To see the church flourish
Oak Hill College is a Protestant, evangelical institution rooted in the foundational truths of Christianity as revealed in Scripture and affirmed by the historic creeds of the universal Church.
We hold to a clear Basis of Faith, Ethos, and Practice, drawn from the Evangelical Alliance, of which we are members.
(a) The one true God who lives eternally in three persons – the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit.
(b) The love, grace and sovereignty of God in creating, sustaining, ruling, redeeming and judging the world.
(c) The divine inspiration and supreme authority of the Old and New Testament Scriptures, which are the written Word of God – fully trustworthy for faith and conduct.
(d) The dignity of all people, made male and female in God’s image to love, be holy and care for creation, yet corrupted by sin, which incurs divine wrath and judgement.
(e) The incarnation of God’s eternal Son, the Lord Jesus Christ – born of the virgin Mary; truly divine and truly human, yet without sin.
(f) The atoning sacrifice of Christ on the cross: dying in our place, paying the price of sin and defeating evil, so reconciling us with God.
(g) The bodily resurrection of Christ, the first fruits of our resurrection; his ascension to the Father, and his reign and mediation as the only Saviour of the world.
(h) The justification of sinners solely by the grace of God through faith in Christ.
(i) The ministry of God the Holy Spirit, who leads us to repentance, unites us with Christ through new birth, empowers our discipleship and enables our witness.
(j) The church, the body of Christ both local and universal, the priesthood of all believers — given life by the Spirit and endowed with the Spirit’s gifts to worship God and proclaim the gospel, promoting justice and love.
(k) The personal and visible return of Jesus Christ to fulfil the purposes of God, who will raise all people to judgement, bring eternal life to the redeemed and eternal condemnation to the lost, and establish a new heaven and new earth.
As college, we are committed to establishing and maintaining a distinctive evangelical ethos and practice.
The Ethos and Practice of Oak Hill College stems primarily from our Basis of Faith and should be read alongside that. It also recognises the need to be consistent with the purposes and patterns of behaviour which accord with an orthodox and historic understanding of the ethical implications of the evangelical Christian faith. In light of this, we affirm…
1. The sovereignty of the one true God, who is to be honoured, obeyed and glorified. We express our love for God regularly in loving others, in worship and in prayer both personally and corporately (Psalm 95:6; Ephesians 6:18; Colossians 1:15-20; 1 John 4:19-21).
2. The inspiration, authority and truth of the Bible which is to be engaged with regularly and which guides our life and work (Psalm 119; Isaiah 40:8; Matthew 5:17-19; 2 Timothy 3:16-17).
3. The necessity of personal repentance and faith, and of bearing witness to Christ in word and deed. We are to actively share the gospel and generously serve those in need (Matthew 25:35-36, 28:16-20; Acts 2:38; 1 Peter 3:15).
4. That new birth means we belong to God, that our true identity is found “in Christ” and that the Holy Spirit dwells in us. We recognise that we all fall short of God’s standard, the need for God’s grace and forgiveness, and the ongoing and empowering work of the Holy Spirit (Ephesians 2:10, 3:14-19; 1 Corinthians 3:16; 2 Corinthians 5:17; 1 Peter 2:9).
5. The value and importance for the Christian life of participation in the local church. We frame local participation within the context of the church universal (Romans 12:3-21; Ephesians 4:11-16; 1 Peter 4:10-11).
6. The value and importance of prayer and discipleship. Through our whole-life discipleship, we affirm the value and importance of seeking to follow Jesus’ example, obeying His teachings, and dedicating our lives to the purposes of God, to see His will done and His kingdom come. Through our prayers, we recognise our dependence on God and our need to listen to the Holy Spirit (Matthew 28:16-20; John 8:31- 38; Ephesians 6:18; 2 Timothy 2:2).
7. That human beings are fearfully and wonderfully made in God’s image and that our choices and actions are informed by a reverence for human life. That God loves and cares for all people in their physical, cultural and ethnic diversity. That the Bible calls us to love everyone and treat them with dignity, mercy, compassion, kindness, humility and justice (Genesis 12:3; Leviticus 19:15; Deuteronomy 16:19, 24:17; Psalm 139:13-16; Amos 5:24; Micah 6:8; John 15:12).
8. That our bodies are created by God, and following Jesus, we will share in a bodily resurrection. God created male and female, and our bodies are essential to our nature and intrinsic to our identity. Both male and female have equal value, are made to glorify God and together reflect His image (Genesis 1:27, 2:23; Ephesians 5:21-33; 1 Corinthians 6:19, 15:35-58).
9. The value and importance of friendship, family and marriage. As Christians, we are friends of Jesus and children of God. As modelled by Jesus, outside of marriage God intends for people to live a single, chaste life. Marriage is a witness to the eternal love of Christ for His church and is intended to be a faithful, self-sacrificial and life-long covenant between one man and one woman, and is the place approved by God for sexual relations (Genesis 2:20-24; Malachi 2:13-16; Matthew 19:1-12; John 15:12-17; Romans 8:14-17; 1 Corinthians 6:9-10, 7:8-16; Ephesians 5:21-27; Revelation 19:6-7, 21:1-2).
10. The value and importance of choices and actions that are informed by love for, and a concern to look after, the good creation that God has made and entrusted to us. In Christ, God is reconciling all things, on earth and in heaven, to Himself (Genesis 2:15; Psalm 8; Colossians 1:19-20; Revelation 21:1-2).
The church is central to God’s plan for the world. We partner with churches to equip and form men and women to love Jesus and to serve the church and the world with love, theological depth, and practical wisdom in whatever role the Lord has for them.
Situated in a leading global city, we equip the church to flourish locally and worldwide. Our flexible and accessible programmes equip students for ministry in every kind of setting — urban or rural, UK-based or international — with intercultural awareness, theological clarity, and gospel conviction.
We believe every word of Scripture is God-breathed. We are committed to close engagement with the Bible and pay careful attention to the words through which God speaks.
We provide the opportunity for students to study both biblical languages in a supportive and accessible way.
Our training is anchored in the whole counsel of Scripture and shaped by deep, rigorous theology. We integrate biblical, systematic, historical, and practical theology — believing this best forms wise, faithful, and resilient gospel workers for the church and the world.
Deep learning and lasting formation can’t be rushed. Whether full-time or part-time, our students grow over time in knowledge, character, and calling. They do this in community.
Across all our programmes, students grow through rich and ongoing relationships with faculty and peers - learning, praying, and serving together.
We cultivate a supportive environment where life and learning are shared, shaping not just minds, but hearts and character. Distinctive to Oak Hill is the communal living many students enjoy, alongside their families.
We welcome men and women from all denominations and church backgrounds.
We were established as a training college for the Church of England and now consciously combine Anglican and other evangelical traditions, which are spiritual heirs of the Protestant Reformation. We prepare students to serve faithfully in diverse church contexts, respecting and honouring their traditions, while keeping Christ at the centre.
Most of all, we love Christ and so, united in Christ, we share core gospel convictions and learn from one another in humility.
We welcome and value students who hold a range of views on how men and women can serve in ministry, while respecting the convictions of the churches they come from and will go on to serve.
Historically and today, many sending churches, students, and faculty members hold a range of complementarian convictions. However, this is not the case for all churches, students or lecturers. All are welcome.
We are deeply conscious of how dependent we are on the generosity of God and his people. If you value the ministry of Oak Hill and its contribution to the training of gospel workers, we would love you to pray for us and to consider giving financially to support the work.