Southern Cross College
Encyclopedia
Alphacrucis is a Christian tertiary college and is the official ministry training college
of Australian Christian Churches
, the Assemblies of God
in Australia. The College has several campuses however the main campus is in Parramatta, New South Wales
, Australia
. The College has programs running in various colleges and churches around Australia. Since the College was founded in 1948, over 3,000 students have been trained and the graduates are ministry all around the world.
It offers various programs, from certificate
through to masters
level study. The college ethos is based in a Pentecostal
/Charismatic orientation. The College also offers a Master of Teaching (Primary), Korean language
programs, and various vocational
awards in ministry, and business that are accredited by the Australian Skills Quality Authority.
The college has set up the Australasian Pentecostal Heritage Centre, which includes an online repository of historical Pentecostal journals - including issues of the Australian Evangel back to 1927. They have also created a refereed journal, Australasian Pentecostal Studies.
For one interim year the college was conducted at Glad Tidings Tabernacle in Brisbane while a new campus was obtained and refurbished in Katoomba in the former Palais Royale guesthouse. A few years later the facilities of the Illawara Bible College were added to the campus and the college continued in Katoomba until 1995. In 1993 the name was changed to Southern Cross Bible College and due to a new incorporation the name then became Southern Cross College of the Assemblies of God in Australia Ltd. From the beginning of 1996 to August 2011, the college was at Chester Hill.
On 27 April 2009 at the Australian Christian Churches National Conference, Southern Cross College officially changed it name to Alphacrucis. The new name derives from the star that sits at the foot of the Southern Cross constellation named Alpha Crucis
. The principal, Stephen Fogarty says, “Alphacrucis is the brightest star in the Southern Cross, and it’s at the foot of the cross. […] The brightest star that shines at the foot of the cross. […] We want our students to shine brightly at the foot of the cross. Alphacrucis - shining brightly at the foot of the cross.”
In September 2011, Alphacrucis College relocated it's main campus to Parramatta, Sydney; and also re-opened it's Brisbane campus at the site of Metro Church in Seventeen Miles Rocks, Brisbane.
Bible college
Bible colleges are institutions of higher education that specialize in biblical studies. Curriculum is Bible-based and differs from that of liberal arts colleges or research universities. Bible colleges generally exclude the study of philosophy, unlike seminaries and theological colleges...
of Australian Christian Churches
Australian Christian Churches
Australian Christian Churches , also known as Assemblies of God in Australia , is a Pentecostal Christian denomination and the Australian branch of the Assemblies of God, the largest Pentecostal denomination in the world...
, the Assemblies of God
Assemblies of God
The Assemblies of God , officially the World Assemblies of God Fellowship, is a group of over 140 autonomous but loosely-associated national groupings of churches which together form the world's largest Pentecostal denomination...
in Australia. The College has several campuses however the main campus is in Parramatta, New South Wales
New South Wales
New South Wales is a state of :Australia, located in the east of the country. It is bordered by Queensland, Victoria and South Australia to the north, south and west respectively. To the east, the state is bordered by the Tasman Sea, which forms part of the Pacific Ocean. New South Wales...
, Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
. The College has programs running in various colleges and churches around Australia. Since the College was founded in 1948, over 3,000 students have been trained and the graduates are ministry all around the world.
It offers various programs, from certificate
Academic certificate
An academic certificate is a document that certifies that a person has received specific education or has passed a test or series of tests.In many countries, certificate is a qualification attained in secondary education. For instance, students in the Republic of Ireland sit the Junior Certificate...
through to masters
Master's degree
A master's is an academic degree granted to individuals who have undergone study demonstrating a mastery or high-order overview of a specific field of study or area of professional practice...
level study. The college ethos is based in a Pentecostal
Pentecostalism
Pentecostalism is a diverse and complex movement within Christianity that places special emphasis on a direct personal experience of God through the baptism in the Holy Spirit, has an eschatological focus, and is an experiential religion. The term Pentecostal is derived from Pentecost, the Greek...
/Charismatic orientation. The College also offers a Master of Teaching (Primary), Korean language
Korean language
Korean is the official language of the country Korea, in both South and North. It is also one of the two official languages in the Yanbian Korean Autonomous Prefecture in People's Republic of China. There are about 78 million Korean speakers worldwide. In the 15th century, a national writing...
programs, and various vocational
Vocational education
Vocational education or vocational education and training is an education that prepares trainees for jobs that are based on manual or practical activities, traditionally non-academic, and totally related to a specific trade, occupation, or vocation...
awards in ministry, and business that are accredited by the Australian Skills Quality Authority.
Faculty and research
Alphacrucis is one of the first Pentecostal colleges in Australia to develop a faculty with higher level academic qualifications. It has a permanent faculty, more than 15 with doctoral level qualifications, as well as other experienced teachers.The college has set up the Australasian Pentecostal Heritage Centre, which includes an online repository of historical Pentecostal journals - including issues of the Australian Evangel back to 1927. They have also created a refereed journal, Australasian Pentecostal Studies.
History
Alphacrucis began as "Commonwealth Bible College" in 1948 in Melbourne and has been in a number of locations since then. In 1949 it moved to Newfarm in Brisbane. A purpose built-campus was established in 1961 at Graceville on the banks of the Brisbane River but was totally destroyed in the massive Brisbane floods of 1974.For one interim year the college was conducted at Glad Tidings Tabernacle in Brisbane while a new campus was obtained and refurbished in Katoomba in the former Palais Royale guesthouse. A few years later the facilities of the Illawara Bible College were added to the campus and the college continued in Katoomba until 1995. In 1993 the name was changed to Southern Cross Bible College and due to a new incorporation the name then became Southern Cross College of the Assemblies of God in Australia Ltd. From the beginning of 1996 to August 2011, the college was at Chester Hill.
On 27 April 2009 at the Australian Christian Churches National Conference, Southern Cross College officially changed it name to Alphacrucis. The new name derives from the star that sits at the foot of the Southern Cross constellation named Alpha Crucis
Alpha Crucis
Acrux is the brightest star in the constellation Crux, the Southern Cross, and, at a combined visual magnitude 0.77, is the twelfth brightest star in the night sky...
. The principal, Stephen Fogarty says, “Alphacrucis is the brightest star in the Southern Cross, and it’s at the foot of the cross. […] The brightest star that shines at the foot of the cross. […] We want our students to shine brightly at the foot of the cross. Alphacrucis - shining brightly at the foot of the cross.”
In September 2011, Alphacrucis College relocated it's main campus to Parramatta, Sydney; and also re-opened it's Brisbane campus at the site of Metro Church in Seventeen Miles Rocks, Brisbane.