Australian and New Zealand missionary training homes

Abstract

Prior to the emergence of formal Bible-training institutes in south-eastern Australia from 1892 onwards, candidates were sometimes placed with a local cleric for a few months to receive concentrated theological tuition and exposure to pastoral pursuits before proceeding to China. Missionary preparation programs emphasized Bible studies, with practical work such as open-air preaching, home and hospital visits, and religious instruction in schools. Many who attended such courses felt that the medical side was underdone, however, and those who were not trained nurses or doctors sometimes augmented Bible studies with training in First Aid, or through short quasi-apprenticeships in hospitals and/or dental clinics. Show more