The College had its origin in Parkin Congregational College, in what was previously "Wavertree", the 64 North Terrace, Kent Town, residence of Frederick Holder, but owned by the widow of William Roby Fletcher. Rev. Dr Llewelyn D. Bevan, LLD, was in February 1910 its founding principal,[2] a position he held until his death in 1918, and was succeeded by Rev. Edward S. Kiek, M.A., B.D.,[3] who retired in 1957 and died in 1959.
From 1930, staff of the Congregational Union of Australia's Parkin College and the Methodist Church of Australasia's Wesley Theological College lectured students of both institutions. In the 1950s, the Baptist College was founded in Northgate Street, Unley Park and further sharing of staff occurred, although more limited than between Parkin and Wesley. In 1968, Parkin College and Wesley Theological College merged to form Parkin-Wesley College at Wayville, the site of Wesley College.[4]
Later, the South Australian UCA Lay Education Centre was merged in.
Coolamon College was the national UCA agency and provider of distance theological education. In 2003, Coolamon College moved from Brisbane to Adelaide, where it joined the Adelaide College of Divinity.[5]
Parkin-Wesley College was renamed Uniting College for Leadership and Theology in January 2009, at this time it took on the distance learning function previously offered through Coolamon College.[6]
^Arnold D Hunt, ed. (1980). Number 20, A Pictorial History of Theological Education at No. 20, King William Road. Uniting Church of South Australia Historical Society and Parkin-Wesley Old Collegian's Association. ISBN0-909834-41-5.
