About St Barnabas College
If you wish to study the Christian faith deeply in an open and worshipping community, committed to educational excellence, and situated in a university context, then St Barnabas College is for you.
St Barnabas College was first founded in 1880 and is the training centre for the Anglican Diocese of Adelaide. The College offers the awards of Charles Sturt University, one of Australia’s largest Schools of Theology to which it is linked through its affiliation with St Mark’s National Theological Centre, Canberra.
CSU’s School of Theology is a key provider of theological education and research. It has some 600 students, including over 80 Anglican ordinands from some twelve dioceses, and over 30 doctoral students.
The combination of the critical and the prayerful, the scholarly and the pastoral, make St Barnabas a stimulating place to study theology, deepen spirituality and to be formed for ministry and mission in God’s Church
The College is ecumenical, but Anglican in ethos. This combination is well represented with our academic faculty including scholars from the Anglican, Catholic, Uniting, Orthodox, Baptist, Salvation Army and Churches of Christ communities.
Historically, the college has been tasked with the formation and training of ordinands (those preparing to be priests and ministers) of the diocese. It therefore offers a programme for students in discernment, and for those selected by the diocese for ordination training.
Nevertheless, the college has always attracted lay Christians (often from a range of Christian denominations) who wish to undertake academic study in Theology. The college is equipped to offer the Bachelor of Theology degree, awarded through Charles Sturt University as well as a range of higher degrees such as BTh Hons, Graduate Certificate and Diploma of Theology, Master of Theology, PhD in Theology, as well as ministry degrees such as Master of Ministry and Doctor of Ministry.
Most of our students attend classes on site and have reported they find this a most valuable way of studying Theology, as the classes are stimulating places for learning, where discussion and the sharing of ideas are encouraged.
The college has formed a vibrant learning community of enthusiastic teachers and highly engaged students who benefit greatly from an inclusive and supportive culture. Some students from remote areas within The Murray and Willochra dioceses log into lectures as they are occurring on site; others take advantage of the recordings that are produced to catch up with lectures that they may occasionally miss due to work or other commitments
No theological college would be complete without a strong spiritual dimension. The college staff meets Monday to Thursday in the Chapel for Morning Prayer (9.15am) when a cycle of prayer for the whole community is prayed. Students are encouraged to attend Morning Prayer when they are able. During term times, all staff and students are invited to the weekly Eucharist which takes place in the Chapel on Wednesdays at 12.30pm. This is followed by a byo lunch in the Student Common Room where staff and students meet to share together socially.
From time to time there are additional social events to which staff and students are invited.