King’s Evangelical Divinity School is a testament to the faithfulness of God over decades. From small beginnings to worldwide growth, we have a strong history of helping Christians rise up to their calling. Learn more about our story below.
Late in 1990, a group of evangelical church ministers and leaders in the Midlands area met to discuss a pastor’s vision to form a Bible training institute for local Christians. A handful of church leaders decided to go ahead with the initial vision. A few months later, plans to launch the new Bible school were underway. On 2 October 1991, the new Midlands Bible Institute (MBI) held its first class in a local church.
With the inclusion of several tutors with higher degrees in theology, by the mid-1990s MBI was developing a more formal educational approach and philosophy of education. Consequently an application was made to become a centre for the teaching of a post A-level Diploma in Religious Studies administered by a national exam board. The application was successful and for the first time students at MBI could earn a nationally-recognised qualification in theology.
Despite the Diploma in Religious Studies providing students with a formal qualification, nonetheless the syllabus was written by an external body over which Midlands Bible College had no input. Thus, in 2002 work began on developing our own programme and syllabus for validation with a British university. Within several years a Certificate of Higher Education (the first year of a BTh degree) was agreed with a state university. In the years that followed a Diploma was added, followed by a full BTh degree focusing on biblical studies and interpretation (hermeneutics). A new Master of Arts degree in theology followed later that decade.
By 2009 the college was no longer based in the Midlands, necessitating a name change. The new name chosen was the King’s Evangelical Divinity School (KEDS).
Although the initial BTh classes were held in a classroom setting, because of the success of the KYB distance learning programme KEDS also offered a distance learning option for the degree. The school also began to develop its own online eCampus, which quickly became the primary means of course delivery. As a result of making programmes of study available online, the student body began to change to include a much more international demography. When MBI launched in 1991, all students were recruited locally. Today, about 60% of students come from across the UK and a further 40% or so study from overseas. Currently, aside from the UK, KEDS has students from across the European Union, the US, Australia, New Zealand, UAE and Hong Kong. Faculty and visiting speakers are likewise international in nature.
By 2009, the college was no longer based in the Midlands, necessitating a name change. The new name chosen was the King’s Evangelical Divinity School (KEDS).
In 2010, validation of the degree programmes was moved to another university. In 2011, a Graduate Diploma in Theology was added to the list of validated programmes. More recently, an internally-validated focusing on Jewish-Christian studies was introduced, which follows a similar delivery method and pattern to that of the KYB programme. In 2023, Anthony Royle became Principal of KEDS and began to lead the school to get validation of its programmes with a new university.