Whitley College

04/09/2026

SAVE THE DATE | Whitley College Open Day

Curious about theology and where it could take you?

Whitley College Open Day is coming up on Saturday 17 October, from 10:00 am to 1:00 pm at Whitley College, 90 Albion Road, Box Hill.

It’s a chance to meet our academic team and students, explore courses and study pathways, ask questions, and discover how theological study can connect with your faith, vocation and future.

More details will be released soon, so watch this space.

For now, get the date in your diary and don’t miss out.

Register here: https://bit.ly/4qTfqHn

We look forward to welcoming you!

01/09/2026

We’re delighted to welcome Junho Cho to the Whitley College team as Assistant Director of the TransFormation Programs!

Junho brings a rich combination of theological study, ministry experience and a deep commitment to intercultural and intergenerational Christian community.

He graduated from Korea Baptist Theological University and Seminary with a Bachelor of Arts in Christian Education before moving to Melbourne, where he completed a Master of Theological Studies at Whitley College.

Junho has extensive ministry experience serving in a Korean migrant church and is currently planting a new church with a vision of becoming an intercultural and intergenerational community. He has also worked as a Church Planter with the BUV Mission Catalyst team.

In his new role at Whitley, Junho supports the TransFormation Programs by providing academic assistance and pastoral care to current students, while also exploring opportunities for the program’s expansion and growth.

We’re very pleased to have Junho joining the team and look forward to the experience, care and insight he will bring to the TransFormation community and the wider life of Whitley.

Please join us in giving Junho a very warm welcome to the team!

28/08/2026

The Baptist Union of Victoria and Whitley College invite you to a gathering for pastors and leaders who are discipling young people in migrant contexts.

We will explore some of the questions below:

- What does it mean to disciple young people in our cultural contexts?

- How do we navigate the differences between first and second-generation migrant experiences?

- How can we respond to mental health and pastoral needs within migrant communities?

What can we learn from one another’s ministry contexts?

How do we create churches where young people feel seen, heard and able to belong?

Saturday 19th September, 9am – 3pm at Essendon Baptist Church
$30 per person, lunch included

Speakers include:

- Rev Alex Lam (Senior Pastor, Central Chinese Baptist Church)
- Savaen Cameron (National Lead for Intercultural Mission Development, the Salvation Army)
- Esther Nimasung (Youth Leader, Grace Baptist Church of Melbourne)
- Tluang Lausaw (Youth Secretary, Lutuv Baptist Church)
- Leah Min Kyung Oh (Lev Clinical Psychology)

REGISTER NOW: https://www.buv.com.au/event/youthsymposium26/

We encourage you to bring your pastoral and youth ministry leadership teams!

We hope to see you there!

28/08/2026

It is with great sadness that we share the news of the passing of former Whitley Faculty member, Rev Dr Simon Holt, who died on Tuesday evening, August 25.

Simon served at Whitley for more than 10 years as Senior Lecturer in Spirituality and Practical Theology, before leaving in 2010 to become Senior Pastor at Collins Street Baptist Church. In 2025, Simon and his wife Brenda moved to Canberra.

Many in the Whitley community will remember Simon as a gifted teacher, thoughtful theologian, pastor and writer. Others will know him through his long ministry at Collins Street Baptist Church, or through his books, including God Next Door: Spirituality and Mission in the Neighbourhood, Eating Heaven: Spirituality at the Table, and Heaven All Around Us: Discovering God in Everyday Life.

His contribution to Whitley and to the wider church has been significant, and he will be deeply missed by so many whose lives were shaped by his teaching, ministry and friendship.

Our hearts and prayers are especially with Simon’s wife, Brenda, their children Alli and Nathaniel, and all those who loved him and are grieving his loss.

We give thanks for Simon’s life, his faith, his ministry and the generous contribution he made to the Whitley community and beyond.

Simon's funeral will take place on Friday September 4, at 11:00am at Collins Street Baptist Church, Melbourne.

May Simon rest in peace, and may those who grieve be held in God’s comfort and love.

14/08/2026

Rev Dr Andrew Mitchell is Whitley’s Academic Dean and Senior Lecturer in Baptist Studies.

Originally from Aotearoa New Zealand, Andrew initially came to Australia to study. He worked in the jewellery industry, completing a Diploma of Gemmology and a Bachelor of Arts (International Studies), before pursuing a call to ministry.

Andrew served at a few churches in the BUV, completing a Master of Arts (Christian Studies) at Ridley College, as well as being ordained by the Baptist Union of Victoria. His PhD was completed through a partnership between NAIITS: An Indigenous Learning Community and the University of Divinity. His thesis, titled Shalom: Towards New Narratives of Right-Relationship for the Baptist Union of Victoria, explored how local churches in the BUV could think theologically about their relationship with local Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities.

Andrew is also on the faculties of NAIITS and Kawthoolei Hope Theological Seminary in Thailand. He is part of the editorial team of the NAIITS Journal, as well as the Ordination Discernment Group of the BUV, and speaks regularly across the BUV.
This semester Andrew is teaching a diploma unit in the Gospel of Mark and coordinating Whitley’s Capstone units.

You can read more about Andrew here: https://www.whitley.edu.au/people/rev-andy-mitchell/

11/08/2026

We join with the BUV and churches across Victoria to pray for the congregations on this week's prayer calendar. Pray with us as we lift them up.

🙏✝❤️Welcome to Monday! This week we will be praying for the following 'C' churches and their communities. Please join with us as hold them in prayer.
If you have a prayer request for your church please DM us.
Collins Street Baptist Church Community Church of St Mark Connect Baptist Church Ballarat Corryong Baptist Church

30/07/2026

Meet Robyn Wrigley-Carr, Associate Professor in Spirituality and Spiritual Care at Whitley College.

Robyn teaches with a deep commitment to helping students navigate life's most profound questions with wisdom, compassion and hope. This semester, she’ll be teaching 'Grief, Loss and Trauma-Informed Spiritual Care' and 'Patterns in the Practice of Spirituality', drawing on more than 20 years of experience teaching theology and spirituality in higher education.

An award-winning educator, Robyn is a recipient of the Excellence in Teaching Award from Alphacrucis University College and holds qualifications from the University of St Andrew’s (Scotland), Regent College (Canada), the University of London, and the University of Sydney. Robyn also holds her Graduate Diploma in Spiritual Direction from Wellspring (University of Divinity).

Robyn’s research explores spirituality across every stage of life, including spiritual care for people living with dementia, and aged care chaplaincy. A respected scholar, spiritual director and retreat leader, she has published widely, presented keynote addresses both in Australia and internationally, and serves on the Executive Committee of the International Network for the Study of Spirituality and is on the Editorial Board and Book Reviews Editor for the Journal for the Study of Spirituality.

Robyn is passionate about building a sense of community in her classes and helping students integrate classroom learning with their lived reality.

When she isn’t engrossed in research or enthusiastically preparing classroom content, Robyn loves spending time with family and friends and travelling. She is an accomplished pianist, proud mother of three children, and enjoys watching films.

We're delighted to have Robyn inspiring the next generation of students at Whitley College.

Read more about Robyn here: https://www.whitley.edu.au/people/associate-professor-robyn-wrigley-carr/

29/07/2026

Rev Associate Professor Jason Goroncy brings over 25 years of experience in theological education to his teaching at Whitley College.

In a recent publication he writes, “At Babel, linguistic unity served human pride and imperial consolidation — it is, in the biblical imagination, the original monoculturalism. At Pentecost, the Holy Spirit does not restore that unity. It multiplies comprehension across difference. The diversity of tongues is not overcome; it is honoured.”

Further to the article we published on 1st July, here Jason shares his latest thought-provoking opinion piece: “How Christianity both creates and can resolve the problem of monoculturalism.”

https://www.abc.net.au/religion/christianity-creates-and-resolves-problem-of-monoculturalism/106934908

28/07/2026

Today, staff, students and guests gathered for our Semester 2 Chapel Service, sharing in a meaningful time of worship, prayer, reflection on God's Word, and fellowship. It was a wonderful way to begin the new semester together, united in faith and community.

28/07/2026

We join with the Baptist Union in lifting up Victorian Baptist Churches each week during our Whitley chapel and prayer services. Pray with us!

Union of Victoria

🙏Please join us in prayer for these churches, their pastors and leaders, congregation members and local communities this week.
If you have a prayer request for your church please DM us.

Catalyst Baptist Church - Werribee Central Baptist Church, Clifton Springs Central Chinese Baptist Church, Melbourne Chin Baptist Church Pakenham Christian Community Church Morwell