Blog Interview: Andy du Feu – Moorlands College

Born and raised in Rugby, Warwickshire, I grew up very much part of a church community, before spending three years immersed in children’s and youth work in Camden, New Jersey and Wilmington, Delaware. These were formative years for me that led to training in theology and ministry. After college I was pastor of a congregational church in Oxfordshire for 7 years, before joining the team at Moorlands College in 2011, initially as Director of Youth and Community Work, and currently serving as Principal & CEO. There is a pastoral aspect to the role, as I lead a community of staff, students and volunteers, and connect with alumni and local church leaders, and also a strategic one, leading the college in a time which is one hand complex and volatile, yet equally full of blessing and joy.

Moorlands exists to equip people, passionate about Jesus, to impact the church and world. We have been validated by the University of Gloucestershire for our higher education degrees since 1995, and were rated silver in the 2023 Teaching Excellence Framework.

From evangelism training in Derbyshire via a stint in Devon, the College has been at its current location just outside Christchurch, Dorset, since 1970, and as a non-denominational evangelical college we attract a range of people to study with us.

Our undergraduate degrees in Applied Theology, and Applied Theology (Youth and Community Work) can be studied via the traditional campus based mode, through our South West mode where we enjoy a wonderful relationship with South West Youth Ministries, or from anywhere in the UK or beyond with our Flexible degree, where 25% of the learning is face to face over 3 residentials a year, 25% is delivered in live online seminars, and 50% in self-paced, structured, high quality learning activities.

In September 2025 we launched Moorlands Central and Eastern Europe, partnering with Josiah Venture. We deliver our BA Applied Theology with residentials in the regional context, with currently 14 students spread over 13 nations, with plenty of room to grow.

Our Graduate Diploma is a one or two year programme designed for those who might have qualifications in other academic subjects but want to access a level 6 qualification in Applied Theology, perhaps being in ministry already.

Our MA Applied Theology is a very flexible programme delivered through short residentials at Christchurch, while our MA Language, Community and Development is part of our School of Language and Scripture, which is a collaboration with Wycliffe Bible Translators UK, and studied campus based.

At any one point there are around 250 students on our Higher Education programmes, in addition to those who engage with our short courses and Level 3 awards.

The courses are all available full time or part time.

Students who are eligible for student loans are able to apply for student finance. There are a range of grants and support packages available, pending eligibility.

Does Moorlands College take students from overseas?

Moorlands welcomes students from around the world, and undergraduate and post graduate courses that are full time and based at Christchurch can be accessed via the student via route. Some other studies can be accessed through the standard visitor route.

Our programmes are designed so that graduates can impact both church and world. We are training the next generation of Christian leaders, and many graduates go directly into people-orientated ministry roles, whether through the church or in Christian organisations. Some do go straight into church leadership or children’s and youth work, others into ordination training for a specific denomination. Still others go on to other people orientated careers, and we can see that the foundations put in place whilst here bear fruit wherever they find themselves. Those on our MA Language, Community and Development go on to Scripture engagement projects around the world.

There are a number of distinctives about studying at Moorlands. Whilst not unique, we do assess practice at undergraduate, embedding Christian service and vocation at the heart of the programme. We care about character, formation and skills, not just about knowledge. We often say if you graduate with a first class degree but a third rate character, we have in some ways failed.

Our BA Applied Theology (Youth and Community Work) is the only programme of its kind in the UK that confers professional status as youth worker on completion of the degree.

Our student support is well resourced, and the percentage of those with a registered disability is much higher than the higher education sector. You get so much more by training at a specialised theology college than a main stream university!

Additionally, our training with Wycliffe Bible Translators UK is one of just a handful worldwide, and a very strong offer.

Our Christchurch library has over 45,000 titles and a wide range of journals and periodicals, including a unique collection of bibles from Wycliffe Bible Translators UK. In addition we have a digital first policy, meaning that all of the key texts and many more are available on our online platform.

The Flexible degree allows for those who need to engage from further afield to find the quality of training they are looking for. Whilst not completely online, the short residentials are designed so that you benefit from being part of a learning community wherever you are.