St Mark's National Theological Centre

Ernest Burgmann, Bishop of Goulburn from 1934 and then the renamed Canberra & Goulburn (1950-1960), established St Mark's Library in 1957. In 1967 this was expanded to become St Mark's Institute of Theology.{{Cite web|url=https://anglicancg.org.au/bishop-clements/|title=Canberra & Goulburn: The Legacy of Bishop Clements|access-date=23 December 2020}} Burgmann himself was the first warden of the Library (1957-1960).{{Cite web|url=https://adb.anu.edu.au/biography/burgmann-ernest-henry-9626|title=Australian Dictionary of Biography: Ernest Henry Burgmann|access-date=23 December 2020}} The first warden of the new institute was John Nurser (1968-1974), an Englishman who had previously been Dean of Trinity Hall, Cambridge and would go on to be the head of Lincoln Theological College.{{Cite web|url=https://www.churchtimes.co.uk/articles/2020/11-december/gazette/obituaries/obituary-canon-john-nurser|title=Church Times: Obituary, Canon John Nurser, 11 December 2020|access-date=23 December 2020}} The institute merged with the Canberra College of Ministry in 1987,{{Cite web|url=https://anglicancg.org.au/bishop-clements/|title=Canberra & Goulburn: The Legacy of Bishop Clements|access-date=23 December 2020}}{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article130635463 |title=Wednesday magazine Amalgamation of library and college aims to combine lay and ordination training Introducing St Mark's Canberra: a new institution |newspaper=The Canberra Times |volume=61 |issue=18,703 |location=Australian Capital Territory, Australia |date=17 December 1986 |accessdate=20 April 2022 |page=26 |via=National Library of Australia}} to form St Mark's National Theological Centre.

In 2009, the Anglican Diocese of Adelaide's St Barnabas' College and the Anglican Diocese of Brisbane's St Francis' College joined the CSU School of Theology through an affiliation agreement with St Marks.{{cite web |author1=Jonathan Holland |title=Anglican Diocese of Brisbane - Year Book 2022 |url=https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5d0b6225d1f5490001c5c757/t/63e07c8972df682b109f71bd/1675658511717/Synod+2022+Year+Book+Volume+I.pdf |publisher=Anglican Diocese of Brisbane |access-date=6 July 2023 |page=80}} This arrangement ceased at the end of 2022, when both St Barnabas' and St Francis' Colleges joined the University of Divinity.{{cite web |title=St Francis College joins the University of Divinity |url=https://vox.divinity.edu.au/news/st-francis-college-joins-the-university-of-divinity/ |website=VOX |publisher=University of Divinity |access-date=6 July 2023 |date=12 September 2022}}{{cite web |title=St Barnabas College joins the University of Divinity |url=https://vox.divinity.edu.au/news/st-barnabas-college-joins-the-university-of-divinity/ |website=VOX |publisher=University of Divinity |access-date=6 July 2023 |date=17 November 2022}}

In addition to the St Mark's campus in Canberra, the CSU's School of Theology also has another campus at North Parramatta, run by United Theological College (Sydney).{{cite web |title=Welcome to United Theological College |url=https://www.utc.edu.au/about-us/ |website=United Theological College |access-date=6 July 2023}} The membership of these two colleges in the CSU School of Theology is notable, given the more Evangelical inclinations of St Mark's and the Anglican Diocese of Canberra and Goulburn, as against the Progressive Christianity embraced by UTC and the Uniting Church in Australia, Synod of New South Wales and the ACT.

The centre delivers courses in higher education and vocational education and training (VET). Its courses in the higher education sector are offered through its partnership with Charles Sturt University's (CSU) School of Theology.[http://www.csu.edu.au/faculty/arts/theology Charles Sturt University's School of Theology] St Mark's is in Canberra, adjacent to Lake Burley Griffin in the Parliament House precinct.[http://arquivo.pt/wayback/20160516220044/http://www.csu.edu.au/about/locations/canberra Charles Sturt University Canberra Campus].{{cite web|url=http://www.stmarks.edu.au/about|title=About St Mark's|publisher=St Mark's National Theological Centre|accessdate=14 April 2014}} St Mark's Registered Training Organisation delivers courses in counselling, supervision and Christian ministry and theology.

The Canberra campus is home to St Mark's National Memorial Library which was established in 1957 by Bishop Ernest Burgmann and is now estimated at around 100,000 items.[http://www.stmarks.edu.au/library St Mark's Library website.]

The adjacent Australian Centre for Christianity and Culture is affiliated to the United Theological College and St Mark's. The ACCC itself is located on the site of the intended national Anglican church, at one stage proposed to be a cathedral, and dedicated as St Mark's in 1927.{{Cite web|url=https://nla.gov.au/nla.obj-141462099/view|title=Mildenhall Collection: Anglican clergy at the dedication of the site of the proposed Church of England cathedral via Trove NLA|access-date=13 December 2020}} In 1955 it was proposed to be a collegiate church, modelled upon Westminster Abbey.{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article91194819 |title=Collegiate Church Of St. Mark Seen As Australian Abbey |newspaper=The Canberra Times |volume=29 |issue=8,484 |location=Australian Capital Territory, Australia |date=14 March 1955 |accessdate=20 April 2022 |page=2 |via=National Library of Australia}} The long and complicated history of the national church site led, eventually, to the establishment of St Mark's Library.{{Cite web|url=https://anglicanhistory.org/aus/campbell_canberra2002.pdf|title=Campbell, TW, St Mark's National Cathedral or Collegiate Church, Canberra: Anglicanism's Cultural Problem, 2002, p 9|access-date=13 December 2020}}

• Bruce Wilson, 1984–89. Subsequently Bishop of Bathurst.
• Colin Dundon, 1990-95{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article132379028 |title=MIDWEEK MAGAZINE St Mark's strives to get into the black |newspaper=The Canberra Times |volume=66 |issue=20,849 |location=Australian Capital Territory, Australia |date=13 May 1992 |accessdate=20 April 2022 |page=24 |via=National Library of Australia}}{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article127520838 |title=St Mark's treasured 500-year-old tome believed oldest in Canberra |newspaper=The Canberra Times |volume=70 |issue=21,895 |location=Australian Capital Territory, Australia |date=29 March 1995 |accessdate=20 April 2022 |page=3 |via=National Library of Australia}}
• Jeffrey Driver, later bishop of Adelaide, 1995–97.{{Cite web|url=https://www.adelaidenow.com.au/news/south-australia/adelaides-retiring-anglican-archbishop-jeffrey-driver-calls-for-greater-connection/news-story/d968e6ffea08b63e8768067d563f3889|title=The Advertiser: "Adelaide's retiring Anglican Archbishop Jeffrey Driver calls for greater 'connection', 10 April 2016|access-date=16 April 2021}}
• Stephen Pickard, 1998–2006. Subsequently, an assistant bishop in Adelaide, and then Canberra & Goulburn.
• Tom Frame, 2006–14. Formerly bishop to the Australian Defence Forces.
• Andrew Cameron, 2014-23.{{cite web |title=Andrew Cameron Departing as Director |url=https://stmarks.edu.au/news/andrew-cameron-departing-as-director/ |website=St Mark's National Theological Centre |access-date=6 July 2023 |date=26 June 2023}}

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Category:1957 establishments in Australia

Category:Educational institutions established in 1957

Category:Education in the Australian Capital Territory

Category:Charles Sturt University

Category:Seminaries and theological colleges in Australia