Welcome
Ambassador College of Christian Ministry
About ACCM
Equipping for Ministry
Christ-Centred • Trinitarian • Scripture-Focused
ACCM was designed to meet the needs of our transforming fellowship. It provides a unifying and denominationally recognised basic ministry qualification for those who have not had previous theological or pastoral education.
Who ACCM Is For
ACCM was particularly designed for those who have not had previous theological or pastoral education:
- Lay pastors
- Pastoral team members
- Ministry leaders
- Church members developing their theological education
We recognise the vital, ongoing importance of quality pastoral and theological education and training for the health of our fellowship and our shared mission participating in the ministry of Christ.
ACCM’s Certificate and Diploma programs are created and maintained by Ambassador College of Christian Ministry, which is owned and operated by Grace Communion International in Australia. ACCM is the church’s primary focus for equipping its members through education for their contribution to the ministry of all believers.
Our Purposes
ACCM exists for the following purposes:
- Equipping for ministry Ephesians 4:12 – “to equip his people for works of service”
- Providing a unifying and clarifying educational experience, reflecting GCI’s doctrinal understanding; teaching the Triune nature of God and the life of the New Creation Ephesians 4:13
- Intentionally focusing on the God revealed in Jesus, keeping Jesus the centre of the centre
- Building up the body of Christ Ephesians 4:12 – “so that the body of Christ may be built up”
- Growing and maturing into Jesus Christ, through the spiritual formation of individuals and communities Ephesians 4:13
- Building relationships, connections and shared learning experiences
- Equipping members for our mission of “Living and Sharing the Gospel”
- Communion with God
Our Motto: Equipping for Ministry
Hence our motto, “Equipping for Ministry”. Because our focus is on equipping, we seek a balance of cognition and action, of theology and practice (Christian living). We don’t require academically perfect papers, for example. Rather, most assessments are designed to be practically usable in your congregational setting.
Our desire is not to add to students’ burdens, but to help and equip them for their ministry and mission.
Who Can Study
No entry requirements
There are no entry requirements for ACCM. Anyone can take the courses.
Not everyone wants to do advanced academic work, although those who would like to are most definitely encouraged to do so, specifically through our GCS Seminary, which is designed for advanced education. Those without any formal training in ministry, and without a Bachelor’s degree, may find ACCM ideally suited to their needs. Members, lay pastors, pastoral team members, interns and pastors without prior formal training will all benefit from ACCM.
More information can be found in our Frequently Asked Questions.
Our Name
Our denomination asked us to use the name ACCM (Ambassador College of Christian Ministry). The term comes from 2 Corinthians 5, that magnificent passage about the New Creation of the New Covenant. Because of the love of Christ, we are a new creation in him. His love transforms us and compels us to love others.
We no longer see God the way we used to: in the revelation of God in Jesus, we see the love and communion of the Triune God. And because we no longer see God the way we used to, we no longer see ourselves or others the way we used to. We see ourselves as much-loved children of God, adopted by him in Jesus through the Spirit. We call God “Abba, Father”, as Jesus does. And we now see others as made in God’s image, created by God in love to share in the same loving relationship. This means evangelism is about introducing people to Jesus; it is about sharing with them who they are (their real identity) in Christ.
Paul says that God was in Christ reconciling the world to himself, and we are given this mission: to share in Christ’s reconciliation of the world to the Father.
To be an “ambassador for Christ” is to be an ambassador of the love of God, an ambassador for reconciliation and communion.
Our Goal: Communion
As Andrew Purves says, the goal of all Christian education is communion. That is our goal too. At ACCM, we are committed to the role of quality theological education and training in the development and growth of healthy communion.
We see ACCM as part of loving God with all our minds, as well as our hearts and souls, developing individuals, congregations, our denomination and beyond. The good news of the gospel contributes to the common good of all humanity. As James Torrance writes, we are together participating in the Father’s mission to the Son through the Spirit: the creation and sharing of communion.
We are delighted to have you sharing in our journey, and in our communion in Christ.
Equipping for Ministry
Our History
Equipping for Ministry
Christ-Centred • Trinitarian • Scripture-Focused
The story of Ambassador College of Christian Ministry (ACCM) is a story of education in the service of the church: equipping people to know Jesus Christ more deeply and to participate more fully in his ministry.
Beginnings
Before ACCM existed, the church in Australia was already investing in its people. Training weekends at Camp Moogerah, the church’s camp at Lake Moogerah in Queensland, brought members and leaders together to learn, worship and grow in ministry.
Out of that commitment, ACCM was formally established on 21 December 2000 as Pacific College of Training and Development Ltd, trading as ACCM, an educational initiative of Grace Communion International (GCI) in Australia. Its founder and Director, John McLean, led and developed the college for the next quarter of a century. From the start, its purpose was captured in a simple motto: “Equipping for Ministry.”
That purpose grew out of a lifetime of ministry. Over more than 45 years of pastoral service, John served for sixteen years as National Director and Mission Developer of GCI Australia and for two years as Superintendent of Australasia. With a particular interest in education and developing people, he wrote several of ACCM’s foundational courses and taught ACCM programmes internationally.
A College Shaped by GCI’s Theological Journey
ACCM developed within GCI’s commitment to a Christ-centred understanding of Scripture, theology and ministry. Its courses help students encounter the God revealed in Jesus Christ and understand what this means for discipleship, leadership and ministry. ACCM teaching emphasises that theology is concerned first with who God is, and encourages the church to keep examining its beliefs and practices in the light of God’s revelation.
Incarnational Trinitarian theology expressed in practical Christian life and ministry.
This became the heart of ACCM’s approach. Looking back, John McLean described ACCM’s purpose as teaching practical theology expressed through loving leadership and ministry, helping to build healthy congregations with Jesus at the centre. The aim has always been learning that brings transformation as well as information.
From Australia to the World
From its Australian foundations, ACCM steadily grew an international reach, offering online, print and face-to-face classes in Australia, the United States and around the world.
A significant step came in 2018, when John McLean led ACCM teacher-accreditation training at GCI’s Home Office in Charlotte, North Carolina, with participants from Canada, Africa, Mexico, Latin America, the United States and the Caribbean. GCI President Greg Williams endorsed ACCM’s diploma programme as a core educational standard for GCI ministers worldwide.
Equipping local teachers moved ACCM beyond a model that depended on Australian lecturers travelling overseas. By 2024, ACCM’s annual report recorded 16 cohorts taught across five continents, including classes in Nigeria, the Philippines and Malawi led by local teachers, and ACCM was equipping GCI pastors and ministry leaders in over 20 countries.
Key Milestones
- Before 2000Ministry training weekends at Camp Moogerah, Lake Moogerah, Queensland.
- 21 December 2000ACCM founded as Pacific College of Training and Development Ltd, with John McLean as Director.
- 2018Teacher-accreditation training held at GCI’s Home Office in Charlotte, North Carolina; ACCM’s diploma programme endorsed as a core educational standard for GCI ministers worldwide.
- 202416 cohorts taught across five continents, equipping GCI pastors and ministry leaders in [35 / over 20] countries.
- 2025John McLean steps aside after 25 years as Director; Daphne Sidney appointed Director.
Continuing the Journey
In 2025, after 25 years as Director, John McLean stepped aside and Daphne Sidney became Director. ACCM continues to revise and renew its courses, extend translation and online access, and equip new teachers, so that GCI pastors and ministry leaders everywhere can be equipped for ministry.