God poured out his Spirit on a small, committed praying group of Methodists in Brisbane in the sixties, including the eruption of those controversial gifts of the Spirit. It caused problems then, and still does - all over the world.

Eventually an Australian Christian movement was born and became Christian Outreach Centre with headquarters at Mansfield in Brisbane, and a national and international ministry.

We can’t pretend we were perfect or got it right all the time. We didn’t. But C.O.C. has continued to be blessed and confronted by the grace and glory of God. It continues to be an Australian movement with a global impact.

Every year scores of people move into ministry in the movement, all of them developed through ministry experience in local churches and many of them prepared for a range of ministries through our School of Ministries.

We have a unique focus in ministry. The School of Ministries is fully accountable to the local church. That church provides a huge range of ministry opportunities for students, but also provides the leadership (paid and volunatry) for mentoring and discipling people in ministry. That ministry in the local church profoundly shapes the policies and programs of the School of Ministries. For example, people are converted and discipled every week in the life of the church, a process in which staff and students are intricately involved.

Academically, the School of Ministries is accountable to Christian Heritage College as part of its accredited degree and diploma programs in Education, Arts, Business and Ministry to Masters level in Education. These well respected programs, approved by government assessment committees, have pioneered courses in Christian tertiary education in Australia.

These education courses are also part of the range of Christian education from pre-school to tertiary college involving for over 2,000 people daily on the Mansfield property.

Learning at the School of Ministries involves classroom activity, especially applying the information covered in ministry right there in the classroom. Prayer groups, tutorials, and the development of ministry skills including preaching and teaching are high priorities. Ministry continually happens in class. Students also have supervised ministry experience in practicum subjects. Here the large staff of a large church provide invaluable assistance and mentoring. So students gain experience with staff in such departments as counselling, creative arts, pastoral care, evangelism, children’s and youth ministries, social welfare, and small groups.

Distance Education

Our Distance Education continues to develop and provides ministry education for people anywhere to Bachelors level. A committed and capable staff (both paid and voluntary) produce materials and provide supervision for a growing student body in and beyond this growing Movement. The rigorous accountability to the church, the Academic Board, and the examining bodies ensures high standards.

We have begun publishing a range of materials, and will continue to do that. So the School of Ministries is pleased to publish this Renewal Journal as part of its widening ministry.  We are unashamedly Pentecostal and Charismatic.   The Renewal Journal already emhasises the significance of that tradition in today’s church, a particularly significant tradition now as Walter Hollenweger points out in this issue. Our staff and students often contribute excellent work to the Renewal Journal and we look forward to more from them!