The role of the laity in Anglican evangelicalism with particular reference to the Diocese of Sydney, 1960 – 1982 by Eric William Frith BA (UNE), BTh (CSU), MTh (CSU) A thesis submitted in fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Theology (Honours) Faculty of Arts Charles Sturt University 2017 ii iii TABLE OF CONTENTS Certificate of Authorship ................................................................................................. iv Acknowledgments ............................................................................................................. v Illustrations ....................................................................................................................... vi Abstract ........................................................................................................................... vii Abbreviations ................................................................................................................... ix CHAPTER 1 ..................................................................................................................... 1 Introduction CHAPTER 2 ................................................................................................................... 35 A Diocese Embracing Change CHAPTER 3 ................................................................................................................... 55 Ministry to Youth CHAPTER 4 ................................................................................................................... 69 Evangelism and Outreach CHAPTER 5 ................................................................................................................... 87 Preaching, Teaching, and Training CHAPTER 6 ................................................................................................................. 103 Community Activities and Social Concern CHAPTER 7 ................................................................................................................. 113 Women’s Ministry CHAPTER 8 ................................................................................................................. 129 Conclusion APPENDIX A ............................................................................................................... 137 BIBLIOGRAPHY ......................................................................................................... 139 iv CERTIFICATE OF AUTHORSHIP I hereby declare that this submission is my own work, to the best of my knowledge and belief, understanding that it contains no material previously published or written by another person, nor material which to a substantial extent has been accepted for the award of any other degree or diploma at Charles Sturt University or any other educational institution, except where due acknowledgment is made in the thesis. Any contribution made to the research by colleagues with whom I have worked at Charles Sturt University or elsewhere during my candidature is fully acknowledged. I agree that this thesis be accessible for the purpose of study and research in accordance with normal conditions established by the Executive Director, Library Services, Charles Sturt University or nominee, for the care, loan and reproduction of thesis, subject to confidentiality provisions as approved by the University. Name: Eric William Frith Date: 21 June 2017 v ACKNOWLEDGMENTS Special thanks to my principal supervisor Dr Michael Gladwin for his guidance and regular encouragement throughout the research process and formation of this thesis. I would like to acknowledge the contributions of Associate Professor David Neville, Dr Heather Thomson, and Bishop Tom Frame for their advice and encouragement particularly at the outset of my project. Thank you to Dr William Emilsen and Dr Meredith Lake for being respondents to my Research Proposal. Thanks are also due to the Library Staff of St Marks National Theological Centre, namely Susan Phillips, Thyme Hansson, and Sylvia Young, to the staff of Moore Theological College Library, and to Dr Louise Trott of Sydney Diocesan Archives. I am extremely grateful to Dr Hugh Chilton for allowing me to have access to his doctoral thesis and to Dr Paul Egan for making his doctoral thesis accessible on the internet. The enthusiasm and advice of many other scholars at various stages of my research have been of great encouragement and I apologise to anyone I have overlooked. I would like to thank Dr Peter Stork, Terry Craig, and the Rev. Jill Elliot for their constant encouragement and Zillah Williams for her encouragement and editorial assistance. I wish to thank the Rev. Peter Robinson and my brother, Richard Frith, for accommodating me on most of my research trips to Sydney. The award of an Australian Government Research Training Program Scholarship was greatly appreciated. Finally, I would like to express my appreciation of the love, devotion and support of my wife, Patricia, whose contribution was vital in facilitating this project and bringing it to completion. vi ILLUSTRATIONS Table 1: Anglican population in State Schools since 1946 95 Figure 1: Structure of the Diocese of Sydney in 1961 137 vii ABSTRACT Traditionally, historians have emphasised the clerical, constitutional, and institutional dimensions of Australian Anglicanism. The history of the laity has been generally overlooked. This thesis therefore seeks to fill this lacuna partially by examining the role of the laity in the ministry and mission of the Anglican Diocese of Sydney, during the 1960s and 1970s. This may be seen as a watershed period in both the church and the nation. The focus is on how and why that role changed over time, as well as on how the role of the laity was understood and articulated. The study begins with the first Australian Billy Graham Crusade in 1959, which galvanised lay participation in the Sydney Diocese, and concludes with the end of the episcopate of Archbishop Marcus Loane in 1982, by which time the role of the laity, and the role of the clergy also, had undergone an important shift in focus. The concentration on the evangelical tradition within Anglicanism is necessary because its traditional ecclesiology makes evangelicals more likely to embrace greater lay participation in ministry than High Church or Anglo-Catholic traditions. By studying the contribution of the laity from a historical perspective, the research will inform our understanding of Australian church history in at least three ways: first, in terms of different approaches to ministry; second, in terms of the impact of empowering laypeople for ministry and mission; and third, in terms of the character and influence of the charismatic movement in Australian Anglicanism. The principal argument of this thesis is that a considerable body of evidence confirms the increased involvement of the laity during the period of this study which brought a creative and hitherto unrecognized response, and an impressive release of energy into the predominantly evangelical Sydney Diocese. Larger parishes showing significant growth moved from a clergy-centred focus to a team leadership and whole-church ministry approach that encouraged the ministry of all believers. The Sydney Diocese expended considerable energy on training and educating its laity in the ministry roles of teaching, preaching, parish administration, and in the work of personal evangelism and social welfare assistance in their communities. This also encouraged and enabled laypeople to viii perform significant roles: in ministry leadership, in giving pastoral care to members of their congregations, and in mission to the wider community. ix ABBREVIATIONS AAPB An Australian Prayer Book ACA Anglican Church of Australia ACL The Anglican Church League ACR The Australian Church Record ACWC Australian Christian Women’s Convention AHB Australian Hymn Book ARV Anglican Retirement Villages BCA Bush Church Aid Society BCP The Book of Common Prayer BD Bachelor of Divinity BGC Billy Graham Crusade CBD Central Business District CCC Campus Crusade for Christ CEBS Church of England Boys’ Society – now CEBS – the Anglican Boys’ Society CMS Church Missionary Society CSAC Centre for the Study of Australian Christianity CSSM (Scripture Union’s) Children’s Special Service Mission EE Evangelism Explosion EU Evangelical Union GBRE (General Synod’s) General Board of Religious Education GFS Girls’ Friendly Society HMS Home Mission Society ISCF Inter School Christian Fellowship LIFE Lay Institute For Evangelism LHMU Ladies Home Mission Union MTC Moore Theological College MU Mothers’ Union NSW New South Wales NT New Testament RI Religious Instruction (in schools) RC Roman Catholic x RSL Returned and Services League of Australia SPTC Sydney Preliminary Theology Certificate SRE Special Religious Education SU Scripture Union ThC Certificate in Theology ThL Licentiate in Theology UK United Kingdom UNSW University of New South Wales USA United States of America WCC World Council of Churches Chapter 1: Introduction 1 CHAPTER 1 Introduction ‘The old joke is that the clergy are paid to be good and the laity is good for nothing. The joke is only funny because it hits a nerve of reality in our experience.’ Neil Cole1 Stories have been recounted in country parishes of a preacher not turning up and of those who had gathered deciding to go home instead of meeting for worship.2 The old joke about the clergy being paid to be good and the laity being good for nothing resonates with some of the key themes of this thesis.