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Malua Theological College was founded on
September 24, 1844, by Revd. George Turner and Revd.
Charles Hardie of the London Missionary
Society. “For Jesus and
His Church” – this became, and still is, the philosophy of the
College; it encapsulates the intrinsic and unchanging nature of the College.
Discussions concerning the establishment of the
College began in 1840 when the need for an educational institution that would
provide educated ministers became evident.
But it was not until February 1844 that formal agreement was reached
to establish such an institution. In
September of the same year the College was officially founded. According to Turner, the College was
established for the sole purpose of providing an educated minister for each
congregation in Samoa and in other island
communities of the Pacific.
A permanent site for the College was secured in the
district of Saleimoa in an area known as Maluapapa or Malua, as it is
now commonly called, situated approximately twelve miles west of the capital
of Apia and about the same distance east of Faleolo
International Airport.
The College offered its first courses on September
25, 1844, with twenty-five students, all single males aged between twelve and
twenty four years, attending. In 1846,
married students and their wives were admitted to the College, and from then
on, the education of student’s wives became an integral part of the
College’s programme.
The admission to the College of students from other
Pacific islands such as Vanuatu,
Niue, the Loyalty Islands, and New Caledonia within ten years of its
founding was another very significant development. Writing in 1869, Turner pointed out that
after only twenty five years since its beginning, about 1143 graduates,
Samoans and other Pacific islanders, had gone from the College to serve in
the mission fields in Samoa and elsewhere, providing clear evidence that the
College was in fact fulfilling the primary purpose for which it was
established.
The Fale Iupeli (Jubilee Hall), built to commemorate the
College’s 50th year was officially opened in 1897. Since then that monumental building has
been a permanent and notable feature of the College campus. Noteworthy also is the Fale
Senetenari (Centenary Hall), which was erected to
mark the 1944 celebration of the College’s one hundred years. Both buildings are currently used for
community worship and other College functions.
Wide interest in the formation of a Pacific
Conference of Churches (PCC) led to a meeting held in the College in 1961 of
various church leaders from around the Pacific region. In this meeting, an initial agreement was
reached not only in respect of the formation of the Pacific Conference of
Churches, but also in respect of the establishment of a regional theological
institution.
The Pacific Theological College (PTC), opened in
Fiji in 1966, has had a close relationship with the Malua
Theological College since then, mainly through College graduates who have
graduated from the PTC with either a Bachelor of Divinity or a Master of
Theology and have become lecturers at the College since 1969.
The academic standard of the College is reported to
have been significantly raised by Dr. John Bradshaw when he was principal of
the College from 1956 to 1963. Dr.
Bradshaw not only introduced new subjects such as Psychology, Pastoral
Counselling, Homiletics and Greek into the curriculum, but he also made
English the teaching language for all subjects. Dr. Bradshaw’s efforts to upgrade the
academic standard of the College further led him to prepare a number of
students to acquire their Certificates of ‘Proficiency in Religious
Knowledge’ from London University.
Revd David Bowen, principal from 1964 to 1967, took
the academic development of the College even further when he introduced
Hebrew and Systematic Theology in the curriculum. In undertaking to improve the College
library, Revd. David Bowen was able to obtain from the Theological Education
Fund (TEF) a number of books, which added significantly to the collection. His wife, Gerda,
in 1964 founded the first of such early childhood institution in Samoa.
Upon the expiry of Revd. David Bowen’s term of
office the administration of the College was handed over to Samoan ministers
who also were College graduates. The
significance of this change of leadership for the Samoan people was
profound. The change of leadership in
1967 was a signal that the College had come of age. Revd. Mila Sapolu
was the first Samoan Principal of the College.
On September 24, 1994, the Congregational Christian
Church in Samoa commemorated with pride and
thanksgiving one hundred and fifty years since the founding of the
College. Reflecting on the events of
the commemoration, a former student of the College observed that the
celebration ended with a clear affirmation of the importance of theological
education in Samoa, and the greater role
that the College would play in it.
Indeed the essential nature of the College shall remain, ‘For
Jesus and His Church’, and there must be a continuing commitment to the
progressive development of its academic programme as well.
By resolution of the General Assembly of the Church
in May 1996, the proposal for the degree programme was given formal
approval. The implementation of this
programme has become the responsibility of Revd Prof. Otele
Perelini. After extensive planning and
organisation, the degree programme began in 1997.
By the authority of the General Assembly of the
Congregational Christian Church in Samoa,
the College is empowered to confer degrees and award diplomas as follows:
Bachelor of Divinity (BD)
Bachelor of Theology (BTh)
Diploma in Theology (DipTh)
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