About Us
Who is Eastern?
Eastern College Australia is a Christian tertiary education provider, located in the eastern suburbs of Melbourne, and the only higher education institution in Victoria offering both face-to-face and on-line classes across a range of awards and disciplines.
Previously known as Tabor College Victoria, Eastern has over 30 years’ experience in higher education and is nationally accredited and registered with ASQA and Higher Education courses with TEQSA.
Our programs are flexible, thoughtful, and transformative; our faculty are highly qualified, experienced and passionate. Our close-knit community will give you the opportunity to form relationships with your lecturers, each of whom will get to know you personally and walk with you through your learning experience.
You’ll find a rich and diverse community here, where you’re likely to discover lifelong friends.
PRINCIPAL'S
Welcome
At Eastern College Australia, we believe that God has uniquely gifted, shaped and called you. And we are privileged to come alongside you, and help equip, train and empower you to fulfil your God-given potential, wherever it may take you, and whatever that may be.
For some, coming to Eastern is just one step in an exciting journey of discovery, learning more about yourself, your gifts and talents, your opportunities, and how God wants to direct your life.
Many choose to study at Eastern because they deeply value our Christ-centered ethos; providing a Christian framework for life and service across a vast range of vocational and professional settings; education, counselling, chaplaincy, aid and development … the list is endless!
Our courses are all centred on a biblical foundation, and many of our Awards are infused not only with rich and thorough Christian principles, but a deep sense of the missional heart of God. And of course you’ll find a rich and diverse community, in which you are likely to discover lifelong friends.
If you are passionate about the call of God on your life, and seeking, in the words of the Apostle Paul, to be “thoroughly equipped for every good work” – consider becoming a student at Eastern College Australia. Together, we may just impact the world.
Rev Timothy Meyers (MTh, BEd)
Executive Principal
Our Mission
Eastern College Australia provides teaching, training and research from a Christian worldview that serves the Christian church and community whilst contributing to human flourishing through the transformed lives of its graduates.
Our VISION
Harnessing the strengths and resources of both Melbourne School of Theology (MST) and Eastern College Australia, in a two-school, one community model, we aim to become a leading regional provider of excellence in integrative Christian higher education.
Our Values
FAITH
ECA is a community committed to biblically-based Christian life, faith and witness, believing that God is glorified, and people are transformed through Christ-centred education and vocational training.
REASON
ECA is committed to the pursuit and proclamation of knowledge and truth from a Christian worldview, valuing and aspiring to academic excellence, critical and creative thinking and life-long learning that integrates theory and practice.
JUSTICE
ECA, as a community, is committed to both teaching and modelling peace and justice in human relationships, transforming people and communities through the lives of its graduates, exercising responsible care and stewardship of God’s creation, and recognising the image of God, and therefore inherent value in all people.
SPIRITUAL FORMATION
We are not simply concerned with academics. Our hope is that every student will be transformed by their studies both in mind and character, experiencing not only personal, spiritual renewal, but the development of life-long habits of the heart that will see them continue to grow in faith throughout their lives.
SERVANT & PARTNER TO THE LOCAL CHURCH & CHRISTIAN COMMUNITIES
We are not only an expression of the Christian church but see ourselves as it's servant. We value the trust relationship with Christian faith communities as they encourage their people to be trained here. We seek to listen to and engage with church and mission leaders in a partnership to advance God's Kingdom.
INNOVATION & FLEXIBILITY
In an era of rapid globalisation, the diaspora of people and cultures, and dynamic social upheaval, it is critical that higher education remains relevant, agile, innovative, and culturally sensitive, capable of addressing the theological, social, and ethical issues of our day with biblical depth, excellent scholarship, and wisdom. We endeavour to remain intuitive to these changes with creativity, flexibility and agility within our curriculum and pedagogy, while retaining our core commitment to the Christian faith, and our witness for Jesus Christ.
Where we stand
Theological Position
Eastern is an evangelical college, thoroughly committed to the infallibility of the Bible as the foundation for training and the empowering of the Spirit for service. We believe and affirm this Statement of Belief.
In 2018, Eastern College Australia – formerly Tabor College Victoria – relocated to MST’s Wantirna campus, and the two schools entered into a new, and unique ‘two-college, one community’ relationship.
Both institutions remain separate in terms of accreditation; MST is a provider of Australian College of Theology courses in Bible and Theology, while Eastern is a Higher Education Provider in its own right. However, despite being two separate legal entities, both operate in partnership with each other and have a merged operational footprint. This allows for opportunities available to students to be significantly broadened, with new avenues for interdisciplinary Christian education, and cross-institutional credit for a range of subjects from theology to counselling.
The collaborative partnership significantly strengthens and broadens our capacity to serve the church, and equip God’s people to live for, and testify to, our Lord Jesus Christ. Being able to offer biblically focused courses at Eastern College Australia across a range of disciplines, including education, counselling, chaplaincy and pastoral care, in addition to the existing courses at MST in theology, Biblical studies, mission and ministry makes for a rich, and profoundly valuable learning environment for all our students.
While our respective faculties generally work within their natural teams (MST English, MST Chinese and Eastern), we are also seeing a sharing of teaching and delivery as well, with MST and Eastern faculty teaching in both institutions.
This collaborative partnership provides for a unique experience for our students that transcends an average college experience.
“Every day at MST and Eastern we see God at work, bringing about a beautiful convergence of theological truth, identity, calling and vocation in ways that shape women and men long after their studies here are over,” noted Tim Meyers, Executive Principal of both Colleges. “We are so thankful for this unique privilege.”
“Two are better than one, because they have a good reward for their toil,” Ecclesiastes 4:9.
Want to find out more? We invite you to come experience this difference at our colleges where we are Two Colleges, One Community.
Centres of
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Get in Touch
You can apply directly to the College via our online application form Below.
