History
Ambrose University is the product of an educational journeys which began in the second half of the twentieth century. [2]
Alliance University College (AUC) was originally established in 1941. The Western Canadian District of the The Christian and Missionary Alliance established the Canadian Bible Institute in Regina, Saskatchewan, in 1941. It was established under Gordon Skitch, superintendent of the Western Canadian District of the CMA, Willis Brooks, pastor of the Regina Alliance Tabernacle and George Blackett, former principal of Winnipeg Bible Institute and future principal and president of the new institute. In 1949, it was Western Canadian Bible Institute (WCBI). It was renamed again in 1957 as the Canadian Bible College (CBC). The Canadian Theological College (CTC) was established in 1970 as a graduate sister school to CBC, and was renamed Canadian Theological Seminary (CTS) in 1982.
Nazarene University College (NUC) was first established in 1921 in the basement of the Calgary First Church of the Nazarene. In 1927, the school relocated to Red Deer, and was named Alberta School of Evangelism, and then Northern Bible College (NBC) In 1940, it began offering theology degrees and was renamed again as the Canadian Nazarene College (CNC). In 1960, CNC moved to Winnipeg and was established as the official Canadian university college for the Church of the Nazarene. CNC moved back to Calgary in 1995, became an accredited university college in 1999, and changed its name to Nazarene University College (NUC).
In 2003, CBC/CTS officially relocated to join NUC on the same campus, received accreditation in 2004, and changed its name to Alliance University College (AUC).
AUC and NUC maintained a close relationship and were often referred to as Alliance University College-Nazarene University College (AUC-NUC), though the two granted degrees independently until 2007.
In 2007, AUC and NUC became a single institution, known as Ambrose University College, in honour of Saint Ambrose. [1] [3] A new campus opened in west Calgary the following year. [4]
In 2012 Gordon T. Smith was named president. [5]
In 2014, Premier and Minister of Innovation and Advanced Education Dave Hancock approved the change of name to Ambrose University, dropping the word "College" to better reflect the nature of the institution. [6]
Academics
Ambrose's mission is to "produce graduates who are consciously and actively Christian in all aspects of life," and to "serve the church by providing excellent preparation for pastoral ministry.". [9]
In 2023, AU offered 255 courses to 920 students. [10] Students come from over 30 Christian denominations and traditions. [11]
AU provides undergraduate and graduate-level education for pastoral ministry, as well as undergraduate level education in select liberal arts and science degrees. In 2021 the School of Business at AU was officially launched as a separate program school.
Ambrose is accredited by the Association of Theological Schools in the United States and Canada to offer its Seminary degrees. The university is also accredited by the Association for Biblical Higher Education to offer undergraduate ministry and theology degrees, and by the Province of Alberta in the conferring of undergraduate degrees in selected disciplines.
Moody Bible Institute (MBI) is a private evangelical Christian Bible college in Chicago, Illinois. It was founded by evangelist and businessman Dwight Lyman Moody in 1886. Historically, MBI has maintained positions that have identified it as non-charismatic, dispensational, and generally Calvinistic. Today, MBI operates undergraduate programs and Moody Theological Seminary at the Chicago campus. The Seminary also operates a satellite campus in Plymouth, Michigan. Moody Aviation operates a flight school in Spokane, Washington.
For graduate-level theological institutions, the Master of Divinity is the first professional degree of the pastoral profession in North America. It is the most common academic degree in seminaries and divinity schools.
Kingswood University is an evangelical Christian University associated with the Wesleyan Church, located in Sussex, New Brunswick, Canada. It is accredited by the Commission on Accreditation of the Association for Biblical Higher Education. It is chartered by the province of New Brunswick and authorized to confer degrees in church-related education. The university is also registered with the Evangelical Fellowship of Canada, the Association of Christian Schools International, and the Christian Higher Education Canada (CHEC).
Emmanuel Bible College is an interdenominational Evangelical Christian Bible college located in Kitchener, Ontario, Canada.
Tyndale University is a Canadian private interdenominational evangelical Christian university in Toronto, Ontario, which offers undergraduate and graduate programs. Tyndale students come from over 40 different Christian denominations.
The Australian College of Theology (ACT) is an Australian higher education provider based in Sydney, New South Wales. The college delivers awards in ministry and theology. It is now one of two major consortia of theological colleges in Australia, alongside the University of Divinity. Over 23,000 people have graduated since the foundation of the college. On 7 October 2022 it was granted university college status by the Tertiary Education Quality and Standards Agency.
Alliance University was a private Christian university affiliated with the Christian and Missionary Alliance. Located in New York, New York, the university offered undergraduate and graduate programs; in addition, it included Alliance Theological Seminary.
Point Loma Nazarene University (PLNU) is a private Christian liberal arts college with its main campus on the Point Loma oceanfront in San Diego, California, United States. It was founded in 1902 as a Bible college by the Church of the Nazarene.
A Bible college, sometimes referred to as a Bible institute or theological institute or theological seminary, is an evangelical Christian or Restoration Movement Christian institution of higher education which prepares students for Christian ministry with theological education, Biblical studies and practical ministry training.
The Sydney College of Divinity (SCD) is a consortium of Christian theological educational institutions and Bible colleges based in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. The college is structured as a federation of member institutions, each of which retains its autonomy and respective theological traditions. Member institutions represent a range of Christian churches.
Prairie College is an interdenominational Christian College located in the town of Three Hills, Alberta. Founded as Prairie Bible Institute, classes began on October 9, 1922, on the property of the McElheran family farm.
Horizon College and Seminary is a multi-denominational Evangelical Christian College in Saskatoon, Canada.
The New York Theological Seminary (NYTS) is a private non-denominational Christian seminary in New York City. It was founded in 1900 as the Bible Teacher's College.
Asia-Pacific Nazarene Theological Seminary (APNTS) is a graduate-level theological institution located near Metro Manila in the Philippines. APNTS is a seminary in the Wesleyan theological tradition and affiliated with the Church of the Nazarene through its Division of World Mission. Its mission is to prepare "men and women for Christ-like leadership and excellence in ministries." Its institutional vision is: "Bridging cultures for Christ, APNTS equips each new generation of leaders to disseminate the gospel of Jesus Christ throughout Asia, the Pacific, and the world.
The Nazarene Theological College (NTC) is a theological college located in the Thornlands suburb of Redland City in Queensland, Australia. NTC is a member institution of the Sydney College of Divinity.
The Heritage College & Seminary is a Baptist theological institute in Cambridge, Ontario, Canada. It is affiliated with the Fellowship of Evangelical Baptist Churches in Canada.
Gordon Edwin Dirks is a Canadian educator and politician, who has held political office in the provinces of Saskatchewan and Alberta.
E. LeBron Fairbanks is a leadership consultant, an adjunct professor at Asia-Pacific Nazarene Theological Seminary, and a retired American ordained minister in the Church of the Nazarene who is President emeritus of Mount Vernon Nazarene University, President emeritus of Asia-Pacific Nazarene Theological Seminary, and who served the Church of the Nazarene as the Education Commissioner from March 2008 to September 2011. Additionally, Fairbanks was an editor in the Church Schools Department of the Church of the Nazarene in Kansas City, Missouri; Academic Dean of European Nazarene Bible College in Busingen, Germany (1978–1982); Associate Professor of Christian Education and Lay Ministry Development, and Coordinator of the Master of Ministry program at Bethany Nazarene College (1982–1984); the 2nd President of Asia-Pacific Nazarene Theological Seminary (APNTS) in Taytay, Rizal, the Philippines from September 1984 to July 1989; and the 5th President of Mount Vernon Nazarene University (MVNU) in Mount Vernon, Ohio, for over 17 years from July 1989 until his retirement on January 31, 2007. Fairbanks founded and has served as the director of BoardServe LLC, "a consulting service for governing boards and their leaders", since 2011.
Alliance Bible Seminary, is a C&MA seminary, located in Cheung Chau, Hong Kong. The seminary was originally founded in 1899 in Wuzhou, Guangxi, under the name Alliance Bible College. Established by missionaries Dr. Robert Glover and Robert A. Jaffray, ABS was the first C&MA seminary to be founded overseas, and one of the first seminaries in South China. In 1949, the seminary was moved to Cheung Chau, Hong Kong by Dr. William C. Newbern after the Communist takeover of mainland China. ABS was founded before any church plant and trained many of its students for missionary work. After they graduated, most were sent to establish new churches. Hence, most churches of the Christian and Missionary Alliance in Hong Kong were planted by their graduates.
