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History of UTC
The College was inaugurated in July 1910 under the name “The United Theological College of South India and Ceylon” as “a Christian College where students may obtain a sound theological education”. It was established through the co-operation of the London Missionary Society, the Wesleyan Methodist Missionary Society, The United Free Church of Scotland, the Arcot Mission of the Reformed Church in America and the Trustees of the Jaffna College Funds and the S.P.C.K. in Scotland also gave their support.
Interest in this ecumenical institution grew, and churches, missionary societies and other organisations from various regions of India and from abroad joined with the founders in support of the College. In 1951 the Church Missionary Society and the society for the Propagation of the Gospel became supporting bodies. The College had received help at various times from the Danish Lutheran Church and the friends of Dr.L.P.Larsen, the first Principal of the College, and in 1959 the Danish Missionary Society became a supporting body. In 1960 the Basel Evangelical Mission (now a member of the Association of Churches and Mission in S.W. Germany) and the Kolhapur Church Council joined the ranks, to be followed the next year by the church of South India, and in 1963 by the Mar Thoma Church. The Council of Y.M.C.A’s in India joined as a supporting body in 1967 and the Church of India, Pakistan, Burma and Ceylon (now merged in the Church of North India) in 1969. Also in 1969 the Board of Global Ministries of the United Methodist Church became one of the contributing bodies.
Following the merger of the Gurukul Lutheran Theological College and Research Institute with the United Theological College for B.D., M.Th.and other degree programmers in June 1971, several Lutheran Church and Missions (Andhra Evangelical Lutheran Church, South Andhra Lutheran Church, Church of Sweden Mission, the Lutheran Church of America, the American Lutheran Church-both presently merged in the Evangelical Church of America, India Evangelical Lutheran Church and the Leipzig Evangelical Lutheran Mission ) became supporting bodies of the College. The Malankar Jacobite Syrian Church became a contributing body in 1979. Read more »
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