MCSI Beginnings
MCSI's story is one of people who love working together. It grew out of the desire of two very entrepreneurial young academics to combine forces to strengthen their respective institutions:
Dr Mark Hutchinson of the Centre for the Study of Australian Christianity at Robert Menzies College, Macquarie University, and Dr Ian Lambert,
then lecturing in the National Institute of Christian Education for the Christian Parent Controlled Schooling system. Their idea was to develop a tertiary provider which would enter into a strategic alliance with a secular university to give students the opportunity to take courses in Christian Studies towards their degrees while training for their professions.
The idea was then discussed with Professor Edwin Judge, foundation professor of Ancient History at Macquarie University, by a member of the Board of Robert Menzies College who came away from the discussion so inspired by the potential of the concept that he actually dreamed about its glorious realisation. 
Consequently, at a retreat of the Robert Menzies College Board in May 1996 the idea captured the imagination of the Board who unanimously resolved to foster the concept. The College Master (Dr Stuart Piggin) was granted some relief from his duties to further the development.
On 16 July 1997 the concept was launched at Bishopscourt attended by the then Anglican Archbishop of Sydney; the Vice-Chancellor of Macquarie University, Di Yerbury; Chairman of the Review of Higher Education and Policy, Rod West; and twenty other leaders in academia and industry. Mr Geoffrey White, Executive Director of the Vincent Fairfax Family Foundation, had studied the proposal carefully, gave it his support and that of the Foundation, and travelled from Canberra especially to be present. On that same eventful evening, consultant geriatrician, Dr Russell Clark, addressed the need for a course in Aged Care Management to allow the considerable church aged care facilities to be managed by adequately trained staff. So the fledgling institute looked forward to the day when it would offer courses in two professions: teaching and aged care.
On the day after the Bishopscourt Conference, a business consultant who had been present for the 
launch, Mr Tony Golsby-Smith, offered his services in the further design and conceptualisation of the institute. From that moment the idea took wings and flew, involving the enchanted and grateful participants in an adventure of the mind and spirit which they will never forget. Tony took us away to Avoca Beach for what he termed a Lean Design Team (LDT) weekend to work through a process
of moving from where we understood ourselves to be to where we wanted to get. Joining the awed academics on that occasion was Adrian McComb, a mercurial genius, who had already made an enormous splash as a small business man, and was therefore perfectly placed to develop a business plan to undergird the big dream of the people with little pockets.
At our second LDT retreat at Adrian's house, we were joined by the experienced and pray
erful heavies of the Christian Schooling movement, Jack Mechielsen and Bob Frisken. Together with Tony, they inspired us with the possibility and great desirablity of an 'ego-free board', transcending the federation of stakeholders, to run the Institute, and it has thus proved, giving board members what all profess to be one of the most satisfying experiences of their lives.
On 16 December 1997, Stuart Johnson arranged for Robert Banks, his wife, Julie, and the author to meet at the home of Andrew and Alison Hood in Hornsby, and we discussed with them the Institute proposal. Characterised by one who should know, as 'the finest product of Moore Theological College since the War' and a New Testament Scholar of international repute and possibly the World's most famous theologian of the laity, Robert was then Homer L. Goddard Professor of the Ministry of the Laity at Fuller Theological Seminary, and at the same time Executive Director of the the De Pree Leadership Center. Julie was intrigued by the prospect of the Institute and declared that they would come to share in its development, but her more moderate husband told us soberly that he had another four years to run with De Pree. We went away singing, delighted at the prospect that Robert could join us at some time in 2002. Somehow we had to get started and then survive until then.
Two days before Christmas 1997, at the meeting of the LDT, the author was appointed Executive Director and Adrian McComb Project Development Officer. Alan Kelshaw was briefed on the legal incorporation of the Institute. He and his staff did an enormous amount of pro bono work, and MCSI was registered as a company on 23 April 1998. The next day was the first meeting of the four foundation Directors (Bob Frisken, Jack Mechielsen, Roger Chilton, and th
e author) with Stuart Johnson, Tony Golsby-Smith, Adrian McComb, and two others who were to become critical to the future of MCSI, Kara Martin 
and Geoff Kells. 
Roger Chilton, Rector of St Swithun's Pymble, was a graduate of Regent College, Vancouver, and was keen to see us benefit from the Regent experience. It was he who devised MCSI's vision statement of 
'changing our world God's way'. Kara Martin brought a quick mind to the task of marketing and has done much to communicate the MCSI philosophy to supporters and potential students. At that first meeting of the Board, 
Geoff Kells, recently retired CEO of CSR, reported on his thinking since first invited to consider becoming Chairman of the Institute Board some weeks earlier. He said that he was looking for evidence that there were players who were willing to put their shoulders to the wheel; that it was a means of making major change with long-term impact; that it was calculated to do good and had the opportunity to influence the university and the business world and therefore had strategic importance; that personally it fitted the direction of his own life and he felt increasingly convinced that the Lord's calling was evident in the position. He was elected member, director and chairman on the spot, like a layman who had to be ordained to the priesthood and consecrated bishop before he could become Pope. So began an association which has brought not only much strategic intelligence and very significant financial support to the Institute, but wise counsel and spiritual encouragement to the Board members. 
Throughout 1998 with high hopes and higher spirits, the Institute was developed through countless meetings with University personnel and stakeholders. A steady stream of brilliant young interns - Andrew Harding, Jen Vytopil, and Kim Stewart, each with a remarkable story of the Lord's leading, worked for the Institute, enlivening our days and lightening the load. And then the Lord brought us great blessing out of a vast tragedy. Julie Banks, who had longed to return to Australia, where she believed her husband's contribution would be maximised, was stricken with cancer of the oesophagus. She and Rob determined to return to Australia and spent a week with us from 17 January 1999 at which it was resolved to offer Rob the position of MCSI head from the beginning of September, and to offer his doctoral student, Simon Holt from Melbourne, a position as academic development officer. Julie died three months later, secure both in the Lord and in the certainty that Rob was in the place of the Lord's choosing. Simon and Brenda Holt held the fort and many of our hands - including Rob's - until on 15 August Rob entered formally into the position of Director and Dean of the Institute.
MCSI's first public event was a Winter School held in July 1999. This included an approved course on spirituality and everyday life, taught by Robert Banks and Simon Holt, a mini-professional development course led by Tony Golsby-Smith, and a Conference, part of which overlapped with a gathering of educators from the Christian Schools movements. MCSI's first full year of undergraduate courses, nine in all, commenced in March, 2000.
Written by
Stuart Piggin
Founding Director