Anglican Church of Australia facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Anglican Church of Australia |
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Arms
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| Classification | Protestant |
| Orientation | Anglican |
| Scripture | Holy Bible |
| Theology | Anglican doctrine |
| Polity | Episcopal |
| Primate | Geoffrey Smith Archbishop of Adelaide |
| Territory | Australia |
| Independence | 1962 |
| Members | 3,101,200 |
The Anglican Church of Australia is a Christian church in Australia. It used to be called the Church of England in Australia and Tasmania. This church is part of a worldwide family of Anglican churches called the Anglican Communion.
It is the second largest church in Australia, after the Catholic Church. In 2016, about 3.1 million Australians said they were Anglicans. The church also helps many people through social welfare services across Australia.
Contents
Discovering the Anglican Church's Story
When the First Fleet arrived in New South Wales in 1788, Richard Johnson came as the first chaplain. A chaplain is like a minister or priest who serves a special group, in this case, the fleet and the new settlement.
In the early days, Church of England clergy worked closely with the governors. Richard Johnson helped improve public behaviour and was involved in health and education. Another chaplain, Samuel Marsden, also had duties like a judge.
The Church of England used to have special legal rights in New South Wales. But in 1836, a law called the Church Act of 1836 changed this. It made all major Christian groups, like Anglicans, Catholics, and Presbyterians, equal under the law.
How the Church Grew in Australia
In 1842, the area of Tasmania got its own church region, called a diocese. A diocese is a church district led by a bishop. By 1847, the rest of Australia was divided into four more dioceses: Sydney, Adelaide, Newcastle, and Melbourne. Over the next 80 years, the number of dioceses grew to 25.
For a long time, the Anglican Church was the largest Christian group in Australia. This was because many immigrants came from Britain. After World War II, more people from different countries came to Australia. This led to the Roman Catholic Church becoming the largest Christian group.
The number of Anglicans attending church regularly started to go down in 1959. However, the Anglican Church and other Christian churches in Australia have been working together more. This is called ecumenical activity. They joined groups like the Australian Committee for the World Council of Churches. By 1994, the Roman Catholic Church also joined the national group, the National Council of Churches in Australia.
Since 1962, the Australian church has been independent, meaning it makes its own decisions. It is led by its own main bishop, called a primate. On August 24, 1981, the church officially changed its name to the Anglican Church of Australia.
Changes in Church Practices
The Book of Common Prayer is an important guide for Anglican beliefs and worship. However, the church also created An Australian Prayer Book in 1978. Another prayer book, A Prayer Book for Australia, was published in 1995. These books offer different ways to worship.
The church has also discussed allowing women to serve in different roles. In 1985, the church allowed women to become deacons. A deacon is a church leader who helps the community. In 1992, the church allowed women to become priests in some dioceses. A priest is a church leader who can lead services and give sacraments.
In 2008, Kay Goldsworthy became the first woman to be made a bishop in the Anglican Church of Australia. A bishop is a senior church leader who oversees a diocese. In 2014, Sarah Macneil became the first woman to lead a diocese as a bishop.
The church continues to be a big part of Australian society. It provides chaplains for the Australian Defence Force, hospitals, and schools. Leaders like Peter Jensen often speak about important social issues. The current primate is Geoffrey Smith, the Archbishop of Adelaide.
Recent Developments in the Church
In August 2022, some conservative Anglicans formed a new group called the Diocese of the Southern Cross. This group is led by Glenn Davies, a former Archbishop of Sydney. This change happened because of different views on certain topics within the church.
Understanding the Church's Members and Structure
The Anglican Church was Australia's largest Christian church until 1986. Since then, the number of Roman Catholics has grown more. This is partly because more immigrants came from different countries after World War II.
In 2016, there were about 3.1 million Anglicans in Australia. The church does not share how many people attend services every week. However, in 2011, it was estimated that about 155,000 Australians went to an Anglican church weekly.
The Australian church has 23 dioceses, which are grouped into five larger areas called provinces. Most Anglican clergy (church leaders) work in Australia's major cities. The Diocese of Sydney is the largest diocese. It has the most churchgoers and clergy.
Broughton Publishing is the church's national publishing company.
| State/Territory | % 2021 | % 2016 | % 2011 | % 2006 | % 2001 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Australian Capital Territory | 8.2 | 10.8 | 14.7 | 16.7 | 18.5 |
| New South Wales | 11.9 | 15.5 | 20.0 | 21.8 | 23.8 |
| Northern Territory | 6.0 | 8.4 | 11.4 | 12.3 | 14.7 |
| Queensland | 11.3 | 15.3 | 18.9 | 20.4 | 22.5 |
| South Australia | 7.2 | 10.0 | 12.6 | 13.7 | 15.2 |
| Tasmania | 14.4 | 20.4 | 26.0 | 29.3 | 32.4 |
| Total | 9.8 | 13.3 | 17.1 | 18.7 | 20.7 |
| Victoria | 6.5 | 9.0 | 12.3 | 13.6 | 15.3 |
| Western Australia | 10.1 | 14.3 | 18.8 | 20.4 | 22.6 |
Indigenous Ministry
The National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Anglican Council (NATSIAC) helps lead the church's work with Indigenous Australians. They appoint two Indigenous bishops for this important role.
Anglican Church's Role in Society
Welfare and Education Services
The Anglican Church has always been involved in helping people and providing education. Early chaplains like Richard Johnson helped with health and schools. Today, the church is still a major provider of social welfare.
Organizations like Anglicare and Samaritans offer emergency help, aged care, and family support. In 2016, Anglicare helped about 940,000 Australians.
There are around 145 Anglican schools in Australia. These schools teach over 105,000 children. They include a wide range of schools, from local schools to well-known independent schools like Geelong Grammar.
Beautiful Church Buildings
The first Church of England building in Australia was built in 1793. Today, most towns have at least one Christian church. St James' Church in Sydney is one of Australia's oldest Anglican churches. It was built between 1819 and 1824 by a former convict, Francis Greenway.
Sydney's main Anglican church, St Andrew's, was finished in 1868. It was designed in a style similar to old English cathedrals. St Paul's Cathedral, Melbourne is another famous church building. It was designed by a famous English architect, William Butterfield.
Tasmania has many old Anglican buildings, including some at Port Arthur. Adelaide is known as the "City of Churches," and its St Peter's Anglican Cathedral is a famous landmark.
The oldest building in Canberra is the St John the Baptist Church, built in 1845. This church shows the style of chapels found across the Australian countryside. Over time, church architecture has changed a lot.
Church Leadership and Regions
The whole Anglican Church of Australia is led by the primate, Geoffrey Smith, who is also the Archbishop of Adelaide.
The church is divided into provinces and dioceses, each with its own bishop or archbishop:
- Province of South Australia (Main leader: Geoffrey Smith, Archbishop of Adelaide)
- Adelaide (Archbishop: Geoffrey Smith)
- The Murray (Currently without a bishop)
- Willochra (Jeremy James)
- Province of New South Wales (Main leader: Kanishka Raffel, Archbishop of Sydney)
- Armidale (Rod Chiswell)
- Bathurst (Mark Calder)
- Canberra and Goulburn (Mark Short)
- Grafton (Murray Harvey)
- Newcastle (Peter Stuart)
- Riverina (Donald Kirk)
- Sydney (Archbishop: Kanishka Raffel)
- Province of Victoria (Main leader: Philip Freier, Archbishop of Melbourne)
- Ballarat (Garry Weatherill)
- Bendigo (Matthew Brain)
- Gippsland (Richard Treloar)
- Melbourne (Archbishop: Philip Freier)
- Wangaratta (Clarence Bester)
- Province of Queensland (Main leader: Jeremy Greaves, Archbishop of Brisbane)
- Brisbane (Archbishop: Jeremy Greaves)
- North Queensland (Keith Joseph)
- Northern Territory (Greg Anderson)
- Rockhampton (Peter Grice)
- Province of Western Australia (Main leader: Kay Goldsworthy, Archbishop of Perth)
- Bunbury (Ian Coutts)
- North West Australia (Darrell Parker)
- Perth (Archbishop: Kay Goldsworthy)
- Extraprovincial diocese (This diocese is not part of a province)
- Tasmania (Richard Condie)
Map of Dioceses
| KEY to province colours | New South Wales | Victoria | Queensland | Western Australia | South Australia | Extraprovincial |
Goulburn
Some older dioceses have joined with current ones or formed new churches. For example, Carpentaria is now part of the Diocese of North Queensland. New Guinea became the Anglican Church of Papua New Guinea.
Working with Other Churches
The Anglican Church of Australia is a member of the Christian Conference of Asia. This means it works with other Christian churches in the Asian region.
The Anglican Diocese of Sydney has been a leader in a movement called the Anglican realignment. This movement aims to uphold traditional Anglican beliefs. The Diocese of Sydney and the Anglican Diocese of North West Australia are in full agreement with the Anglican Church in North America.
In 2015, the Fellowship of Confessing Anglicans started in Australia. This group brings together Anglicans who share similar traditional views.
In 2017, the Anglican Church of Australia passed a motion about the Scottish Episcopal Church. They disagreed with a decision made by the Scottish church. This shows how different parts of the Anglican Communion can have different views.
The Anglican Church of Australia was also represented at a big meeting called GAFCON III in 2018. Many bishops and church leaders from Australia attended this conference.
In 2022, the Diocese of the Southern Cross was formed outside the main Anglican Church of Australia. This was a new development in the church's history.
See Also
- Christianity in Australia
- List of the first women ordained as priests in the Anglican Church of Australia in 1992
