Supporting Spurgeon’s College students 

How students impacted by the closure of Spurgeon's College have been supported across Baptists Together

 
The majority of Baptist students studying for a university qualification who were affected by the sudden closure of Spurgeon's College now have provision arranged for the new academic year.

Partners across Baptists Together have invested significant time and resources over the summer to ensure an appropriate continuation of studies for a range of students.

The co-ordinated work across the Baptist colleges, Regional Associations, Specialist Teams and Baptist Union Trustees has involved phone calls, emails, Zoom meetings, financial provision and the relinquishing of annual leave. 

Many of these students have incurred extra costs - and now a funding mechanism has been created to allow individuals or churches who have expressed a desire to support those affected make a financial donation. For more details see below, and to donate, click here.

With a new academic year just beginning, this update shares details of how students have been supported since the closure of Spurgeon's College on 31 July.
 

Categories of students affected

The closure of the Spurgeon’s impacted several categories of student:

• BU Ministers-in-Training (MiT), including both those already studying for an undergraduate or postgraduate qualification as part of their ministerial training, and others due to start this autumn;
• Ministerial students who are not BU Ministers-in-Training, some of whom hoped to attend Ministerial Recognition Committee in the future and join the BU pathway to accredited ministry;
• Baptists studying for a theological qualification;
• BU Newly Accredited Ministers (NAMs) with a learning contract with Spurgeon's;
• BU Recognised Local Ministers (RLM) on the Spurgeon's Equipped to Minister course;
• and Equipped to Minister students who are not seeking RLM status.

 
 
Student Support Office

A key element in ensuring ongoing provision was the setting up of a Student Support Office, staffed by a small number of the Spurgeon's College staff.

This connected students and their records with the Spurgeon’s staff, the Ministries Team and the Baptist colleges.

The Baptist Union of Great Britain (BUGB) agreed with the Joint Administrators of Spurgeon's College to fund this Student Support Office to the tune of £25,000.

It operated for four weeks, until 29 August, and enabled a range of processes. It allowed students to request the data that would ease their transfer to new institutions, as well as enabling the work of many students to be marked. It also allowed BUGB to request the data to help the Ministries Team continue to assess those training for accredited and recognised ministry.

The hub supported all Spurgeon’s students, but Baptist students specifically. It was also well-used by Spurgeon’s admin staff and the finance department.

In addition to helping to set up the Student Support Office, the Ministries Team liaised with Baptist Colleges and other partners to share detailed information for Baptist students when news of the closure broke.

The Information for Baptist students at Spurgeon’s College page was published on 31 July and has been updated several times since (the latest being 11 September). It had received more than 13,000 views at the time of writing.
 
 
Baptist Colleges support

All our Baptist Colleges committed to consider enquiries from Spurgeon's students about transferring their training programme. All expressed their passion for ministerial formation which explains why they have each worked so hard in the last six weeks to find solutions for the Spurgeon’s students.
 
Each published their own information sheet about what training would look like for students, which were all linked to on the afore mentioned Supporting Spurgeon’s Students page.

On 15 August, the following joint statement from the Baptist College Principals in England, Wales and Scotland was released to express both sorrow at the closure of Spurgeon’s, and a commitment to work together to “provide the best possible formation for ministry and mission at this crucial moment in the life of our Union and our nation”.
 

We want to express together our deep sorrow at the sudden closure of Spurgeon’s College and assure students and staff of our daily thoughts and prayers. Spurgeon’s has provided training and formation in Baptist life and beyond since 1856. Baptists Together and the Christian world will be the poorer for the passing of a great institution.

We each commit ourselves to continue to provide the best possible formation for ministry and mission at this crucial moment in the life of our Union and our nation. We also want to express a shared commitment to cooperate together in the most appropriate ways towards that end.
 

The process of transferring students is not straightforward. Each college has had to closely liaise with the University that validates its degrees to determine if it can award Accreditation for Prior Learning (APL) - the process where an educational institution gives students academic credit or exemption for learning they have previously gained. With no two courses being the same, this is a challenging undertaking. Durham University validates Bristol Baptist College, Northern Baptist College and the St Hild Centre for Baptist Ministry, and its Commons Awards team has been praised by Specialist Teams, Associations and Colleges for its flexibility in these difficult circumstances.
 

A London hub

In the days leading up to the announcement, Spurgeon’s worked especially closely with Bristol Baptist College to identify pathways for both undergraduate and postgraduate Ministers-in-Training to continue their studies.

Bristol Baptist College in partnership with London Baptists and in conversation with neighbouring Associations, is now offering Spurgeon's students the opportunity to join a London-based hub. It will consist of weekly gatherings in central London in term-time for a ministerial formation programme, together with academic content being taught in block weeks in Bristol for undergraduate MiTs and in a combination of London-based teaching and online days for postgraduate MiTs.

Teaching in London will take place at Westbourne Park Baptist Church, near Paddington. Biblical scholar the Revd Dr Simon Stocks is the hub's project lead (Simon had joined Spurgeon’s College as its Academic Director in November 2024 from St Augustine College of Theology); Sian Murray Williams, a former tutor at Bristol, is the Baptist hub tutor; and Steve Finamore, Principal Emeritus, will carry out a consultative role. London Baptists regional minister Lucy Wright will also work closely with the hub. Around 20 students will be taught there, and its first meeting takes place on Wednesday, 24 September.

London Baptists trustees have committed funding to support the setting up of the new hub.

London Baptists Regional Minister Team Leader Phil Barnard said, ‘We are fully committed to the training of men and women for the service of the church. Our primary concern has been those caught up in this tragedy – students have had everything thrown up in the air. We've sought to assist them as best we can.

‘I'm obviously very pleased we seem to have a plan, imperfect and complex as it is - but we have pulled together as a family, and we've sought to provide a solution in an hour of need.’

‘We’re very grateful to London Baptists for the commitment they've made to help with this project,’ said Bristol Baptist College Principal Peter Morden. ‘They have been extremely supportive.

‘At Bristol our passion is for ministerial formation, a new generation of pastors, planters and pioneers who will turn churches inside out for the gospel.

‘Spurgeon's was a noble institution, and it's a huge loss to Baptist life. No one wanted to be in this situation. It is a privilege to be able to step in and provide some help alongside others in London for these Spurgeon’s students.

‘It’s been very challenging for the whole team here – clearly not as challenging as it has been for the former Spurgeon’s students and members of staff – but people have worked many additional hours, and the work is difficult as well.

‘Supporting these students is vital for the future health of our Union. I believe God is doing some really exciting things across the nation, and what's needed is good, godly leadership, women and men who are trained with minds and hearts on fire for God.’
 

Transfer to other Baptist colleges

While the majority of Spurgeon’s Baptist students on the ministerial formation pathway are transferring to Bristol, former Spurgeon’s students have also enrolled at other Baptist colleges, namely Northern Baptist College in Manchester, Regent’s Park College in Oxford, and the St Hild Centre for Baptist Ministry in Sheffield.  

Northern’s approach included Zoom meetings with tutors to understand student needs. The college has been honest with students about their suitability for its courses, offering alternatives if the current setup did not work for them.

Principal Clara Rushbrook noted there had been lots of correspondence with Durham regarding APL awards, as there has been with other colleges. Several staff involved have given up annual leave.

With around half a dozen now enrolled, the college has had to think deeply about how it integrates its new cohort. New students will be a unique tutor group until January, allowing for a gradual integration into the wider college community. The college is also hosting a dedicated induction day in London. MA students will primarily engage in courses via Zoom and residential blocks. (The college can accommodate both on-site and online learning.)

Regent's Park College in Oxford is also set to welcome eight former Spurgeon’s students and one who was due to begin at Spurgeon’s this month. Vice Principal Anthony Clarke also highlighted the challenging nature of transferring credits – what people have studied in the past doesn’t necessarily dovetail with the specific course the college offers.

He stressed the collaborative nature of the response from all Baptist Colleges as they worked together to meet the needs of the students.

’The Colleges together are deeply committed to providing opportunities for ministerial students and the response has been a significant collaborative effort,’ Anthony said.

Nick Allan, Director of St Hild Centre for Baptist Ministry, felt the college was able to pivot quickly and flexibly to receive a number of theology students, since all the Centre’s courses are offered online as well as onsite in the north of England. The Centre has welcomed a number of people on a church leadership trajectory who have yet to be commended by their Associations. 

He estimated that the summer enquiries generated perhaps 150 hours of staff time in response, as they worked to agree not only suitable academic pathways but to understand MiT’s church placements and to design a formation programme, since people’s situation are all unique. He too commented on how quickly and collaboratively each college worked, alongside the Ministries Team and Associations, to achieve good outcomes for so many concerned students.
 
 
Association support

Alongside the work of the colleges, Associations have worked closely to support students, who were encouraged to speak to their Regional Ministers in the first instance about their ongoing formation and learning. This has resulted in regional ministers in Associations such as Central, Eastern, London and South Eastern offering both practical and pastoral support.

Paul Kerley is a Regional Minister in SEBA. At the time of writing, all bar one student’s pathway to ministry had been resolved.

Paul shared this insight, 'As SEBA’s Regional Minister overseeing Ministerial Recognition, I was made aware of the potential closure a few days before the public announcement. From that moment through to mid/late August, I was in constant conversation with the Ministries Team, Baptist Colleges, and - most importantly - around 30 SEBA students connected to Spurgeon’s in various ways: MITs, NAMs, RLMs, and others. I couldn’t begin to count the number of phone calls, emails, and Zoom meetings that took place during that time.

'Today, only one student’s pathway into ministry remains unresolved. The rest have successfully transitioned to other Baptist Colleges - primarily Bristol and Regent’s, though some have joined other colleges.

'Throughout this period, I’ve witnessed a remarkable spirit of collaboration. The BUGB, the Colleges, Associations and students have all worked together with grace and determination to find the best way forward.

‘Tim (Fergusson), Lee (Johnson), and the wider Ministries Team at Didcot have been outstanding, as have the principals and staff of the receiving colleges. Our SEBA students responded with maturity - no panic, just a clear-eyed understanding of the situation and proactive engagement with the colleges, supported by SEBA’s guidance.’

There has been a similar story in the Eastern Baptist Association (EBA). Regional Minister Team Leader David Mayne said, 'During August we've been working to help our Ministers-in-Training transfer to other Colleges, making arrangements for our Newly Accredited Ministers and their Learning Contracts, and make new arrangements for local church leader training to replace the old Equipped to Minister Course. 

'Mainly working through each situation one-by-one, we are glad that all our MiTs, NAMs, and RLMs have provision sorted for the new academic year. 

'It has involved a lot of phone calls, hundreds of emails, and a fair bit of creativity to get as far as we have. We're grateful for all our partners across Baptists Together who have worked with us to help our students.' 

The situation for the MITs in CBA highlights the complexity involved. Two were about to embark on the final year of their Masters degrees at Spurgeon's, alongside their ministerial formation. Both had prior theological education. They will continue with their ministerial formation via the Bristol London hub, but the Masters aspect is yet to be resolved.   

‘They’re thinking the most important thing is to get the formation done,’ said Lisa Kerry, CBA Team Leader, ‘and the other things can probably work out in time. They've been remarkably sanguine about it, considering it’s such a stressful time – they nearly got to the end of a Masters, and then it was all up in the air.

'But they've all been very proactive and mature, and I've been really impressed.’
 
 
Equipped to Minister

Equipped to Minister was Spurgeon's main part‑time local leader training track, and included some students who are looking to become an RLM (Recognised Local Minister).
Sadly there hasn't been a way of enabling either the Histon or London ETM hubs to continue.

However, the Heart of England Baptist Association (HEBA) has committed to organise the teaching of similar modules for the immediate future at the Birmingham hub. These will continue to be hosted by Chester Road Baptist Church and the module cost will be similar to that charged by Spurgeon's.

Adrian Argile, HEBA regional minister team leader, explained, ‘In the past HEBA organised the teaching of the 12 modules in co-operation with Regents, Northern and Bristol Baptist colleges. We entitled it ‘Learning @ The Centre’ as we were committed to encouraging discipleship amongst our churches and having something based in Birmingham helped in making the modules more accessible.

'When Spurgeon’s opened a Midlands Hub, we decided to pass on our students to Spurgeon’s who were going to offer similar modules.

'When Spurgeon’s closed, we wanted to ensure that those doing the modules could finish their course. Six HEBA people are trainee RLMs, so important that they are able to complete the modules and do the assignments. With HEBA’s experience in running ‘Learning @ The Centre’ it was natural for us to pick things up again and the existing tutors were keen to continue.

'When HEBA ran the modules previously, we found that some people would come and do one module, and several leadership teams also came to do a module together to help them consider things for their church (i.e. pastoral care). We feel that these modules are a great way to encourage people to study in more depth, whether they want to become a RLM or not.

'As it happens, some people who were doing modules in Histon or London have enquired about doing the modules they haven’t done yet in Birmingham. As an Association we can help and support not only people from HEBA, but also others across our Baptist family.'

The ending of Equipped to Minister has also resulted in a spike of interest in The Learning Collective (TLC), the programme for Baptist church members hosted by Regent’s Park College and which has recently celebrated the completion of its first cohort of learners from SCBA and CBA.

Those leading TLC have been working hard to try to help those affected. TLC is not identical to the Spurgeon’s ETM course, and trying to match what people have done with Equipped to Minister to what they could do with The Learning Collective is difficult. Some have opted to follow the complete TLC programme, while for others there is some decision making to be had concerning which modules need completing, especially for those who are pursuing RLM status.

New TLC hubs have been set up, meaning there are now seven hubs, including an online one. 

Staff at Regent’s have worked really hard to ensure everything is in place for this new term, and the first session was hosted on 9 September for 68 students, roughly double from the previous year. 
 

Voluntary donations to assist Spurgeon’s College students

Those wishing to financially support affected students can now do so. The following statement explains more:
 
Many people across Baptists Together have understandably voiced concern and sadness over the closure of Spurgeon’s College. Some of you have asked how you can make financial donations to support students whose studies have been so suddenly disrupted. It is now possible for you to make a voluntary donation towards specific costs these students will incur.

There are two areas of specific need.

Firstly, a number of Baptists, whether they are ministers-in-training, or accredited ministers undertaking further studies, had already paid some of the fees for the 2025-26 academic year. Though there is a mechanism for making a claim to the Joint Administrators for the College, the timeframe for the recovery of any money  and the amount that may be returned are unknown. To ensure  there is no immediate financial barrier to continuing study elsewhere, BUGB would like to support these students.

Secondly, those students who are on a pathway towards BUGB accreditation are likely to incur additional costs as they continue their ministerial formation at another Baptist College. The Colleges have worked incredibly hard to ensure each of these Ministers-in-Training has a workable route for continuing their training.  Nevertheless, these students were not expecting the additional travel to get to colleges beyond London and the accommodation required for short blocks of residential training. Similarly, those who were about to start on this pathway at Spurgeon’s are facing costs they had had not planned for. BUGB would like to ensure that all these Ministers-in-Training are not excessively disadvantaged further by these additional costs.

If you would like to voluntarily give a donation towards these costs, you can do so by following this link. It will be possible to give this way up until Sunday, 9 November.

 
Though BUGB will facilitate your giving, all the money will go to the students. (Please note that this means that it is not possible to Gift Aid these donations.) BUGB have identified a figure which should cover most or all of the specified costs. If less than this figure is collected , BUGB Trustees have agreed to fund the remainder, up to the identified amount. If more is collected than is required,  additional funds will be distributed among the Colleges, all of whom have invested time and resources helping students continue their study and formation.
 
 
A message from General Secretary Lynn Green
 

While I was on sabbatical over the summer the news about the closure of Spurgeon’s College was announced. 

This was a huge shock for us as a Baptist movement here in the UK and the shock waves reverberated around the global Baptist community too. 

I am sure that you, like me, have been much in prayer for the students and staff that have been so profoundly affected. 

It’s hard to express the depth of the shock and loss this closure has prompted – not simply for students and staff but also for the physical assets of the College and the legacy of the origins and long history of Spurgeon’s. 

It’s not simply the loss of the future that looms large, but the loss of the past and all that meant to so many. 

And whilst now our sense of loss is acute, at the right time it will also be necessary for us as a Baptist family to reflect deeply on this together in the light of the outcomes of any statutory reports. 

Out of this crisis, I have been really grateful for, and impressed by, how our Associations, Colleges and Specialist Teams have stepped up to make sure that students heading for accreditation and recognition in particular can continue their studies as smoothly as possible. 

I am sure that you will want to join me in saying a huge thank you to everyone who has been working so hard on this in recent weeks. 

I am aware from social media posts and in other ways that people have been asking how they could express their support in practical ways beyond their prayers. 

I wanted to let you know that this is now possible. You can find all the details in the link below and through our website. 

Voluntary donations to assist Spurgeon’s College students