 It opened on 8 March 1976 with eight students with a focus on training for the ministry of the church.The college had originally commenced operation in 1953 in Thornleigh, Sydney, but was unable to afford the cost of necessary renovations to that site, so the college decided to relocate to Thornlands.In 1992 the college decided to seek acreditation as a tertiary education provider and in 1993 renamed the college Nazarene Theological College as more appropriate to its wider mission.