Why Carey

For 93 years Carey has served the church in New Zealand by producing leaders for ministry and mission.

At Carey we believe the Bible is the foundation for understanding God, understanding the world, understanding ourselves, understanding the church and understanding mission.

We invite you to come and be part of all God is doing in and through us.

Welcome to Carey

Carey is a learning community focused on providing the highest quality theological tertiary training to Christians wanting to explore their faith more. While we have gained a reputation for being a research-led academic institution of quality, we direct this excellence towards an applied learning which enables graduates to serve and think and lead in a way that advances God’s mission in the world.

Our purpose is to serve the church in New Zealand by producing leaders for ministry and mission. We believe that studying theology will help our students know God in a deeper and more personal way so that trust and obedience will become much easier.

We offer our own Bachelor of Applied Theology degree, a Master of Applied Theology, and supervise PhD theses in theology for AUT University. We provide specialist training for those preparing for ministry and mission leadership including: pastoral leadership, youth pastoral leadership, children and family, inter-cultural and pioneer leadership.

Our graduates have gone on to become pastors, mission co-ordinators, youth leaders and church planters. Others serve in ministries such as chaplaincy, advocacy, non-profit organisations, or continue within the marketplace.

While we serve the largely evangelical-charismatic family of churches in the Baptist Union of New Zealand, about 40% of our students are drawn from other Christian streams.

What we do

Ā mātou mahi

Carey Baptist College is a well established Bible College and tertiary institution providing theological education to the Baptist Churches of New Zealand, the wider church, and the community in Aotearoa, New Zealand. We are focused on providing the highest quality theological education at a tertiary level to Christians who wish to explore their faith further.

Carey’s teaching faculty is comprised of highly qualified and respected academics whose research outputs place Carey among the leading PTEs in Aotearoa, New Zealand. While we have gained a reputation for being a research-led academic institution of quality, we direct this excellence towards an applied learning which enables graduates to serve, think, and lead in a way that advances God’s mission in the world. 

We offer our own Bachelor of Applied Theology degree, a Master of Applied Theology, and supervise PhD theses in theology in conjunction with AUT University. 

Carey also provides specialist training for those preparing for ministry and mission leadership, this includes: pastoral leadership, youth pastoral leadership, children and family, inter-cultural, and pioneer leadership.

Download our Profile for more information

Who we are

Ko te kareti iriiri mātou

For 93 years Carey has served the church in New Zealand by producing leaders for ministry and mission.

Carey was founded in 1926 and has evolved from a small, denominational seminary into a broad-based tertiary theological education institution serving not only the Baptist denomination of churches, but also the wider church and community in Aotearoa, New Zealand.

We are evangelical in our identity, integrated in our practice, innovative with our development, strive for excellence in our performance and to be accessible to our constituency.

Carey supports equal educational opportunities for all our students.

Find out more about our story

Vibrant and Caring Community

Oranga Hapori

Community is at the heart of Carey and we intentionally create spaces for you to form friendships that will become part of something much bigger than yourself. Learning in isolation is not really an option at Carey. God uses the relationships we develop with one another to form us, grow us, and challenge us – staff included!

Carey Staff

Nga Kaikauwhau

You will be superbly trained at Carey. Carey is a community of faithful scholars who passionately believe theology is the starting point to making a difference. They are both leaders in their fields academically and cutting edge practitioners doing the stuff they are teaching.

Find out more

Take a tour of the campus

Haere mai ki te haerere o oranga.

Discover what it’s like to study on-site at Carey.

 

te kakahu ō te tumuaki

The Principal’s cloak.

This cloak is very special to Carey. It was created for the Principal of Carey and represents who we are as a learning community:

The row of white feathers is a sign of leadership. The black feathers tinged with iridescent blues and greens represent the coming of the light of the gospel to Aotearoa, and reminds us of all those who went before and created a way for us today (Hebrews 12:1).

The triangular niho taniwha pattern on the braid represents the triune God and is also a fighting pattern reminding us of the need for strength and resilience to succeed in theological education.

The poutama pattern, commonly known as ‘steps to heaven,’ signifies the transforming work of the Holy Spirit in making us more like Christ (2 Corinthians 3:18).

The colours of the poutama indicate that all people are welcome at Carey and remind us of the great multitude from every nation, tribe, people, and language that will one day worship before the throne and the Lamb (Revelation 7:9-10).

Applied Theology

Carey is the only tertiary education organisation in Aotearoa, New Zealand delivering degree level study in applied theology.

The intended outcome of a student’s study is transformation – for the student and their leadership practice, as well as for the contexts in which they operate.

Find out more

Flexible Study Options

Ngā whiringa pīngore mo ngā ākonga.

We offer a range of course delivery options with the aim of making study as accessible as possible for you including on-site, distance, block courses, field education, part-time study. Over half of our students study off-site.

Centre for Chinese Research & Training 中文部研训中心

Wātaka hainamana

Carey is the only tertiary education organisation (TEO) in Aotearoa, New Zealand accredited to offer any programme entirely in Mandarin.

Delivery of its Level 5 and 6 academic programmes in Mandarin supports the needs of the Chinese community for the development of leaders within its churches.

Find out more

Māori at Carey

Ngā ākonga māori

At Carey we aspire to be a community of faith and learning where our Māori students are participating, teaching, and learning as Māori.

Find out more about our Tiriti hikoi and what that means for you, as Māori, here at Carey.

Find out more

Alumni and Friends

ō mātou ākonga paetahi

We pray that our graduates will be leaders, thinkers, and risk-takers; people who are innovative, globally aware, outward looking, and very God-dependent.

Our graduates include pastors, mission co-ordinators, youth leaders, church planters, armed forces chaplains, advocates and those working in academic positions and in non-profit organisations. Others continue within the marketplace intersecting their faith with chosen vocation.

Find out more

Accreditations & Associations

Ngā tohutuku me ngā roopū

Carey is proud to be affiliated with and adhere to the high standards of quality teaching of the accreditation bodies and associations.

Find out more

Our Location

Ā mātou wāhi

Carey is situated in the suburb of Penrose, a very central location about 10kms south of Auckland CBD.

The campus is very close to the Southern motorway and in close proximity to train stations and bus routes.

There is plenty of free parking spaces on-site for students and visitors. View Map.

Need to book accommodation while you are visiting Carey? There are a number of options in walking distance or within a short taxi ride. Find out more here

When you study at Carey you will...

Prospectus 2019

Accommodation Near Carey

External Evaluation and Review (EER Report)

Career Opportunities

Alumni Stories

Rob Stacey

“After several enjoyable years of ministry, I sensed I needed to be better equipped to engage scripture, faith, mission and culture for those God had called me to. Like many I came looking to complete a degree and to gain a qualification. What I received was a nurturing and formational education for faith-filled living and leadership among Gods people… not to mention a renewed passion for the Gospel and its transformative and eternal impact through Jesus. Carey was the right choice.”