Newbold College of Higher Education is delighted to welcome back Dr Gifford Rhamie as Senior Lecturer in Biblical and Cultural Studies within the Department of Theology and Ministry (DTM), effective 1 July 2026.
Dr Rhamie's return marks the homecoming of a distinguished alumnus whose relationship with Newbold spans more than three decades. Having first joined the College's academic staff in 1999, he served for over twenty years as a lecturer in the then Department of Theological Studies (DTS), helping to shape generations of ministers, theologians, and Christian leaders.
During his time at Newbold, Dr Rhamie completed his PhD in Biblical Studies at Canterbury Christ Church University. His doctoral research examined how Afroasiatic and Graeco-Roman cultures influenced the emergence of Christianity in the first century CE, laying the foundation for a scholarly career that bridges biblical studies, cultural studies, and contemporary questions of identity, race, and theology.
Although stepping away from full-time teaching in 2022, Dr Rhamie has remained closely connected to Newbold as a guest lecturer, delivering postgraduate modules including Race, Identity and Nation, Theological Methods for Pastoral Studies, and Biblical Theology and the Praxis of Ministry and Mission.
Alongside his academic career, Dr Rhamie is an executive leadership coach and organisational development consultant with Rockstone Consultancy, advising organisations on leadership, organisational culture, and future-ready change. His clients have included NHS Trusts, the Church of England, Deloitte, Housing Associations, and Further and Higher Education institutions. An award-winning lecturer and published author, he also supervises doctoral researchers at Canterbury Christ Church University, Anglia Ruskin University, and the University of Aberdeen.
His return to Newbold brings together extensive classroom experience, internationally recognised scholarship, and contemporary leadership practice, strengthening the College's commitment to delivering theological education that is academically rigorous, culturally engaged, and deeply rooted in Christian mission.
Dr Dan Serb, Principal of Newbold College, said:
"It is a great pleasure to welcome back Dr Rhamie. He brings a wealth of knowledge, both academically and in relation to the current context for ministry in the British Union Conference and the wider Trans-European Division. His academic expertise in the classroom, combined with his pastoral approach to students, embodies Newbold's values well, reflecting our aim to provide theological education that forms ministers equipped for practical ministry and shaped in character to reflect Christ's own."
Commenting on his return, Dr Rhamie said:
"I am genuinely thrilled to be returning to Newbold. Few institutions have had such a significant influence on my own academic and ministerial journey, and it is an honour to come back at such an exciting time in the College's life. I look forward to helping students discover the richness of Scripture, engage critically with culture, and develop the wisdom, character, and confidence needed for faithful leadership in an increasingly complex world."
Dr Rhamie will teach across the BA in Biblical and Pastoral Studies and the MA in Theology programmes, where students will benefit from his distinctive integration of biblical scholarship, cultural analysis, and practical ministry.
Newbold warmly welcomes Dr Rhamie back to its academic community.