New students arrive as Regents celebrates its 100th anniversary year
Jeffreys’ vision today: theological study, practical mission, rising numbers.
In April 1925, The Elim Pentecostal Churches’ founder George Jeffreys opened the Elim Bible College in Clapham Park, London.
Initially with five students, he said ‘to expedite the work, we need a Training School, a place where the study of the Word of God can be combined with the practical side of evangelism.’
Fast forward one hundred years to September 2025, to what has become Regents Theological College, and 40 undergraduate and 19 postgraduate students were welcomed as they started the new curriculum year.
In October and February more will join the Ministry Foundation Certificate to begin their journey towards ordination as Elim ministers.
Last year Regents saw its biggest intake of students since 2013, and this year the college has had a further 11% increase on total numbers, bringing 237 students currently studying on the various programmes.
Regents is increasingly being acclaimed as one of the few colleges for Pentecostal theological studies in Europe.
It’s where, as a Christian community, both students and faculty share their discipleship journey together – listening to God, listening to Scripture, and listening to each other.
To many this may sound like academic waffle, but we are clearly seeing a renewed desire amongst people of all ages to study Scripture at a deeper level whilst encountering the Holy Spirit, so they can enhance their relationship and understanding of God and be ‘faithful witnesses’.
Of course, this is not for everyone, but everyone is welcome.
Many join Regents from higher educational backgrounds, but the majority not.
Nonetheless, all are here, as in Jeffreys’ day, to study theologically and learn practically how to be effective as believers in all areas of the wider world.
They also come with teaching and preaching in mind, knowing they need to be ready to answer the increasingly more difficult doctrinal questions that people of other faiths, and of no faith, ask.
Studying theology academically with a practical outcome is certainly not a demand the Lord puts on all of us, but time and time again we see how ‘iron sharpens iron’ amongst those who spend time at Regents.
We are not here to dictate, and certainly not here to make out we know it all, but simply to love Scripture, to love the transforming presence of the Holy Spirit, and to ask God to guide us through His Word into everything Jesus has in store for our future.
PS. As a somewhat obvious postscript, if you are thinking of studying theology from a Pentecostal perspective, or know of someone who would like to know more about Regents, we have planned a number of Open Days as follows: regents-tc.ac.uk/open-days-2
This article was first published in the Your Elim newsletter. You can read the first edition here, and sign up to the newsletter here.