Anglican leaders split over ‘new-age’ church

GEELONG’S Anglican priests are divided over an army chaplain Andrew Grills’ plan to “plant” in Geelong another church under the denomination.
Christ Church Geelong Reverend Russell Trickey said he refused to attend a meeting in which Anglican bishops announced the arrival of City on a Hill church because of its “evangelical” nature.
But Newtown All Saints Right Reverend Peter Danaher supported the new Anglican branch, saying it gave Geelong’s faithful “more options” to pray.
Rev Danaher said he did not consider Geelong’s Anglican churches as being in “competition” for worshippers. They were instead “offering different ways to approach religion”, he said.
But both reverends were critical of Mr Grills’ contention that City on a Hill would suit younger worshippers who believed “traditional churches were boring”.
Rev Trickey said City on a Hill’s targeting of Generation X and Y was a way to apply “American business marketing principles to religion”.
The result was a tendency to “exclude people”, he said.
Rev Danaher believed All Saints adequately served the 20 young families in his congregation, with their ages ranging from late 20s to early 30s.
Mr Grills said he “didn’t want to knock traditional churches” but believed that “contemporary” ways of preaching drew in younger members.
“Our partner church in Melbourne puts value on the arts, creativity, audio-visual and media and these things have helped them bring 700 people into the church, most under the age of 30, who attend on Sunday.”
Mr Grills said City on a Hill’s congretaion in Geelong numbered under 20 but he hoped growth would lead to the church moving to a facility “somewhere like Geelong’s Village cinemas”.
Mr Grills said he was an ordained Anglican minister whose teachings centred on “the same traditions taught in many Christian denominations”.
“Our central focus is knowing Jesus and making Jesus known to others,” he said.