Equipping Christians to effectively
engage with the Islamic faith
missionally, socially and politically
The Melbourne School of Theology founded the Arthur Jeffery Centre in 2008 to equip the church throughout the world to minister to culturally and linguistically diverse groups of people, especially those from Islamic traditions. The Centre is named after Professor Arthur Jeffery, a Melbourne scholar and missionary (1892-1959), who made distinguished contributions to our understanding of the Qur’an.
Study Islam from a Christian perspective
The Arthur Jeffery Centre (AJC) specialises in the study of Islam from a Christian perspective. It is the only centre of its kind in Australia, and one of only a handful in the world. It produces resources and offers courses taught by experts in Islamic studies, ranging from undergraduate through to PhD levels.
Our Mission
The AJC’s primary mission is to equip the global church for mission to Muslims through training and published resources. We also equip Christian leaders to seek the common good as they provide an informed and biblically grounded voice to help shape the political, cultural and religious landscape of nations.
Our Vision
To shape a future in which Christians are informed and confident to engage with Islam and Muslims, leading to Christ-centred cultural and spiritual transformation.
Our Programs
The Arthur Jeffery Centre aims to be a leading global training centre which equips Christians to engage with Islam and Muslims. Our world class team offers training in Islamic studies and missions to Muslims, in courses ranging from undergraduate to PhD level. We also undertake research into Islam, Muslims and Christian-Muslim relations and disseminate findings and resources.
William Arthur Jeffery (1892-1952) BA, MA. BD, PhD, D. Litt was an Australian Methodist missionary who first went to India. Over time Jeffery gained proficiency in 19 languages including Arabic, Hebrew and other Semitic languages. A contemporary of Samuel Zwemer, Jeffery joined the staff of the American University in Cairo becoming a recognized scholar of Islam, Australia’s first. His knowledge of Islam was extensive, sharing his insights through lectures and publications. His book, The Foreign Vocabulary of the Qur’an (1938) is still a standard text in Quranic Studies. Later Jeffery was invited to Columbia University as Professor of Semitic Languages while also being the Adjunct Professor of Semitic and Comparative Religions at Union Seminary New York. Jeffery’s concern was that Christians in particular, understand Islam.