“The Spirit of the Lord is on me
because the Lord has anointed me
to proclaim good news to the poor.
He has sent me to bind up the broken hearted,
to proclaim freedom for the captives
and release from darkness for the prisoners.”
Isaiah 61:1

OUR VISION is to be an international centre of evangelical theology which equips, trains and sends out Christian servant leaders who will play their part in channelling the transforming power of the gospel of Jesus into the Church, the world and the academy. 

These men and women will be characterised by integrity, vision, conviction, love and generosity of spirit flowing from a personal submission to Christ and a deeply biblical understanding of the nature of the kingdom of God. Many will become ordained leaders within the Church of England and other denominations. Some will serve as pastors, teachers, evangelists or apologists in the Church, in their secular employment or in their communities. Still others will exert their influence as academic evangelical theologians and communicators of the gospel.

As a Permanent Private Hall of the University of Oxford we are committed to the pursuit of academic rigour and integrity in evangelical biblical scholarship.  As a Christian seminary we provide an environment in which students can grow into the likeness of Christ intellectually, spiritually and emotionally as members of a Christian community who serve, study, worship and pray together.

We believe that the atoning sacrifice of Jesus Christ on the cross is the basis of Christian mission, and that passionate preaching, relevant apologetics and creative evangelism are key tools with which today’s Christian leaders must be equipped to enable churches to flourish and multiply. We recognise the rapidly changing nature of our world and therefore aspire to allow the Holy Spirit to challenge our established assumptions with radical and costly biblical alternatives.

We intend to help each of our students to deepen their personal faith in Jesus Christ and develop the spiritual depth, theological understanding, and the relational and practical skills which they need to help lead missionary churches in this new millennium. We therefore aim to promote the following four essential qualifications for Christian ministry:

• KNOWLEDGE of and CONFIDENCE in the Bible and Christian truth, with the ability to interpret and apply that truth in the contemporary world

"What you have heard from me through many witnesses entrust to faithful people who will be able to teach others as well".
2 Timothy 2:2

• SPIRITUAL GROWTH both in personal holiness and in communal life and worship.

"Beholding the glory of the Lord, we are being transformed into his likeness with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit."
2 Cor 3.18

• LEADERSHIP in mission, evangelism, church planting, apologetics and in the teaching and care of the people of God.

Pastors and teachers to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ.  (Ephesians 4:11-12)

• DISCERNMENT of the social and cultural contexts in which the Church is called to live and witness today.

"As I passed along, I observed the objects of your worship".
Acts 17:23