All BCT programs are accredited by the Queensland Minister for Education and Training, and therefore they are recognised both nationally and internationally as equivalent in standard to programs in public universities.
On 20 October 2006 Brisbane College of Theology was approved as a Higher Education Provider by the then Commonwealth Department of Education Science and Training, from December 2007, the Department of Education Employment and Workplace Relations (DEEWR).
Brisbane College of Theology (BCT) was inaugurated on 28 March 1983. It is a tertiary educational institution offering undergraduate and postgraduate awards in the fields of theology and Christian ministry. The College seeks to relate Christian theology to the mission of the church, the academic community and the wider society, in the context of intellectual endeavour appropriate to a tertiary institution.
BCT represents a significant example of ecumenical cooperation between the Churches in the area of theological education at a tertiary level. It consists of three member schools representing the Christian traditions of the Roman Catholic, Anglican and Uniting Churches. These member schools are:
St Paul's Theological College (formerly known as Pius XII Provincial Seminary)
St Francis' Theological College
Trinity Theological College.
At the time of the College's establishment, almost all students were ordinands of the three member colleges (Pius XII Seminary serving the Roman Catholic Church, St Francis' serving the Anglican Church, and Trinity representing the Uniting Church). Over the ensuing years the composition of the student body has changed to such a degree that for some time now, the majority of students have become general academic fee-paying students who enrol for reasons of personal growth and development, rather than as preparation for ordination or commissioning to professional ministry. Today's students are welcomed from a number of Christian denominations, apart from those represented by the member schools.
An important aspect of life at BCT is the interaction of students from different Christian traditions. This interaction occurs through lectures and also through other activities arranged during the year. During their studies, students have the opportunity to attend classes at all three campuses, and to share teaching staff and library facilities.
The programs offered by the College are taught by faculty of the member schools at the campuses of those schools. Member school faculty require accreditation by BCT in order to teach BCT programs.
BCT affirms a strong commitment to providing an academic environment which is founded on ecumenical cooperation between its member schools, which meets the academic requirements of those schools and which promotes the study of Christian faith and its implications for contemporary life.
This academic environment is enhanced by the engagement of the College with other institutions of Higher Education, both locally and nationally.
Students have the opportunity for:
The notion of formation has been used to cover a range of academic disciplines included in the programs. The process involves studying:
Such formation will involve the development of both generic and specific abilities, including interpretative skills in relation to both written texts and historical data, and skills of theological reflection.
- Systems of religious belief;
- The origins, content and functions of the Christian Scriptures;
- Patterns of organisation within the Christian tradition;
- Forms of worship; and
- The interface between Christianity and its historical contexts.
- A study of the human condition in relation to individual life stages, social contexts and the natural environment; and
- The development of specific abilities, including analytic skills, counselling skills, educational skills, relational skills, administrative skills, and presentational skills such as preaching, leading worship and evangelism.