Australian Lutheran College
Encyclopedia
Australian Lutheran College (ALC, formerly Luther Seminary, informally "The Sem") is a higher education
institution serving the Lutheran Church of Australia
. It is located in North Adelaide
, South Australia
on the corner of Ward and Jeffcott streets. The campus includes a number of single and shared accommodation blocks, a library, a refectory as well as educational facilities.
Although still primarily a theological college, it is also open to students studying at Adelaide University, the University of South Australia
, Flinders University
, or TAFE, a paradigm reflected in the name change of 2004. Unique among South Australian residential colleges, Australian Lutheran College is equipped to accommodate married students, even with families.
As of 1 February 2009, the Principal of the College has been the Rev. John Henderson.
nasium-lecture hall
(now the main part of Löhe Memorial Library) were built; and Angas College, owned by John Howard Angas, son of South Australian "Patriach" George Fife Angas
and operated as an interdenominational missionary
training school until the army took possession of the site for a repatriation hospital in 1916.
when it was given ten days' notice by the Air Force that the College had to move; upon which it transferred to North Walkerville
. The Principal was Pastor J P Löhe, after whom the Library would later be named.
The increasing number of married students brought the expansion of the campus to include buildings on Jeffcott Street, Archer Street and Ward Court.
of the Church decided to change the name of the institution to Australian Lutheran College from 1 January 2004, to reflect the nature of the college as an education facility, not just a Seminary.
As this is the only LCA seminary, students come from all over Australia and New Zealand, and most live in nearby ALC accommodation. The school attracts a constant stream of international students, primarily from Asia and the Pacific region.
, Mid North
, Riverland, Eyre Peninsula
, Murray Mallee
and Mount Gambier/South East
.
Services provided by the ALC for the Boarding Community include meals, cleaning, linen service, tennis/basketball court & squash court and a basic gym.
is held mid-morning every weekday during term. It is largely student run and a sermon is heard most weeks, either from a lecturer or a senior student. The Chapel is located in Hebart Hall.
collections in the southern hemisphere, and holds over 100,000 items. The library was named after Johannes Paul Löhe, the Principal of Immanuel Seminary, Adelaide from 1923-1944.
It is managed by Ms. Blan MacDonagh.
The library contains historical artifacts and a large collection of journals and theologically based books and material and is mainly housed in Whinham Hall, which was built in 1882.
in Australian Universities, has changed to the ALC Residents Association - to make it clearer that the membership extends to those who live on campus, Boarders and the ALC Students who live in the on campus units.
The ALCRA are responsible for forming a community atmosphere amongst both Boarders and Students. They organise events during the year, internal sporting competitions and community barbecues.
match. Now it is a match between the ALC Students and the Boarders.
Higher education
Higher, post-secondary, tertiary, or third level education refers to the stage of learning that occurs at universities, academies, colleges, seminaries, and institutes of technology...
institution serving the Lutheran Church of Australia
Lutheran Church of Australia
The Lutheran Church of Australia is the major Lutheran denomination in Australia, it also has a presence in New Zealand. It has 320 parishes, 540 congregations, 70,000 baptized members in Australia, 1,130 baptized members in New Zealand, 52,463 communicant members and 450 active pastors. Its...
. It is located in North Adelaide
North Adelaide
North Adelaide is a predominantly residential precinct of the City of Adelaide in South Australia, situated north of the River Torrens and within the Adelaide Park Lands.-History:...
, South Australia
South Australia
South Australia is a state of Australia in the southern central part of the country. It covers some of the most arid parts of the continent; with a total land area of , it is the fourth largest of Australia's six states and two territories.South Australia shares borders with all of the mainland...
on the corner of Ward and Jeffcott streets. The campus includes a number of single and shared accommodation blocks, a library, a refectory as well as educational facilities.
Although still primarily a theological college, it is also open to students studying at Adelaide University, the University of South Australia
University of South Australia
The University of South Australia is a public university in the Australian state of South Australia. It was formed in 1991 with the merger of the South Australian Institute of Technology and Colleges of Advanced Education. It is the largest university in South Australia, with more than 36,000...
, Flinders University
Flinders University
Flinders University, , is a public university in Adelaide, South Australia. Founded in 1966, it was named in honour of navigator Matthew Flinders, who explored and surveyed the South Australian coastline in the early 19th century.The university has established a reputation as a leading research...
, or TAFE, a paradigm reflected in the name change of 2004. Unique among South Australian residential colleges, Australian Lutheran College is equipped to accommodate married students, even with families.
As of 1 February 2009, the Principal of the College has been the Rev. John Henderson.
Pre-Seminary Days
Prior to its use as a Seminary, the site was used for three different schools or colleges - The North Adelaide Grammar School from 1854-1882; Whinham College from 1882-1898, during which time a boarding house (now Hebart Hall) and a gymGym
The word γυμνάσιον was used in Ancient Greece, that mean a locality for both physical and intellectual education of young men...
nasium-lecture hall
Lecture hall
A lecture hall is a large room used for instruction, typically at a college or university. Unlike a traditional classroom with a capacity from one to four dozen, the capacity of lecture halls is typically measured in the hundreds...
(now the main part of Löhe Memorial Library) were built; and Angas College, owned by John Howard Angas, son of South Australian "Patriach" George Fife Angas
George Fife Angas
George Fife Angas was an English businessman and banker who, from England, played a significant part in the formation and establishment of the Colony of South Australia. He established the South Australian Company and was its founding chairman of the board of directors...
and operated as an interdenominational missionary
Missionary
A missionary is a member of a religious group sent into an area to do evangelism or ministries of service, such as education, literacy, social justice, health care and economic development. The word "mission" originates from 1598 when the Jesuits sent members abroad, derived from the Latin...
training school until the army took possession of the site for a repatriation hospital in 1916.
Immanuel College and Seminary
In 1922 the United Evangelical Lutheran Church in Australia purchased the property for only ₤13,500 on the condition that it was used for Protestant Evangelical religious education. The College and Seminary was opened on 25 February 1923 and remained on the site until during World War IIWorld War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
when it was given ten days' notice by the Air Force that the College had to move; upon which it transferred to North Walkerville
Walkerville, South Australia
Walkerville is a suburb of Adelaide, South Australia. It lies just north east of the city centre, about 4 kilometres from the Adelaide GPO.-History:Walkerville was named after Captain John Walker R. N...
. The Principal was Pastor J P Löhe, after whom the Library would later be named.
Immanuel Seminary
The Seminary was able to remain on the North Adelaide site and did so, expansively renovating the old College site to extend the Seminary itself at the end of the war. Hebart Hall was used as a residence for Lecturers and Tertiary Boarders, and the gymnasium-lecture hall ("Angas Hall") for the Chapel until its conversion to the Library in 1960.Luther Seminary
With the almagamation of the UELCA and the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Australia (ELCA) in 1966 came the almagamation of the ELCA's Seminary (Concordia, where the Secondary School is still situated) and the UELCA's North Adelaide Seminary. In 1967 extensive building programs began, including additions to the Library, the erection of a new Boarding House (Graebner Hall) and demolition of the old Grammar School to make way for a Refectory and extra accommodation (Hamann Hall). The new Seminary opened debt-free due to a Church appeal which raised $1 million.The increasing number of married students brought the expansion of the campus to include buildings on Jeffcott Street, Archer Street and Ward Court.
Luther Campus
Lutheran Teachers College and the Lay Training Centre were moved to the campus in 1989 and with this the name changed to Luther Campus to reflect the change of role of the site. Attempts were made to find suitable sites for relocation for the institution but these were abandoned in 1990, and the Church authorised more works, including the erection of 17 townhouses on Archer Street, a new Student Centre between Graebner Hall and the townhouses. In 1994 the School of Theology (for Lay Students) joined the campus also.Back to Luther Seminary
In 1998 the three occupants of Luther Campus came under the authority of one institution, three programs in one school, and the name was changed back to Luther Seminary.Australian Lutheran College
The 2003 General SynodSynod
A synod historically is a council of a church, usually convened to decide an issue of doctrine, administration or application. In modern usage, the word often refers to the governing body of a particular church, whether its members are meeting or not...
of the Church decided to change the name of the institution to Australian Lutheran College from 1 January 2004, to reflect the nature of the college as an education facility, not just a Seminary.
School of Pastoral Theology
The SPT is the school dedicated to training pastors for work in the Lutheran Church of Australia. Students who are accepted into this school study for a Bachelor of Theology/Bachelor of Ministry - a five year double degree. Subjects are taken in a number of different fields, such as History, Theology, Biblical Studies (including Greek and Hebrew studies), and Pastoral Theology. Aside from the vicarage period, the teaching is all done on campus.As this is the only LCA seminary, students come from all over Australia and New Zealand, and most live in nearby ALC accommodation. The school attracts a constant stream of international students, primarily from Asia and the Pacific region.
School of Educational Theology
The SET oversees the training of teachers for service in Lutheran schools. As the nature of this school is one complementary to University studies much of its work is done off campus.School of Theological Studies
The STS is the school which provides theological training for lay people - those not studying for ordained ministry. It has a range of on campus subjects and also provides online learning for long distance students.Boarding
The ALC provides accommodation for up to 96 tertiary Boarders (and single students studying at ALC), the majority coming from the surrounding areas such as the Barossa ValleyBarossa Valley
The Barossa Valley is a major wine-producing region and tourist destination of South Australia, located 60 km northeast of Adelaide. It is the valley formed by the North Para River, and the Barossa Valley Way is the main road through the valley, connecting the main towns on the valley floor of...
, Mid North
Mid North
The Mid North is a region of South Australia, north of the Adelaide Plains, but not as far north as the Far North, or outback. It is generally accepted to extend from Spencer Gulf east to the Barrier Highway, including the coastal plain, the southern part of the Flinders Ranges, and the northern...
, Riverland, Eyre Peninsula
Eyre Peninsula
Eyre Peninsula is a triangular peninsula in South Australia. It is bounded on the east by Spencer Gulf, the west by the Great Australian Bight, and the north by the Gawler Ranges. It is named after explorer Edward John Eyre who explored some of it in 1839-1841. The coastline was first explored by...
, Murray Mallee
Murray Mallee
The Murray Mallee is the grain-growing and sheep-farming area of South Australia bounded to the north and west by the Murray River, to the east by the Victorian border, and extending about 50 km south of the Mallee Highway....
and Mount Gambier/South East
Mount Gambier, South Australia
Mount Gambier is the largest regional city in South Australia located approximately 450 kilometres south of the capital Adelaide and just 17 kilometres from the Victorian border....
.
Services provided by the ALC for the Boarding Community include meals, cleaning, linen service, tennis/basketball court & squash court and a basic gym.
Chapel
ChapelChapel
A chapel is a building used by Christians as a place of fellowship and worship. It may be part of a larger structure or complex, such as a church, college, hospital, palace, prison or funeral home, located on board a military or commercial ship, or it may be an entirely free-standing building,...
is held mid-morning every weekday during term. It is largely student run and a sermon is heard most weeks, either from a lecturer or a senior student. The Chapel is located in Hebart Hall.
Löhe Memorial Library
The Library has one of the better theologicalChristian theology
- Divisions of Christian theology :There are many methods of categorizing different approaches to Christian theology. For a historical analysis, see the main article on the History of Christian theology.- Sub-disciplines :...
collections in the southern hemisphere, and holds over 100,000 items. The library was named after Johannes Paul Löhe, the Principal of Immanuel Seminary, Adelaide from 1923-1944.
It is managed by Ms. Blan MacDonagh.
The library contains historical artifacts and a large collection of journals and theologically based books and material and is mainly housed in Whinham Hall, which was built in 1882.
ALC Residents Association
Originally called the Luther Seminary Students Association, then changed to the ALC Students Association and with the advent of VSUVSU
VSU is an abbreviation that can stand for:*Valdosta State University*Venstresocialisternes Ungdom*Vikrama Simhapuri University*Virginia State University*Visayas State University*Voluntary student unionism*Voronezh State University...
in Australian Universities, has changed to the ALC Residents Association - to make it clearer that the membership extends to those who live on campus, Boarders and the ALC Students who live in the on campus units.
The ALCRA are responsible for forming a community atmosphere amongst both Boarders and Students. They organise events during the year, internal sporting competitions and community barbecues.
Horrie Packer Memorial Mixed Netball Match
One of the crowning jewel events during the year, originally a mixed-doubles tennis match between the Lutheran Teachers College students and the ALC Pastoral Ministry students it became a mixed netballNetball
Netball is a ball sport played between two teams of seven players. Its development, derived from early versions of basketball, began in England in the 1890s. By 1960 international playing rules had been standardised for the game, and the International Federation of Netball and Women's Basketball ...
match. Now it is a match between the ALC Students and the Boarders.