In our annual report for 2021 we asked for prayer that the college would be successful in its application for degree awarding powers. This year, we want to thank everyone who fellowshipped with us in prayer; God heard and answered our prayers. The opening words of the great evangelistic hymn ‘To God be the glory, great things he hath done,’ expresses our sense of adoration for the grace of God manifested in this success. In May 2022, Spurgeon’s was granted the power and authority to award degrees (up to and including Taught Master’s Degrees) in its own name and to authorise other institutions to make such academic awards in its name and on its behalf.
On 1 September, this power and authority came into effect in UK law. Spurgeon’s is the first theological college to achieve this status. For the first time in its long and distinguished history, Spurgeon’s has the same awarding and validating powers as every university in the UK. It means the college has the authority to validate its new ministerial programme, specifically designed to prepare the next generation of ministers of the gospel to serve the needs of the church, especially as the 21st century evolves and patterns of church practice respond to new opportunities and challenges.
The first cohort enrolled on this new programme in September and we continue to feel the privilege of being involved, under God, in shaping the lives of those who will exercise Christian ministry in a variety of settings, as well as others who come to us to train as counsellors or simply to deepen and enrich their understanding of Christian theology.
We believe that the new validating powers Spurgeon’s has (by the grace of God) open up new and exciting opportunities and possibilities for the college. Since news of the college’s achievement was made public, Spurgeon’s has been approached by a number of other colleges, institutions and organisations regarding the possibility of establishing validated partnerships. Some of these conversations are still in the preliminary stages but our conversation with the Irish Baptist College (IBC) has progressed to point where we expect to sign a legal validation agreement with IBC and that from September 2023, the majority of students preparing for Christian service at IBC will be on a Spurgeon’s validated programme. We believe that Spurgeon’s can play a role in securing the provision of theological education in the UK, at university level, at a time when it is under threat, and universities are reviewing and terminating their validation partnerships.
You may remember that the college has been engaged in the planning of a major redevelopment project to upgrade our educational facilities. Unfortunately, although we had a very sophisticated set of plans and were expecting to submit a full planning application in 2022, the college had to implement a temporary pause in the process. This has been frustrating for everyone involved, however, substantial amounts of work have been underway since the summer and we anticipate seeing a planning application made before college graduation 2023.
2023 will also mark the centenary of the college being at Falkland Park and in July 2023 the college will have its first graduation service under its own authority and first graduates exiting with a university award made in Spurgeon’s own name using its new legal powers. As 2022 was a critical year in the life of the college, 2023 will be (DV) a year of opportunity and rejoicing. To mark our 100th anniversary here in Croydon and celebrate our new university powers, we are planning to make graduation in 2023 particularly special. While every graduation is special for students, their families and staff, our hope is that this incoming graduation will be an opportunity to give God thanks for his faithfulness these last 100 years and to rejoice with our graduating students and families.