The College was founded in 1994 by Rev Drs Geoff and Hazel Carr, with the aim of providing courses leading to a Degree in Biblical Studies.  Originally named Cornerstone College, it was an extension campus of Logos Christian College and Graduate School based in Jacksonville, Florida, USA.  Its first student intake was drawn from local Christian Churches but later widened its student body to include those from other parts of the UK, Europe and North America.

In their forward thinking, the founders realised that offering an American Degree held many advantages, in that the American College issuing the Degrees is thoroughly Bible based in all its practices.  It also brought to our campus proven teaching methods that introduced new concepts of delivering course materials.  To develop this concept for the UK and Europe the courses were unitised, the teaching materials became more technologically utilised, using modern information and communication systems for delivery of its courses.  Of course, that was in the days before iPad, tablets, Teams and Zoom!

The Bachelor Degree is the accepted benchmark for most pastoral and leadership positions in both the American and European Churches.  The American Bachelor Degree is usually taken over four years of study at the rate of 30 Semester Credit Hours per year, on a part-time basis allowing students to continue in employment and minimising disruption to family life while studying.  Each course is normally worth 3 SCH with a selected few at 6 SCH to cover more extensive projects, practical work, or research.  The whole Degree requires 120 SCH of credit.

The concept of Accreditation of Prior Learning (APL) has been in existence in the American system for many years and known there as Life Credit or Advanced Standing.  Now it is called Life Experience and Ministry Assessment (LEMA).  In order to offer a 3-year Bachelor Degree, such as is available from British colleges, the Degree offered by the College was developed to incorporate APL by evaluation of each student at the halfway point of the Degree, allowing a study programme to completion of the Degree to be generated.

As an expansion to the Bachelor of Arts in Theological Studies, alternative specialist disciplines have been developed to include Pastoral Ministry and Jewish Studies as the major subjects for a Bachelor Degree.  Graduate Degrees at Masters and Doctoral levels have been established in Theological Studies, Pastoral Ministry and Jewish Studies.

We still use the American model today, which is tried and tested and has proven itself.

Today the College is just as exciting as it was when the original vision was passed on to the founders.