After a significant period of prayer and discernment, the Board and Senior Staff of Stirling Theological College has decided that the Mulgrave campus is no longer best suited to the needs of contemporary and post-COVID leadership formation. On 24th February 2021, the Board unanimously passed the motion to sell the Mulgrave campus this year.
All of Stirling’s teaching and learning is currently being conducted online, which will be the case for the rest of 2021. The plan is to build a new, modern, purpose-built campus within Melbourne and move into the college sometime over the next couple of years. While temporary facilities may be needed in the interim, we believe that sufficient time exists to facilitate a smooth and well-considered transition plan.
The decision to sell the Mulgrave campus is driven by the need to secure Stirling’s future. This sale will enable a better and more responsive facility for our vision and mission. We are in a changing world with changing educational needs. The College Board and leadership recognise the need to be flexible and to adapt to an evolving situation. There are changing attitudes to office space, working-from-home, teaching and library facilities, and online education. With the growth of counselling and other programs, the location and the makeup of Stirling students has changed. This change is essential for the sake of Stirling’s mission and future.
The Mulgrave campus sale will release finances for Stirling’s vision, mission, and strategic goals. It will release funds to develop new courses and initiatives supporting Stirling’s service of Jesus Christ, his church in new and diverse ways and our stakeholders nationally and beyond. It will, therefore,
better equip the next generation of disciples and leaders. Stirling is securing the future and enabling a better and more responsive facility for this vision.
The Stirling Board and leadership have been working closely with key leaders from the Churches of Christ in this decision, including Dr Rob Nyhuis, the Executive Officer of the Churches of Christ VIC/TAS and the Chair of the Churches of Christ in Australia (National) Council. Dr Nyhuis is a member of the Stirling Board.
We understand the deep connections many have to the Mulgrave property. We celebrate the good things God has done through this property and the training that has happened here and thank God for this story. Over the next couple of months we will be consulting with stakeholders, residents, and many persons who have given much to the Mulgrave campus over the years. This will be important in considering how best to ensure that the foundations, legacy and investments of past and present friends of Stirling can be preserved in planning and developing new premises.
The College has established a Property Transition Committee, including a range of people with property and financial expertise. This Committee will keep staff, students, churches, and stakeholders informed about the sale of the Mulgrave property and the development of our new campus. Our Principal, Associate Professor Dr Graham Joseph Hill, is available to meet with people and answer questions. You can contact him at principal@stirling.edu.au.
The Stirling Board and leadership are excited to be seizing the great opportunities that are before us. We believe that this critical season of change offers a strategic growth advantage that will undoubtedly benefit students and churches for generations to come.
Lynette Leach
Chair, Stirling College Board
Assoc Prof Dr Graham Joseph Hill
Principal
Stirling College is committed to ongoing theological reflection and the formation of each member of our learning community. Stirling is committed to being Christ centred in heart, thought, word and deed. We form people towards Christ centred lives, mission and ministry. Stirling is committed to giving students the best possible skills to read the Bible in its original context and to then reflect on what that means for today and how to apply it in their lives, not just for their own benefit but to benefit the Body of Christ in its diverse and varied expressions.
Kerrie Burn
University of Divinity
Pilgrim Theological College
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