The Alliance College of Australia is the officially recognised college of the Christian and Missionary Alliance of Australia Inc. The C&MA is an evangelical missionary denomination with close ties to the worldwide Alliance Fellowship. In 1970, the Board of Managers of the C&MA in Australia approved the formation of a Board of Directors who would head up an Alliance College. They established a TEE Programme which was named The Alliance College of Theology. Canberra was chosen as the site where the College would have its premises. By the beginning of 1971, Dr John Harvey had been appointed the first Director of the College. Fifteen students were enrolled – three in Canberra, seven in Melbourne and five in Sydney. Land was purchased at 81 Namatjira Drive, Waramanga in Canberra and the Alliance College of Theology was opened on November 20, 1977. By then, there were now full-time and part-time students attending the College as well as the continuing TEE Programme. The College introduced a self-accredited 4 year Bachelor of Theology programme and for over 20 years effectively trained men and women for Christian ministry both within Australia and overseas. In the late 1990s, the then Director, Rev Russell Warnken, negotiated with the Sydney College of Divinity to establish an accredited 3 year Bachelor of Theology Programme at the College. This was a very successful partnership and raised both the profile and academic standard of the College. In late 2006 the College went through a review of its ministry, its effectiveness, the needs of the churches, and how best to move into the future. Given the size of the C&MA in Australia and our ethnic and cultural diversity, there were many issues to consider in order to most effectively prepare men and women for service in the kingdom of God. As a result of this review, a new model for ministry training was established in February 2007. Under the leadership of Rev Ming Leung and his Deputy DirectorDiana Williams, the College Programme sought to connect ministry training and the local church together. Partnering with the Australian College of Ministries the College is able to offer courses through the local church enabling students to study where they are and within their own ministry situations. In 2011, the College celebrated its 40th year. Many men and women have been effectively trained for service by the College and are now working to further God’s Kingdom in many and varied ways.
The C&MA
Although the beginning of The C&MA of Australia only reaches back to 1969, the worldwide body traces its origin to 1887 when Canadian-born A. B. Simpson, a Presbyterian minister serving in Canada and then the United States, established two organisations: the Christian Alliance, a fraternal society fellowshipping around the emphases of Christ as Saviour, Sanctifier, Healer, and Coming King; and the Evangelical Missionary Alliance committed to world evangelisation. In 1897 the two organisations merged to become the Christian and Missionary Alliance. Today the C&MA has over 17,000 churches worldwide, including those in Australia, and missionary personnel numbering more than 1,300. The Alliance belongs to the evangelical tradition. Its message is Christ-centred with a strong emphasis upon world evangelisation. Overseas ministry is conducted in more than 50 countries, while here in Australia there are churches in all states, except Tasmania, and in the Northern Territory. As well as churches ministering primarily to Australians, The C&MA of Australia has churches composed of people from other ethnic origins including Chinese, Spanish, Vietnamese and Indonesian. One of the central reasons for the existence of the Alliance in Australia is the training and sending of pastors and missionaries for local church planting, aboriginal ministries, and overseas missions.
