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Holy Trinity Adelaide 1836–2012 The history of a city church
Holy Trinity, Adelaide, was the first Anglican church built in South Australia and is the oldest church building in the state still standing. Christians have been worshipping on Acre 9, North Terrace, for 175 years. This history vividly traces the chequered career of this city congregation, led by only eleven incumbents. On more than one occasion the congregation nearly expired, on others it has been the fastest growing Anglican congregation in Adelaide, and most recently has established a network of five more churches spread throughout the Adelaide metropolitan area, with more than 1300 members. Charles Beaumont Howard, Colonial Chaplain and first incumbent, brought a robust evangelical Protestant faith to Adelaide. This commitment to ‘Jesus Christ and Him crucified’ as the sole ground of salvation has informed the congregation ever it is unmistakably an Evangelical Anglican congregation. Brian Dickey has written to capture the interest of the ordinary reader. Many who have worshipped at Holy Trinity, or have relatives among the more than 16,000 couples married or the more than 17,000 baptised in this historic pioneer church will be interested to read this carefully researched and perceptive history. This history has now been brought up to 2012 in the second edition, with five new chapters a Conclusion, and many new images.
494 pages, Kindle Edition
First published June 5, 2013
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January 25, 2024
This book is perhaps worth reading beyond a mere South Australian audience, because it is a very good example of a church that, over its near 200-year history, is both 'salt' (preserves, endures, holds fast to the gospel) and 'light' (shines, evangelises, grows). There are many lessons to be learned from a church that, as it turns out, is very good at learning and applying.
There is also a strong heart element for me, as this is a church that played its part in helping me take Jesus seriously, even though I have never been a regular attendee. Plenty of friends attend, or have attended, Trinity. I've been to several weddings. A friend invited me to its young adult ministry 'twelve21' on Friday nights when I was about twenty, which I attended for some time, cycling there after finishing work.
I can remember visiting a baptism service and seeing my friend just get sprinkled, which I thought a bit rubbish, as I was a Baptist used to seeing full immersion. The former leader of the 5pm service, Craig Broman, is a friend (and a very good man) who I served with through City Bible Forum, now Engage Work Faith. He has also hosted the rector of my present London church (the Trinity of London?) when he has visited Adelaide. It made me very happy to read of Craig in this book.
The story begins well aligned to the settlement of South Australia. There is a curious Irish connection, with the first two rectors both being Irishmen. Indeed there is the suggestion that the church is named for the alma mater of the first rector, Trinity College Dublin. The present rector is of Irish Catholic descent.
Trinity is the first church in Adelaide and has maintained an evangelical bent throughout all its history. It was founded with a degree of special independence from the diocese, with which Trinity has had plenty of conflict. Up until the Second World War it seems to have been more salt than light, preserving the gospel. Not a bad thing. Holding a church together while maintaining the truth of the gospel is in itself quite difficult.
The process from salt to light then begins to accelerate during the post-war period, as the church maintains its evangelicalism while changing with the times. It adapts well to the draining of the inner city population and the growth of suburbanisation. Attendees begin to drive in (now they might take the train, bus or tram). Services expand. Types of outreach grow. And its leadership and members are just normal Jesus followers, trying earnestly to figure out how to serve him.
The process into firm, bright light picks up pace in the 1990s and 2000s as Trinity grows into the largest evangelical Anglican church in South Australia, and embarks upon an aggressive and successful church planting programme across Adelaide. The book finishes in 2013 on an almost triumphant note.
The book could do with a bit more editing at the back end, where the pace seems to accelerate and there is some repetition. But that is minor. It is a heartening story of a church that survived and then thrived, while so many others faded away. And as so many things changed while others stayed constant, the only silver bullet to the growth and endurance of this church seems to be God's determined people, responding faithfully to him.
Well done to the author.
There is also a strong heart element for me, as this is a church that played its part in helping me take Jesus seriously, even though I have never been a regular attendee. Plenty of friends attend, or have attended, Trinity. I've been to several weddings. A friend invited me to its young adult ministry 'twelve21' on Friday nights when I was about twenty, which I attended for some time, cycling there after finishing work.
I can remember visiting a baptism service and seeing my friend just get sprinkled, which I thought a bit rubbish, as I was a Baptist used to seeing full immersion. The former leader of the 5pm service, Craig Broman, is a friend (and a very good man) who I served with through City Bible Forum, now Engage Work Faith. He has also hosted the rector of my present London church (the Trinity of London?) when he has visited Adelaide. It made me very happy to read of Craig in this book.
The story begins well aligned to the settlement of South Australia. There is a curious Irish connection, with the first two rectors both being Irishmen. Indeed there is the suggestion that the church is named for the alma mater of the first rector, Trinity College Dublin. The present rector is of Irish Catholic descent.
Trinity is the first church in Adelaide and has maintained an evangelical bent throughout all its history. It was founded with a degree of special independence from the diocese, with which Trinity has had plenty of conflict. Up until the Second World War it seems to have been more salt than light, preserving the gospel. Not a bad thing. Holding a church together while maintaining the truth of the gospel is in itself quite difficult.
The process from salt to light then begins to accelerate during the post-war period, as the church maintains its evangelicalism while changing with the times. It adapts well to the draining of the inner city population and the growth of suburbanisation. Attendees begin to drive in (now they might take the train, bus or tram). Services expand. Types of outreach grow. And its leadership and members are just normal Jesus followers, trying earnestly to figure out how to serve him.
The process into firm, bright light picks up pace in the 1990s and 2000s as Trinity grows into the largest evangelical Anglican church in South Australia, and embarks upon an aggressive and successful church planting programme across Adelaide. The book finishes in 2013 on an almost triumphant note.
The book could do with a bit more editing at the back end, where the pace seems to accelerate and there is some repetition. But that is minor. It is a heartening story of a church that survived and then thrived, while so many others faded away. And as so many things changed while others stayed constant, the only silver bullet to the growth and endurance of this church seems to be God's determined people, responding faithfully to him.
Well done to the author.
Displaying 1 of 1 review