Spurgeon's College

a. A confessional foundation – established by CH Spurgeon in 1856 as the Pastors’ College, Spurgeon’s College is a Christ-centred, evangelical college in the Baptist tradition, engaged in biblical and theological education.

b. A formative ethos – this flows from our life as a community that meets daily for worship, where preparation for Christian service is enriched by the practice of gathering daily as a community to glorify God, who is Father, Son and Holy Spirit.

c. A geographical location – the College is intentionally London based, with a national focus and a global reach.

3. The College Vision for the next ten years is:

To cultivate a creative learning environment allowing every student to develop spiritually, academically, emotionally and socially.

To deliver a relevant, structured curriculum tailored to training men and women for mission, ministry and leadership for all who wish to deepen their understanding of the Scriptures and theology.

To develop the College’s position, in the global and diverse city of London, as a research-led, experience-based, centre of excellence delivering positive outcomes for students.

To maintain the highest professional and ethical standards in every area of College life.

Our Values

4. As a Christian Higher Education Theological College our values are directly drawn from and aligned with biblical principles. In particular:

We believe in the inherent moral equality, dignity and worth of every individual.

We value the unique distinctiveness of each member of the College community.

We celebrate the richness of being a diverse and inclusive community.

We believe that as a community meeting daily for worship we must be careful to listen to God and discern his will and purpose.

We will promote the general wellbeing of all members of the student community and College staff.

We are committed to assisting every student in reaching their potential.

Background and Context

5. Spurgeon’s is an evangelical College in membership with the Baptist Union of Great Britain, the Evangelical Alliance and the Micah Network. As a confessional College, it is committed to studying and understanding the gospel of Jesus Christ as witnessed to by the Scriptures, and the challenges of the world in which this gospel is to be proclaimed. In doing this it combines classical and contemporary emphases in theology and ministry in serving the Church. Academic programmes will be offered in the light of the expectations and standards contained in the QAA Subject benchmark statement: Theology and Religious Studies and according to the principles stipulated by the Counselling and Psychotherapy Central Awarding Body (CPCAB).

6. The College’s core activity is training men and women for Christian mission, ministry and leadership in the contemporary world. This will involve training and preparing candidates for ordination to the Baptist ministry within the Baptist Union of Great Britain, Pastors in churches of other denominations and those called to Pioneer Ministry and Missional work. Ministerial formation and training is open to, and benefits from, the presence of many preparing for ministry/ordination from other denominations, networks and church contexts. The participation of students who are pursuing a biblical/theological education in its own right further enriches the life and experience of Spurgeon’s learning community. The College has also developed provision for continuing ministerial development and academic research as well as for the training of church members seeking to serve in lay capacities.

7. Spurgeon’s College will actively monitor and engage with the changing landscape of Higher Education in the United Kingdom. It will strive to maintain institutional agility to respond intelligently to the continual ebb and flow within Higher Education so that the College can succeed in its core mission. The College will be proactive in meeting its regulatory and compliance obligations (OfS; QAA; IHE; TEF) as a leading provider of ministerial formation and theological education. Spurgeon’s will continue its active collaboration with other HE Theological Colleges.

8. The College will develop its relationship with local congregations within London, its partner Baptist Associations (South Eastern, London and Eastern Associations) and Christian communities and organisations nationally and internationally. It will build upon its reputation as an evangelical institution that is well-regarded nationally and internationally and will seek to establish and maintain a range of strategic partnerships that further its mission.