a population of 1,306,784 and a metropolitan population of 1,481,806 making it the third-largest city and fifth-largest metropolitan area in C ...

Edmonton Edmonton is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Alberta. It is situated on the North Saskatchewan River and is the centre of the Edmonton Metropolitan Region, which is surrounded by Central Alberta ...

Toronto Toronto ( , locally pronounced or ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, most populous city in Canada. It is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Ontario. With a p ...

, Singapore and

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

. At present, Regent College employs 17 full-time faculty. Notable faculty emeriti include Eugene Peterson, Maxine Hancock, Loren Wilkinson, Gordon T. Smith, Paul Stevens, Gordon Fee, J.I. Packer and Bruce Waltke. Summer school classes are often taught by some notable Christian thinkers, including N.T. Wright, Andrew Walls, Luci Shaw, Richard Mouw,

Alister McGrath Alister Edgar McGrath (; born 1953) is an Irish theologian, Anglican priest, intellectual historian, scientist, Christian apologist, and public intellectual. He currently holds the Andreas Idreos Professorship in Science and Religion in the F ...

, Malcolm Guite, George Marsden and

Mark Noll Mark Allan Noll (born 1946) is an American historian specializing in the history of Christianity in the United States. He holds the position of Research Professor of History at Regent College, having previously been Francis A. McAnaney Professor o ...

Buildings and features

The ''John Richard Allison Library'' is one of the major theological libraries in Western Canada. It houses the resources of Regent and Carey Theological College. Its catalogue is shared with Carey Theological College, Vancouver School of Theology, and St. Mark's College. ''Regent College Bookstore'' is one of the premier theological bookstores in Western Canada. It frequently hosts public lectures and booksignings, and has its own publishing program. ''The Dal Schindell Gallery'' showcases seven annual exhibitions, including shows by Regent students in the Christianity and the Arts concentration. ''The Chapel'' is the heart of worship and community building at Regent. The weekly Tuesday Chapel service at 11 am is widely attended by students, faculty, staff, and guests. The piano within is a Steinway grand. ''True North Windtower'' features photovoltaic art glass by artist Sarah Hall, and it has been documented by the Institute for Stained Glass in Canada. ''The Atrium & The Well,'' a coffee shop which grew out of one Regent student’s final Christianity & the Marketplace project. In 2011 the kitchen off the Atrium was re-dedicated as the Rita Houston Kitchen, to mark the powerful impact of Rita Houston on Regent’s community life over the years.

Media

Regent College produces a wide variety of print and electronic media, including: * ''Crux: A Quarterly Journal of Christian Thought and Opinion'' * ''Regent World'', a thrice-yearly newsletter
''EtCetera''
a student newspaper published bi-weekly during the regular term. *
EtCetera Podcast
', a student podcast published bi-weekly in partnership with the ''EtCetera'' student newspaper. ''The EtCetera Podcast'' is hosted by the EtCetera Senior Editor. * ReFrame, a 10-week film based small group curriculum * Regent Audio * Regent Bookstore In addition, Regent College PublishingRegent Publishing
/ref> specializes in re-publishing out-of-print Christian literature and features an increasing number of original titles. Notable recent projects include a parallel-prose edition of Milton's ''

Paradise Lost ''Paradise Lost'' is an Epic poetry, epic poem in blank verse by the English poet John Milton (1608–1674). The poem concerns the Bible, biblical story of the fall of man: the temptation of Adam and Eve by the fallen angel Satan and their ex ...

'' and co-published works by Gordon Fee and Bruce Waltke.

References

External links

* {{authority control Evangelical seminaries and theological colleges in Canada University Endowment Lands University of British Columbia Educational institutions established in 1968 Universities in British Columbia