About Us – St Barnabas College

Principal's Welcome

Welcome to St Barnabas College, a great place to learn and grow in your academic life. Studying theology will bring joys and challenges and broaden your perspective on God, faith, and the world. At St Barnabas College you will find a welcoming community of students and staff, whether you choose to study in-person or online. We are an Anglican College of the University of Divinity, and we are made up of a mix of people from different church backgrounds. Students are welcome from any church or no church, religious or non-religious background. We believe that theology is for everyone.

Our vision is that we are a community of inspired learners, equipped and enabled to serve God and the Church. We want you to be inspired as you learn and we value a principle of ‘generous orthodoxy,’ which is based in a traditional expression of Christian faith formed by the expansive generosity of the God of love. In an environment of generous orthodoxy students will experience the opportunity for respectful dialogue on deep and significant issues in the contemporary age.

The working life of St Barnabas College is formed by prayer and worship. Morning prayer happens daily in the chapel and a weekly Eucharist celebration nourishes our spirituality. We look for opportunities to share social activities and to be with each other informally, to make new friends, reconnect with old friends, and to find ways to be together, even if you are studying remotely. Come in when you can and visit the library, meet for coffee in the nearby café, take every moment to enjoy your theology degree. These years will be some of the most formative in your life!

Rev'd Dr Joan Riley, SBC Principal

Who We Are

St Barnabas College is an Anglican theological and ministry training College which serves the educational needs of the Anglican Church and the wider student and University community. At St Barnabas College we consistently deliver high quality undergraduate and postgraduate theological education, equipping clergy, laity, and people exploring their vocation for ministry in the church and for Christian life in the world. We value the ecumenical spirit of our community. Our teaching and learning experiences take in a diversity of theological perspectives in a respectful environment following a principle of generous orthodoxy.

Striving for academic excellence

Appoint expert teaching staff
Benchmark subject content delivery against the Higher Education Provider
Support a research active culture
Enable First Nations People access to theological education and support them to achieve
Provide an excellent online teaching and learning environment

Creating opportunities for ministry training, personal growth & professional development

Reach outward to Anglican communities, learn from them, and respond to educational needs
Communicate and connect with church, schools, agencies and marginal ministry groups
Identify needs, develop, and equip local practitioners, and deliver professional development programs for the Diocese of Adelaide and Province of South Australia
Support the spiritual and pastoral care of students and staff
Actively support vocations - lay and ordained

Being a community of learning for the whole people of God

Welcome theological diversity through a principle of generous orthodoxy
Aim for inclusivity of gender and cultures
Foster and environment of active learning
Instil a joy of learning
Identify, design, and deliver both short accredited and non-tertiary accredited courses, seminars, and workshops.

Our History

St Barnabas College is situated across the road from St Peter’s Cathedral, adjacent to stunning parklands and Adelaide Oval.

Historically, the college provided theological education primarily for those preparing for ordination in the Anglican Church. The site was closed in 1950 and then reopened in 1965 as a residential college at Belair in the Adelaide Hills until 1997. After this time, it was relocated into the Adelaide College of Divinity complex at Brooklyn Park in the western suburbs. St Barnabas College was a founding member of the consortium which included the Uniting College (formerly Parkin Wesley College) and the Catholic Theological College (formerly St Francis Xavier Seminary). Theology degrees were accredited through Flinders University. At that stage the college ceased being residential and embraced opportunities for lay learning in the new ecumenical environment.
 
In 2010 that consortium dissolved and in 2011 St Barnabas College engaged in partnership with Charles Sturt University through an affiliation with St Mark’s National Theological Centre. In 2015, the College returned to its original and current site in North Adelaide, after a brief transitional time in rented premises in Hindmarsh. The College now shares the St Barnabas building with the Anglican Diocesan Office, continuing to build strong relationships within that space while maintaining a distinct identity as an educational institution.

St. Barnabas’ College staff and students in 1950. L-r: Back: Rev. A.B.Williams; Rev.R.O.Nichols; L.G.Mauger; I.D.Stuart; Rev.W.H.Warnes; R.O.Herde; D.W.Brockhoff. Front: F.G.Hawkes; Rev.A.R.Bowens; Rev.J.W.Griffiths; Rev J.W.Clarke; Rev.N.Crawford.

Copy of an architectural plan of St. Barnabas College, North Adelaide

St. Barnabas College building in 1950

SBC photograph book 1880-1950 calligraphy frontispiece

SBC college photo c.1920

SBC college photo c.1902

SBC college photo c.1910

SBC Book of Remembrance

SBC college library – now conference room – c.1900

Class of Ordinands SBC 1968

Saints Andrew, Barnabas and Peter

1978 college photo – Mrs D M Richards first female on faculty – lecturer to the preliminary class

Our People

Meet the fantastic team of staff and lecturers at St Barnabas College. Our team includes people from a range of Christian traditions who are committed to excellence in education and fostering a great student experience.

The Rev’d Canon Dr Joan Riley

Principal

Dr Damian Szepessy

Academic Dean/Lecturer in Biblical Studies

The Rt Rev’d Dr Tim Harris

Research Coordinator and Director Centre of Research and Missional Praxis

Ms Katrina Dal Lago

Librarian

Rev’d Peter Williams

Director, St Barnabas Centre for Clinical Pastoral Education

Dr Lorna Hallahan

Higher Degree by Research Supervisor & Chair of SBC Academic Committee

The Rev’d Dr Matthew Anstey

Lecturer in Old Testament, Hebrew, and Homiletics

The Rev’d Dr Josephine Armour

Lecturer in Systematic Theology

Dr Sarah Black

Lecturer in Anglican Studies

The Rev’d Dr Gethzi Devasagayam

Lecturer in Old Testament Studies

Dr Rodney Fopp

Lecturer in Systematic Theology

Dr Jennifer Hein

Lecturer in Church History and Systematic Theology

The Rev’d Dr Theo McCall

Lecturer in Systematic Theology

The Rt Rev’d Chris McLeod

Lecturer in Indigenous Studies

The Rev’d Dr Steven Ogden

Lecturer in Systematic Theology

The Rev’d Dr Lyndon Shakespeare

Lecturer in Leadership and Missional Studies

Dr Michael Trainor

Lecturer in New Testament Studies

The Rev’d Roslyn Wright

Lecturer in Clinical Pastoral Education

The Rev’d Julie Worrall

Lecturer in Anglican Studies

The Rev’d Dr Joseph Chung

Lecturer in Old Testament and Hebrew

St Barnabas College is a member college of the University of Divinity.

The University of Divinity delivers education and research in theology, philosophy and spirituality. For over one hundred years, St Barnabas College prepared its graduates for ministry, leadership and community service.

St Barnabas College of Theology

Principal's Welcome

Who We Are

Striving for academic excellence

Creating opportunities for ministry training, personal growth & professional development

Being a community of learning for the whole people of God

Our History

Our People

St Barnabas College is a member college of the University of Divinity.