18/04/2026
Fifty years ago, a remarkable act of faith and ecumenical courage brought TEE College into being. On 23rd March 1976, representatives of churches across Southern Africa gathered under the auspices of the South African Council of Churches, united by a shared conviction that theological education should reach people wherever they are — not only those able to uproot their lives and attend a residential seminary. From that founding vision, shaped together by Anglicans, Lutherans, Methodists, Catholics, Congregationalists, and others, something extraordinary was born: an institution committed to opening doors for students across barriers of geography, economics, language, age, and circumstance. To every person who has ever believed in this vision and given of themselves to sustain it — as a church leader, a staff member, a marker, a tutor, a director, or a faithful partner — thank you. This anniversary belongs to you as much as to the graduates we celebrate today.
To our graduating students: you are not merely the recipients of fifty years of effort — you are its finest expression. You have studied, many of you in a second or third language, while holding down responsibilities to your families, your congregations, and your communities. You have persevered through the particular demands of distance learning, growing in theological understanding and ministry skill in the very contexts where that growth matters most. As TEE College begins its next fifty years, it does so carrying the hope that you represent: men and women equipped and ready for Christian service, shaped by an education that was always meant to meet you where you are. Congratulations — go well, and go faithfully.
teec.co.za
