July 2025

Principal Points

Christian greetings:)

Another semester has dawned upon us and we welcome it with much faith filled anticipation. This July marks 47 years of the College’s ministry. The platform church of the college, Grace Community Church, has celebrated its 12th anniversary in March this year. Praise God for His faithfulness. With Dr Dawson Elliott, taking on the reigns of Principal of the College in 2007 and also pioneering a church plant (Grace Community Church) just over 12 years ago and serving as its founding and Senior Pastor, this fruitful church has become the college’s official platform church for internships and spiritual formation. These two arms, Equip College and Grace Community Church, bring a blessed synergy within the “Body of Christ” for ongoing fulfilment of the the Great Commission.

This semester offers courses in Theology, Biblical Studies, Biblical Interpretation, Pastoral Ministry, Chaplaincy, Personal Development and Spiritual Formation (Discipleship) and Directed Research. These courses are deeply Biblical and highly practical. Over the years, I’ve met some folk who did not like the institution of “Bible College”. I suppose some of them were right in their dislike simply because the “Bible College” was producing ‘intellectuals” instead of “disciples.” However, not all were guilty of this. In due season and winter at that, (July 1978), the West Australian Bible College (WABC) was established. The vision for a college to bridge the gap between church based education programs (discipleship) and those of the traditional theological college was formed in the mind of Rev. Dr M. A. Wells, a man of God who during 40 years as a minister, exercised a unique church planting role in the foothills of Perth’s southern suburbs. Over the years, the College has been faithful to this vision and continues to do so today by the grace of God.

So I welcome you to study God’s Word at a deeper level as the Spirit leads you. The working union of College and church is paramount in making disciples the Christ Jesus way! For Equip College, the fruit of this season’s teaching ministry is evidenced in the church (GCC) and for GCC, the fruit of its 12 years of church ministry is grounded in the “deeply Biblical, highly practical” teaching ministry of Equip College. To God be the glory! Even as the church’s house churches have been deeply engaged with Paul’s letter to the Galatians, we learn that we must not compromise the Gospel message and to depart from it is to do so at our own eternal peril. All pastors, preachers, teachers, evangelists, chaplains, indeed all who call ourselves the children of God through Jesus Christ, must be tested and measured by the Gospel message of our Lord Jesus Christ. To this end of testing and measurement, Equip College and Grace Community Church must remain faithful and true.

Every blessing in Christ Jesus!

D. Dawson Elliott