QTC News Summer 2013 - Queensland Theological College

QTC News
NEWSLETTER OF QUEENSLAND THEOLOGICAL COLLEGE SUMMER 2013
Groundbreaking
year ahead for QTC
As the temperature rises, our
students are finishing their last
exams and polishing off outstanding
assignments, but for the staff at
QTC, it’s a busy and exciting time!
2013 has been a great year, as we’ve
tried to reflect in the pages that
follow, but already 2014 promises to
be even more exciting! Enrolments
for the new semester are extremely
encouraging, with a new batch of
students from a whole range of
sending churches across our state
and beyond coming to be equipped
for ministry. In June, Doug O’Donnell
from Chicago will be joining the
Teaching Faculty as our 6th full-time
member of staff (you can read about
Doug, and Tony Pyles, our visiting
lecturer in OT in this newsletter).
2014 also sees the start of our new
partnership with CCEF, which will
enable us to start delivering courses
in Biblical Counselling, in a
combination of face-to-face and
distance
modes.
We
ar e
restructuring
our
College
Administration, to ensure that we
have the staff and structures to take
QTC to the next level - as part of
that, we’re delighted to welcome
Ted Brennan to the team. As well as
our now well-established Preaching
Week and Children’s Ministry
Conference, in August QTC will be
running events involving Matt
Chandler (with Acts 29), Michael
Horton, Kathleen Nielsen and John
Lennox (tbc) – it promises to be
quite a month!
We are also working hard on two
long term projects which will have a
significant impact on the future
ministry of the College. We are in
discussions with Emmanuel College
May 17: Breakfast by the River
(who host us here at UQ) concerning
the possibility of building a longterm home for QTC on the campus
here. We have also started work on
delivering
some
courses
as
intensives in regional centres around
Queensland. This involves both
seeking
permission
from
the
Australian College of Theology (the
degree-awarding body of which we
are a part), and doing a large
amount of groundwork in local
communities. We are hoping to run
a trial in the second half of 2014.
It is a huge privilege to be part of
what God is doing here at QTC. It is
a constant encouragement to be
surrounded by a student body who
are so teachable and so passionate
about the gospel. It is also so good
to know that people all across our
state and beyond are praying for us,
as we seek to serve Christ by
equipping people for ministry in the
local church and in the community,
both here in Queensland, and across
our world. Thank you so much for
your partnership in the gospel!
Gary Millar
Principal
September 4: Supper by the River
These information sessions are for anyone interested in
studying at QTC. Hear from staff and students about life
at QTC, chat about your study options over a breakfast
or supper, take a guided tour of the QTC facilities and
ask any questions you may have.
O’Donnells
to migrate
South next
winter
After visiting QTC in 2013 Doug and
Emily O’Donnell will be making the
move to Australia permanently in
mid-2014 so Doug can join the staff
at QTC as the 6th lecturer.
QN: You visited Australia for Preaching Conference this year, was it a
case of love at first sight?
forward to the daily mental and spiritual stimulation. I also look forward
to training the next generation of
gospel workers!
DO: Close. My wife, Emily, and I did
thoroughly enjoy the Australian hospitality. We loved the city of Brisbane
and the staff and students at QTC.
QN: You’re joining the team as an all
-rounder, what areas/subjects do
you most enjoy teaching, and what
are you dreading teaching?
QN: What made you decide to make
the move here?
DO: I don’t think I dread teaching
anything (unless the faculty is planning some secret initiation rite and
sticking me with “Medieval Scholasticism” or “The Exegesis of Algebra”).
I will enjoy the diversity—teaching
on OT wisdom literature, the Gospels, and practical ministry (worship,
preaching, etc.). I’ll even do British
Church History if Andrew Bain gets a
brain cramp.
DO: When I was invited to do the
Preaching Week, I thought it would
be a once-in-a-lifetime trip. When
Emily and I boarded the plane to
head home and read Gary’s letter of
invitation to join the faculty, we were
surprised but excited. As we thought
and prayed through the invitation,
we strongly sensed God’s call to come.
After two months, that call never
subsided. The short answer is: Providence has pulled us down under.
QN: What are you looking forward
to about working at QTC?
DO I love the gospel, the church,
and the life of the mind. QTC brings
these three loves together. I look
QN: At the recent QTC staff and candidates vs students soccer match,
when the staff were down 2-1, Gary
was letting everyone know that next
year they would have Doug O’Donnell on the team. Do you think you
can bring them home to victory next
year?
DO: My father is from Ireland and
my mother Scotland. That means I
have European soccer blood (e.g., I
did bicycle kicks in the crib). I also
was raised in a neighbourhood of
kids with Italian, Polish, and Yugoslavian last names. That means I have
European soccer experience. So, yes,
I can bring home the staff victory, so
long as I can play like the great German (adopted Chicagoan) KarlHeinz Granitza—that is, stand near
the goal all game and wait for the
ball to be passed to me. I’ll take it
from there. I give a one yellow card/
two goal guarantee!
QN: What’s been your favourite
book this year and why?
DO: First of all, I checked my Merriam-Webster Dictionary—American
edition and the word “favorite” is
spelled without a “u.” In service to
our Savior, I look forward to bringing
some color to QTC spelling. That
said, my favorite book (fitting to my
new calling) was Charles Spurgeon’s
Lectures to My Students. This classic
book has the rare blend of pastoral
honesty, wit, and timeless advice.
Staff/ Candidates undefeated run
Staff and candidates
2
Despite falling two goals behind and losing
Stuart Hoadley with a ruptured Achilles Tendon
shortly after half-time, the Staff and Candidates
XI showed a rare blend of character,
tenacity and experience to snatch two late
goals to draw level, and thus retain the newly
named ‘Stuart Hoadley Perpetual Trophy’!
Students
Old Testament lecturer new to QTC
In 2014 Tony Pyles will join the staff at QTC as an Old Testament Lecturer for
a period of 18 months. Tony and his family will be moving here from Canada
where he has been completing his Ph.D. at McMaster Divinity College in
Hamilton, Ontario.
Originally from the United States, Tony will bring with him his wife, Rose, and
their four children, Josiah (6), Charity (5), Amos (3), and Ezra (9mos).
Tony is a candidate for gospel ministry in the Eastern Canada Presbytery of
the Presbyterian Church in America and has previously served the youth and
young adults of Wynndale Presbyterian Church in Terry, Mississippi.
We chatted to Tony about his move to Australia.
QN: Will this be your first time to
Australia? How are you and the family feeling about the move?
TP: First time. We are very excited
about the move, though also intimidated. We moved over 1,000 miles
when we came to Canada for my
doctoral program—now that is starting to sound small!
QN: What are you looking forward
to about working at QTC?
TP: I think I am most looking forward to passing on my love for the
OT to the students.
QN: What do you love most about
the Old Testament?
The OT is huge, so that is a very big
question! I think I love most watching/reading the way the history of
redemption unfolds across countless
generations.
QN: What do you like to do in your
spare time? Is there anything in Australia you’re looking forward to seeing or doing?
TP: What spare time?!! I like to read
science fiction and build things together with my wife (we’re very sad
to leave behind our power tools).
We look forward to exploring the
area around Brisbane, seeing the
wildlife, experiencing Christmas in
summertime, etc.
QN: What’s the best Christian book
you read in 2013? What’s the best
fiction book you read?
TP: (I assume books for my studies
are off limits.) The best Christian
book I read in 2013 was probably
Joseph Alleine’s An Alarm to the Unconverted (also published as A Sure
Guide to Heaven). The best fiction
book I (re)read was Frank Herbert’s
Dune.
Graeme Goldsworthy welcomed back for a day
QTC students and guests had the
privilege of hearing from respected
theologian Graeme Goldsworthy on
October 28 about his life’s work in
the field of Biblical Theology.
A former part-time member of Faculty at QTC (then the ‘Presbyterian
Theological Hall’), Graeme is the author of such books as According to
Plan and Gospel and Kingdom and
Graeme
Goldsworthy
(centre)
chats to Vice
Principal
Andrew Bain
(left) and
Principal
Gary Millar
(right).
has had a significant impact on the
way the Bible is taught in Australia
and around the world.
In the first session, Graeme outlined
the development of ‘Biblical Theology’ in Australia in particular, focusing
on the influence of Donald Robinson, a teacher at Moore Theological
College and subsequently Archbishop of Sydney.
In the second main session, Graeme
offered a range of ‘reflections on
Biblical Theology’.
His passion for the gospel and commitment to reading all of Scripture
as pointing to and fulfilled in Christ
came across clearly in his teaching,
and also in a wealth of illustrations
from his wide-ranging and significant ministry experience.
3
Newkirks take next step in journey to Japan
Matt Newkirk, his wife Caroline and their daughter Lydia arrived in Australia at the beginning the year after a last-minute call
from QTC asking Matt to come on board as the Old Testament Lecturer. Matt has fitted seamlessly into college life but now we
farewell them as they head home to the U.S. before preparing to go to Japan. Since arriving their family has grown with the
addition of Silas who was born in June.
QN: Was it a hard decision to pack
up and move to Australia?
other culture what challenges can
you see that QTC faces?
the support comes in then we’ll go
to Japan.
MN: It was quick decision! We had
only five days to decide, so in some
ways it was a big decision but it wasn’t really hard for us because we
prayed about it and thought about it
and it really seemed like God had
paved out the path for us already.
MN: It strikes me that there seems
to be quite diverse potential destinations for the students, whether it be
rural ministry, or city ministry or
whether they’re way up in in the
north, and for QTC to be able to
train people in one place to be
equipped to minister in all those different kinds of places seems to be a
challenging thing to do.
QN: Why Japan?
QN: What have you enjoyed about
life here?
MN: We’ve enjoyed the people, they
are nice and laid back and friendly,
even strangers tend to be friendlier
than in the US.
QN: What’s the best thing about
teaching the Old Testament to students?
MN: The best thing for me is that
because many people don’t know a
lot about the Old Testament I get to
see them learn a lot. It’s enjoyable
for me to see people begin to enjoy
the Old Testament and really see the
way that it witnesses to Jesus
QN: What’s next for the Newkirks?
MN: We’re going back to Florida
and we’re starting to go through the
approval process with the mission
agency back home. I’ll teach at my
seminary (where I went) for two
terms and then we’ll start support
raising and then Lord willing when
MN: We decided we wanted to go
to an unreached nation where the
indigenous church doesn’t have
enough resources to reach their own
people and we wanted to go to a
place where theological education
was strategic for that particular unreached people group and Japan
was one of the ones that hit on both
of those. It’s the second largest unreached people group in the world
and there is a huge need for theological training for pastors especially.
There are not enough pastors for the
small number of churches, so in
some ways it was more of a logical
decisions than anything else.
QN: Did your own lecturers play an
influential role in your life?
MN: Yes! One of my Old Testament
lecturers in particular, named Richard Pratt, really changed the way
that I read and understand the Bible,
in many ways his influence has redirected the entire scope of my life,
even leading into mission.
QN: As an outsider coming in to an-
MINISTRY to WOMEN
A 12-week course for women serving in local churches
Ministry to Women (M2W) is for women who would love to be equipped to serve Christ more effectively.
The focus will be on understanding, teaching and applying the gospel of Jesus to ourselves and to other
women in the context of one-to-one relationships, small groups, and evangelism to women.
The course will run on Mondays from 10am-1pm starting February 17 and will cost $250 (including reading
material). For more information and a course outline visit www.qtc.edu.au/ministry2women
To get an application form email [email protected]
4
October event put the
spotlight on mission
QTC partnered with 11
mission agencies to bring
Reaching
Queensland,
Reaching the World – a
night about mission - to
life on October 8.
There was a great vibe
about the night as people
entered the room through
a row of stalls set up by
the various mission agencies and had a chance to
stop and chat with people.
The night was then a
packed program of interviews, videos and a talk
from Mike Raiter, Director
of the Centre for Biblical
Preaching in Melbourne.
It was a hugely encouraging night as we heard
about what motivates
people to leave behind
families and comfort to
take the gospel to people
who wouldn’t otherwise
hear it. Gary Millar interviewed Fay Hii and anoth-
Fay Hii
T and J
GM: What do you want to
get out of life?
FH: I have to say that the
first question in the shorter catechism, which says
‘What is the chief end of
man?’ really sums it up for
me because it says our
chief end is to glorify God
and enjoy him forever and
that’s what I want to get
out of life, I think it’s going to be exciting doing
that.
GM: You live here in a city
where the needs are enormous, how can you justify
leaving Brisbane when the
needs here are so great?
FH: I had a chat with a
young man named Sam
McGeown and he pointed
out a really good thing he said that God has a
purpose and he can use
anyone, anywhere. So it
came down, for me, not so
much on am I able to go,
or whether there is a need
but at the end of the day
it was ‘will you obey me?’
So it came down to a
question of obedience and
being available.
GM: Where are you going
to go and what are you
going to do?
GM: What do you want to
get out of life?
J: Before I became a Christian I had a lot of plans
about what I wanted to do
in life, but when I came to
know Jesus personally I
knew I wanted to submit
to him my plans and take
on his. But now I think
more about how I want to
end my life, I want to end
my life very much faithful
and obedient and glorifying Him.
GM: You’re a local boy,
how can you justify leaving us when the needs are
so great?
T: That’s true. I would never deny there are massive
needs. At the end of the
day the reality is there’s
still huge parts of the
world where there’s such a
tiny number of Christians
that people are going to
live their lives and die
without hearing of the
good news of Jesus. But
also when you combine
that with the picture in
Revelation of where God’s
heading and he’s got this
beautiful throne room scene... That’s what God
wants and he invites us to
FH: I’m heading off to East
Asia and there are a lot of
possibilities. It’s not concrete and that’s part of the
challenge. I’m going there
to first learn the language,
which is not very glamorous being a student again.
But getting to know people, and to be able to
share the gospel in a
meaningful way is very
important to me.
GM: If everything fell
through to tomorrow and
you had to stay how
would you cope and what
would you do?
FH: Honestly I love it here,
I really do. So if everything
falls through I would
probably have to ask,
should I wait a bit longer
before I head out, or
should I do ministry here?
Either way it’s good, I still
get to enjoy him forever!
er couple who are planning to head overseas next
year, here’s what they had
to say.
be a part of that and that’s
exciting, so why wouldn’t
you?
GM: So what are you going to do as your part of
this great plan?
T: We’re hoping to move
to a country in South-East
Asia and our big goal is
really to help encourage
and strengthen the church
and help them as they
reach out to their communities.
GM: How would you feel
and what would you do if
you couldn’t go to work
with that people group?
J: I think if God did close
that door tomorrow we
would be disappointed
because of all that He has
led us through to this
point, but even if he did
that, we would be so
thankful for what he’s
done in our life, it hasn’t
been a waste. It’s really
given us a heightened
sense of the need for the
gospel to go out.
5
Biblical counselling course opens at QTC
In 2014 QTC will, for the first time,
offer a course in Biblical Counselling.
We will be partnering with Christian
Co unselling
&
Educatio nal
Foundation (CCEF) in Philadelphia to
run the course which will be
delivered via a combination of
online subjects and intensives
CCEF have created an in-depth
counselling educational programme
that provides equipping and training
for everyone in all life and ministry
contexts.
Students will engage with the
majority of the coursework online,
and while there are deadlines there
is flexibility to watch classes at a
time that suits you.
Intensives will be run by Dr Carolyn
Russell, a General Practitioner and
Counsellor who has significant
experience helping clients manage
their life challenges. Dr Russell has a
particular interest in a ‘whole of life’
approach to working with people
and wellness.
QTC Principal Gary Millar said he
was excited to be offering such a top
-quality course here in Australia.
“We are delighted to be working
with CCEF, who through the work of
David Powlinson, Paul Tripp and
others have been so helpful in
equipping the church across the
world in this area. Our prayer is that
this initiative will bear fruit in
churches across Queensland and
beyond for years to come,” said
Gary.
Places are limited for the first intake
so if you are interested email
[email protected].
Making Kids’ Ministry count
Ted to join the team
Ted Brennan (pictured) hopes
to join the staff at QTC next
year
to
take
on
an
administrative roll. Ted was
previously the Vice-Principal of
Wavell State High School,
and
has also spent time
studying at QTC.
Ted has also been actively
involved with AFES, having
served as the Queensland Area
Chairman. We look forward to
putting his wide range of skills
to use.
Close to 100 people attended the
Children’s Ministry Conference with
Sandy Galea in October and at the
end of the day went home with a
head full of ideas and a term’s worth
of teaching material to use in their
churches.
Sandy went through the process she
uses to find the ‘big idea’ of the
Bible passage, then how to teach
that one concept clearly and use
games and crafts to reinforce the
idea.
We also heard from a number of
local
Children’s
Ministry
Coordinators about ideas for
activities that have worked in their
own churches.
Everyone who attended received
Kids’ Church material based on the
book of Daniel put together by
Fiona Millar and will later receive
material on Ecclesiastes written by
Sandy.
One delegate said: “The conference
was amazing! It will go a long way in
helping me to effectively run a
Christian programme at my school.”
The Children’s Ministry Conference
Sandy Galea took two of the sessions
at the Children’s Ministry Conference.
is growing to be a valuable training
day for kids workers and plans are
already underway to make next
year’s conference even better—see
the calendar on page 7 for dates
and details.
DEADLINE FOR APPLICATIONS: It’s not too late to apply to study at QTC in 2014,
please get your applications in ASAP
6
2014 Calendar
March 11-13
Preaching Week:
“That everyone might know his name”
QTC’s 3rd annual preaching week promises to be the best yet! A great line-up of speakers headed by Ray Galea (Multicultural
Bible Ministry, Sydney) and Doug Green (Westminster Theolological Seminary, Philadelphia) will explore the challenge of
preaching in Australia today so ‘That everyone might know his name’.
We’ll look together at specific challenges including Preaching to 'Women’ (Carmelina Read), Preaching to ‘Churchy People’ (Luke
Tattersall), Preaching to the ‘Converted’ (Gary Millar), Preaching to ‘Blue Collar Australia’ (Mike O’Connor) and Preaching to
Disgruntled People (Phil Campbell).
In addition, the 8 seminar streams will ensure that everyone has the opportunity to get set up for a fresh teaching series in church
in 2014. A program will soon be available at www.qtc.edu.au.
May 5-9
MA Unit with Dane Ortland
Dane Ortlund will be teaching an MA Unit on Philippians in May. Dane is currently the Bible Publishing Director at Crossway
Books in Wheaton, Illinois. He is the author of A New Inner Relish: Christian Motivation in the Thought of Jonathan
Edwards (Christian Focus, 2008) and Defiant Grace: The Surprising Message and Mission of Jesus (Evangelical Press, 2011). He is a
graduate of Covenant Theological Seminary (M.Div., Th.M.) and Wheaton College (B.A., Ph.D.)
During August QTC will be visited by a number of world-class speakers
August
Kathleen Nielson : August 15-16
Kathleen Nielson serves as director of women's initiatives for The Gospel Coalition. She holds MA and PhD
degrees in literature from Vanderbilt University and a BA from Wheaton College. Author of the Living
Word Bible studies, she speaks often at women's conferences and loves working with women in studying
the Bible.
Dr Michael Horton : August 22-23 : Talking Theology
Dr. Horton has taught apologetics and theology at Westminster Seminary California since 1998. He has
written many books, including The Christian Faith: A Systematic Theology for Pilgrims on the Way. He has
received degrees from Biola University, Westminster California, Wycliffe Hall, Oxford and the University of
Coventry, and has completed a two-year post-doctoral research fellowship at Yale University. Mike is one
of the most widely read Systematic Theologians in the world today, combining razor sharp insight, a huge
breadth of knowledge, an infectious sense of humour and a rock-solid commitment to the Reformed
Tradition.
Matt Chandler : August 25
Matt Chandler is the lead pastor for teaching at The Village Church in Dallas, Texas. He assumed this role
in August 2002 after several years of serving on a local church staff and as an itinerant preacher. Since
then the church has grown from 160 to more than 6,000. Chandler is involved in church planting around
Dallas and across the world through The Village Church and other partnerships such as Acts 29. Chandler
is in the top five of the leading podcasts on iTunes and is author of The Explicit Gospel. Matt will spend the
morning teaching at QTC and will be speaking at a public event in the evening.
October 18
Children’s Ministry
And in 2015 Don Carson returns
Conference: Colin Buchanan
It’s anticipated that Colin Buchanan will join us
at the Children’s Ministry Conference next year.
Colin has years of experience making God’s
word understandable and memorable for kids.
Colin began his working career as a teacher
and has a proven track record for helping kids
engage with ideas in the Bible, making this a
valuable conference to attend.
Don Carson will be returning
to QTC in July 2015 to conduct
a series of lectures and speak
at a citywide event.
7
A time to give?
One of the astonishing things about
the growth of QTC in the past few
years is the fact that this growth has
been fuelled and maintained largely
on the basis of income from student
fees. We are very grateful to receive
a grant of just short of 10% each
year from our parent body, the Presbyterian Church of Queensland, but
the rest of our annual income (now
approximately one million dollars)
comes directly from those studying
here, either as upfront fees or
through the FeeHelp scheme. What’s
so surprising about that? The staggering thing is that QTC has grown
to be a world-class Bible College
without any substantial or ongoing
gift income from supporters or graduates.
Many other Colleges here in Australia rely heavily on donations from
supporters in the wider Christian
Community (often drawing up to
30% of their income from donations),
and now the time has come when we
want to give you the opportunity to
share in the ongoing work and
growth of QTC in this way.
In the middle of 2014, Doug O’Donnell, profiled earlier in this newsletter,
will join our team. Doug will become
“
...the time has come
when we want to give
you the opportunity
to share in the
ongoing work and
growth of QTC ...
”
the ‘Friends of QTC Lecturer’, adding
invaluable expertise and experience
to our team.
This new initiative has been made
possible by a grant from the PCQ,
providing 80% funding in year 1,
65% in year 2, 50% in year 3 and 25%
in year 4. This fantastic opportunity
then comes with a challenge – we at
QTC have undertaken to raise approximately
$17,000
in
2014,
$31,000in 2015, $45,000 in 2016 and
$70,000 in 2017 to fund the ‘Friends
of QTC’ lectureship. So we’d like to
ask you to consider giving to support
the work of QTC in this way.
We would love to see a culture of
giving to QTC grow in the years
ahead, and we believe that starts
with individuals (whether QTC graduates, those who have benefitted from
the College’s wider ministry in recent
years, or simply those who are passionate about seeing men and women in Queensland equipped for gospel ministry). No donation is too
small. Regular donations would be
fantastic, but one-off gifts are equally welcome. We would also love to
see our growing network of sending
churches beginning to support us
financially, as we share in the work of
the gospel together.

Donating to the Friends of QTC Lecturer
To make a tax deductible donation to QTC you can


Fill out the form with your credit card details and mail it to us.

Make a direct deposit to Westpac Account name: Presbyterian
Phone the college and use your credit card to make a donation over
the phone.
Church of Queensland; BSB: 034010; Acct Number: 131237
When using direct deposit please put ‘Lecturer’ in the deposit description and send an email to [email protected] with details of
your payment including your name, address, date deposited and a
note that it is for the Friends of QTC Lecturer.

Make a cheque payable to QTC and mail it to us (address below)
with the attached form.
Name: ……………………………………………………………………………………
Postal Address: ……………………………………………………………………...
State:………………………………………………. P/C……………………………….
Email ……………………………………………………………………………………...
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cheque
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Keep in touch with QTC
Queensland Theological College
For information on study options, enrolling, and how to support QTC
visit www.qtc.edu.au
or contact our registrar - [email protected]
PO Box 6376
St Lucia, QLD, 4067
For information about upcoming events, join our mailing
list by emailing - [email protected]
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Ph: (07) 38719347
Fax: 3871 9372
A ministry of the Presbyterian Church of Queensland