Carey Hall was founded by the Convention of Baptist Churches of BC as the organizing body for both Carey Theological College and Carey Hall Residence, located on the University of British Columbia (UBC) campus. In 1975, Carey Hall became a ministry of the Canadian Baptists of Western Canada through an affiliation agreement. Carey was formally established in 1959 under the Carey Hall Act, passed by the Province of British Columbia, and began its operations in the summer of 1960 as a Christian residence for 42 undergraduate men at UBC. In 1975, the foundation for a graduate school was laid, leading to the establishment of a Baptist graduate college in June 1980. By 1985, Carey Hall’s residence transitioned to a co-ed community, continuing its mission to provide a Christian living environment for UBC students.
Over the years, Carey Theological College expanded its academic offerings to include graduate, doctoral, and continuing education programs. In 1991 the residence and college were separated and renamed as Carey Theological College and Carey Centre. Carey Institute was established in 2006 to fill an educational gap for people wanting to further their theological education and leadership skills through non-traditional means. Carey Institute hosted workshops, seminars, dialogues, skill-building, mission experiences, and short media presentations. Carey Institute also used traditional course formats and culturally contextualized theological education to prepare and equip spiritually maturing persons to integrate theological commitment with life in professional and lay ministry.