Rev Dr Andrew Stobart appointed as Principal of Cliff College

Currently serving as Vice-Principal (Academic) at Cliff College, Andrew oversees the College’s academic programmes, partnerships and research initiatives. With his family, Andrew lives in Northern Ireland, and works for some of the time from there, supporting the College’s provision of training opportunities for the Methodist Church in Ireland.

Andrew joined Cliff College in January 2021, bringing his expertise from Wesley House, Cambridge, where he served as Director of Research. Before that, he ministered in the Darlington Methodist Circuit as a presbyter and superintendent. His ministry focused on inspiring churches to embrace bold mission and evangelism, exploring innovative ways to share the good news of Jesus through initiatives such as Messy Church, neighbourhood prayer walks and community projects that embodied God’s love in action.

Andrew holds degrees in theology from the London School of Theology and the University of Aberdeen and trained for Methodist presbyteral ministry at the Wesley Study Centre, Durham. Over the last few years Andrew has worked alongside Rev Ashley Cooper, Cliff College's current Principal, to refocus the life of Cliff with a particular emphasis on evangelism and mission which now threads through the courses that Cliff offers. This transformation continues to enable the college to align with the needs and priorities of the Methodist Church in Britain with new programmes that serve the emerging trends, for example, the new Local Lay Pastor training pathway.

Recently, Andrew has focused on global trends in theological education, with a particular interest in decolonising theological teaching and research by fostering dialogue within the global Christian community. He supervises doctoral students exploring topics such as pastoral care, Methodist leadership and contemporary expressions of Christian doctrine and formation.