Vision
To establish MTC as a premier center for theological education and formation of men and women who are called to serve God as priests, teachers and leaders in the Anglican communion.
Mission
To provide funding that will enable MTC to secure an outstsanding faculty and to provide financial aid to deserving students.
Board of Advisors
The Right Rev. Neil Alexander
Bishop of the Diocese of Atlanta
The Right Rev. Mdimi Mhogolo
Bishop of the Diocese of Central Tanganyika
The Very Rev. Eddie Ard
Diocese of Atlanta
Ms. Ruth Anne Cary
Director of Finance and Administration
Church of the Heavenly Rest NY, NY
Diocese of New York
The Venerable Charles Gearing
Planned Giving Advisor
Diocese of Atlanta
The Rev. Patricia Grace
Diocese of Atlanta
Ms. Jessie Stuart MacKay
Artist and Volunteer
Diocese of North Carolina
The Very Rev. Dr. Ian S. Markham
Dean and President
Virginia Theological Seminary
Diocese of Virginia
The Rev. Canon Moses Matonya
Principal of Msalato Theological College
Diocese of Central Tanganyika
The Rev. Sandra McCann, M.D.
Communications Director,
Msalato Theological College
Dioceses of Atlanta and Central Tanganyika
The Rev. Canon Charles Roper
Canon to the Ordinary, Retired
Diocese of Atlanta
Ms. Karen Free Royce
Lay Leader, Christ Church Greenwich
Diocese of Connecticut
Contact
Rev. Sandra McCann
Make a Donation
"Work is an expression of our hope, of our belief in the blessing of life. Why else leave a gift behind? Leaving a gift behind implies gratitude, and gratitude is ultimately what our work is about. All authentic work is a thank-you for being in the cosmos, our home, where so much work is taking place."
- The Reinvention of WorkChecks
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Footsteps in Faith
The Episcopal Center
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2744 Peachtree Rd NW
Atlanta, GA 30305
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The Endowment, managed by the Diocese of Atlanta, seeks a minimum of three million dollars, and contributions - large and small - are IRS charitable deductible.
Why an endowment?
MTC is proud of its unique Anglican history in the Province of Tanzania. It is the largest seminary and the first to offer a Bachelor of Theology degree. MTC has supplied hundreds of priests for several Protestant denominations and dioceses throughout Tanzania and Kenya.
While there have been hard times, MTC has kept its doors open for 50 years, but in the past five years expenses have exponentially increased. This escalation can be largely attributed to globalization and accreditation. Globalization demands Internet for communication and for accessing information. Internet, as well as electricity and water, is extremely expensive in Africa.
The honor of being officially accredited as a teaching center of St. John’s University of Tanzania requires that MTC meet standards set by the Tanzanian Commission for Universities. Among those standards: dormitories must have indoor water and toilets; the campus must be equipped with safety lights; the library must contain sufficient resources and books and be able to accommodate one third of the student body at any one time; all students must have access to a computer laboratory and be taught Communication and Computer Skills; and all tutors must have a Master’s level or above to teach the degree courses.
With St. John’s University and the University of Dodoma both opening since 2007, and Loyola University of Tanzania scheduled to open, the demand and competition for teachers with graduate degrees is much greater than the current supply. MTC cannot expect to retain a highly qualified staff without providing reasonable compensation.
Data substantiates that the majority of secular colleges and universities in the West do not pay the staff and feed students on fees alone. Most are either endowed, supported by the government or other means. Less than two years ago at a roundtable discussion of US senators and representative with two dozen college presidents, Amherst College’s Anthony Marx said that it cost $80,000 per year to educate each student.
Education is not an efficient process, especially the education of a priest where living in community and being spiritually formed is as important as time spent in the classroom. Shirley M. Tilghman, president of Princeton University, said that just keeping up with the explosion of knowledge was an inherently expensive process, as the emergence of new fields of knowledge requires new spending.
The upsurge of knowledge means that a theological college can no longer prepare first-rate theologians and scholars without computers, Internet access, and IT skills. With no money for individual textbooks, journals, or resource events, access to information via the Net is even more important in Africa. Electronic information is the way of the world. African theologians must be included in the conversation of the church.
Goals
Focus on MTC’s mission
Concerns about daily operating expenses are a constant distraction and intrusion for optimal staff operation.
Competitive salaries
Attracting and retaining talented teachers is paramount to the vision of MTC.
Student financial aid
As a religious institution, MTC is not eligible for government funding. Outstanding students who feel called to ministry may be forced to choose secular universities and careers out of financial necessity.
African Theology
Currently, African priests with higher degrees are trained outside the country in Western theology that is not sufficiently relevant to their ministry in Africa. Financial stability will provide MTC the opportunity to offer graduate degrees.
Outcomes
There would be a greater number of African theologians who are well equipped to interpret God and the Holy Scriptures in the context of their own culture. The empowerment of more African theologians would significantly enrich our understanding of God’s vision for the African church, the Anglican Communion and the world.
