ABOUT US

On the 24th September 1844, Rev. George Turner and Rev. Charles Hardie of the London Missionary Society founded Malua Theological College. “For Jesus and His Church” became the vision of the College that continues today, a statement that 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 anniversary was officially opened in 1897. This monumental building became a permanent and notable feature of the College campus. However, after 110 or more years of service to the College and the CCCS, the building was dismantled in 2013, after the General Assembly’s Resolution to build the new church building (O le Fale Iupeli). Noteworthy also is the Fale Senetenari (Centenary Hall), which was built to mark the 1944 celebration of the College’s one hundred years. It still continues to cater for the College other activities. In November 2014, the College dedicated its larger Chapel, now known as Iupeli II, which was constructed with, and using, most materials from the first Fale Iupeli.

The Iupeli II, large enough to accommodate MTC community, is the contemporary centre of community worship. During the first week of the 2017 General Assembly, the grand splendid new Fale Iupeli was officially dedicated. MTC uses it for its Graduations and other services from time to time.

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.

Rev. 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 the effort to improve the College library, Rev. 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 Rev. 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. Rev. Mila Sapolu was the first Samoan Principal of the College.

On the 24th of September 1994, the Congregational Christian Church 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 as inscribed in its vision 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 became the responsibility of Rev. Prof. Otele Perelini. After extensive planning and organisation, the degree programme began in 1997.

The General Assembly of the Church in 2016 passed another important motion to teach in Malua the Master of Theology degree programme. It was the task of the Principal and Staff of Malua to prepare and implement that degree programme. In August 2021, Rev. Dr. Vaitusi Nofoaiga put forward to the Board of Malua a proposal of the structure, plan, and implementation of the Master of Theology programme to begin in 2022 and was accepted.

By the authority of the General Assembly of the Congregational Christian Church Samoa, the College is empowered to award diplomas and confer degrees as follows:

Diploma of Theology

Bachelor of Theology

Bachelor of Divinity with Honours

Master of Theology