Official Press Release
DR. STEPHEN ANDREWS SELECTED AS THE NEXT PRINCIPAL OF WYCLIFFE COLLEGE AT THE UNIVERSITY OF TORONTO.
TORONTO, Ontario – April 22, 2016 – The Board of Trustees of Wycliffe College at the University of Toronto, is pleased to announce the appointment of the Rt. Rev. Dr. Stephen Andrews as the 10th Principal of Wycliffe College.
Stephen Andrews has worked in ministry, theological scholarship, and higher education for over 30 years, and is currently the Anglican Bishop of the Diocese of Algoma in Ontario. He earned his Master of Divinity at Wycliffe College and holds a Doctor of Philosophy from Cambridge University. He is a longtime friend of Wycliffe College with impeccable credentials and tremendous demonstrated leadership ability in the area of theological education and church life.
“I am honoured to be associated with one of North America’s premier theological colleges,” Stephen says, “And I am grateful for the chance to work with such an outstanding board, faculty and staff in a mission to serve the Church by preparing leaders who are godly, learned and able.”
Upon the resignation of George Sumner in September 2015, a Search Committee was formed and tasked with the job of finding a new leader for the College. Input was requested from the Wycliffe community as to what characteristics and gifts were needed for a new Wycliffe Principal.
“After eight months of prayerful deliberation, we are thrilled by this appointment and believe we have found a wonderful leader that is the right fit, in God’s right time, for Wycliffe College,” said Bob Hamilton, chair of the Board of Trustees and the Search Committee, “Stephen brings to the job an exceptional blend of scholarship, leadership and a deep experience in both the academy and the church. His leadership will allow Wycliffe to continue to bring innovative change to theological education. These attributes are what our community was looking for. With Stephen Andrews at the helm, the Board of Trustees continue to be optimistic about the future of Wycliffe College and its increasing role to serve the theological and mission of the evangelical church.”
Stephen is very excited to take on this new responsibility that God has set before him, “Personally, I am both eager and daunted in the face of this new challenge! But my wife, Fawna, and I believe that this is a wonderful opportunity and that God has been preparing us for this ministry.”
For more information on the appointment of our new Principal, please visit our website at www.wycliffecollege.ca or find us on Facebook.
About Wycliffe College:
Wycliffe College is a graduate theological school affiliated with the University of Toronto and Toronto School of Theology. It has approximately 300 students and offers a wide range of programs including Master of Divinity, Master of Theological Studies, and Doctor of Philosophy in Theological Studies.
For questions and comments please contact us:
Karen Baker-Bigauskas, Executive Administrator
E-mail 416 946 3535
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Get to Know Stephen
Biography
The Rt. Rev. Dr Stephen Andrews has been the Bishop of the Diocese of Algoma since 2009. He studied Classics at the University of Colorado and theology at Regent College and Wycliffe College, where he received his M.Div. degree in 1984.
After two years in London as Study Assistant to The Rev. Dr John Stott, he was ordained in the Diocese of Nova Scotia in 1986 and served as the Assistant Curate at historic St Paul’s, Halifax, until 1990. He completed a Doctor of Philosophy in the Faculty of Divinity at Cambridge University in 1995, with a dissertation entitled ‘Ancient Interpretation of Divine Judgement in Eden (Genesis 3.14-19).’ In 1994, Dr. Andrews became the Rector of The Cathedral Church of St. Alban the Martyr and Dean of the Diocese of Saskatchewan, in Prince Albert, where he was also Principal of the James Settee College for Ministry, a training initiative for First Nations church leaders.
In 2001 he was appointed President, Provost and Vice-Chancellor of Thorneloe University College, a founding member of the Laurentian University Federation in Sudbury, Ontario. Here he was the Director of the Thorneloe School of Theology programme. He held this position until his election as Bishop of the Diocese of Algoma in 2008. As an Adjunct Faculty member, he occasionally teaches in the Joint Department of Religious Studies at Laurentian University, where he holds the rank of Associate Professor. He serves on the Thorneloe Board.
Dr Andrews is married to Fawna, and they have two beautiful and talented children, Clare (married to Luke) and Ellen.Dr. Andrews is active in the General Synod of the Anglican Church of Canada, having served on the Council of General Synod, and the Faith Worship and Ministry Committee, of which was the Chair. He has been the Bishop’s appointment on the Algoma Diocesan Executive Committee and a member of the Algoma Postulancy Commission. He is a former National Chaplain to the Royal Canadian College of Organists, and was a member of the Primate’s Theological Commission. In 2007 he was elected as Prolocutor of the General Synod of the Anglican Church of Canada and subsequently as clerical member of the Anglican Consultative Council. In 2013 he was appointed the Chair of the Ontario Provincial Commission on Theological Education.
In HIis Own Words
Q: What do you hope to achieve as you take on this new role at Wycliffe College, and what is your hope for the College as we move into this new period of transition and change?
A: "I have a heart for theological education and a deep desire to see the Church grow in godly discipleship. My ambition is to see Wycliffe play a vital role in promoting and resourcing these things at a time when, both locally and globally, the Church needs leaders capable of making Christ real to a spiritually hungry and confused world. Under my watch, I pray that the College will live up to its calling to be a ‘seminary’ – a place of planting, nurture, growth, rootedness, reproduction, and formation – as it undertakes the work of scholarship both within and for the Church."
Dr. Stephen Andrews. Principal, Wycliffe College
A word from our Interim Principal
"I am delighted to add my word of greeting to the Rt. Rev. Dr. Stephen Andrews, as Wycliffe’s tenth Principal! Bishop Andrews is steeped in our cherished evangelical Anglican tradition; he has inhabited the two worlds of church and academy, blending pastoral, evangelical and academic priorities. He will bring a realistic grasp of the urgent needs of our church, coupled with a creative contemporary vision for future leadership ministry possibilities.
My wife Carmen and I offer our prayers and support to Bishop Stephen and Fawna, and join in welcoming them to Hoskin Avenue later this summer!"
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Bishop Peter Mason Interim Principal, Wycliffe College |
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