Queensland Theological College (QTC) is campaigning to save their building in inner Brisbane. The collapse of Prescare, an aged care operator has put the Presbyterian Church of Queensland into debt. The college building owned by the denomination as a whole is an early target for the receivers to recover their fees.
Gary Millar, the principal of the college, tells the other cheek about how the College became the innocent victim of the collapse of the Church’s welfare arm, and about QTC’s contribution to gospel ministry.
QTC is fundraising to save a building you already own. How did this happen? Why did QTC come to have to be at risk for a churchwide debt?
These are great questions. The short answer is that the PCQ, our parent denomination, was dragged into Receivership when the Aged Care ministry failed. When the church was set up in the 19th-century pre-Federation, it was established by a mechanism called “letters patent,” and still operated like that. This meant every ministry of the denomination was part of the same legal entity – great for coherence and missional unity, but a terrible way to run a multi-million dollar business.
This entire matter is now before the Supreme Court of Queensland (and is an extremely complex matter of trust law that will take some time to resolve). What is clear is that our building is the last remaining asset owned by the denomination centrally, and now has to be sold to enable the Receivers to be paid.
How much do you need, and what’s the deadline?
Our target is $8m. Expressions of interest close at 4pm on October 19th, so we need to be in a position to make a credible offer by then.
Before this happened, how was QTC going with its mission of training pastors and others?
Up to this point, QTC had been steadily growing, deepening and widening its training ministry across Queensland and beyond. From our Ministry to Women course equipping women in local churches, to our online provision to people across regional Queensland, as well as in NZ and elsewhere, and of course our core ministry in Brisbane, where we have seen a constant flow of people sent out to serve Christ in all kinds of capacities in the all kinds of churches and parachurch ministries, as well as in the workplace.
In recent years we have been the largest theological college in Brisbane, and have sent graduates to be pastors in Presbyterian, Baptist, Anglican and FIEC churches, as well as AFES workers, women’s workers in local churches and all over the world, whether church planting in Zimbabwe, or working in secure locations in SE Asia with CMS.
I believe you used to be housed at Emmanuel College. How has having your own building assisted the college?
We did. The move to the city has been crucial to our growth. Not only do we have a Monday night cohort of over 30, gradually making their way through a degree one subject at a time after a day’s work in the CBD, but our location makes it possible for students from both the Gold and Sunshine Coast to take the train to Central Station and walk to College. Any move away from central Brisbane would have a severe impact on our enrolments, and ultimately our viability.
Perhaps there are a couple of grads you might like to mention and how the college has borne fruit in their ministry?
In recent years, we have been hugely encouraged to see
• Lloyd Lawrence, the first AFES worker in Cairns travel north,
• Rod McClennan plant a new church in Emerald,
• Pier Franchini plant in the Ripley Valley near Ipswich,
• Peter Kutuzov take up a pastoral role in Hobart,
• Andrew Coombridge join the staff of Auckland EV church in New Zealand,
• and Gabe Tan return to Singapore to the staff of The Crossing Church.
If QTC falters, then, whilst we know God is sovereign, the impact will be felt far beyond Brisbane.
You can support the college here: https://www.qtc.edu.au/securing-the-future/