
Stephen Hale
26 January 2025
It would be true to say that when Bishop Keith Rayner was elected archbishop in 1990 we weren’t fully sure what we would get.
He followed on from the dynamic leadership of Archbishop David Penman who had died suddenly in late 1989. We certainly didn’t expect a leader who would give active support for new mission initiatives and who would engage with young people. I was the youth director at the time.
In 1994 Archbishop Keith gave two memorable addresses.
The first was at the National Anglican Youth Gathering, hosted by Melbourne diocese at the Diocesan Youth Camp at Merricks.
Archbishop Keith as both Primate and Archbishop of Melbourne gave two of the morning Bible studies. About 350 people from across Australia attended, and we met in a giant marquee.
Read more: Remembering a leader prepared to change his mind
One of the talks was about the cross, and the archbishop gave a clear and compelling talk. About an hour after the session finished he hadn’t come to lunch. I went to find him and discovered he was still in the tent praying with some young people!
Archbishop Keith also spoke at the first Diocesan Clergy Conference in Bendigo that year. It was a big deal as such a conference hadn’t been done before and people were just a little sceptical.
The archbishop challenged us to be open for the need to change and that struck a chord at the time. This was backed up by the program where we had a mix of hymns and contemporary music. We also trialled some of the liturgies that formed the basis for A Prayer Book for Australia.
Archbishop Keith wasn’t necessarily an innovator himself, but he gave active support to those who were. He was a fine preacher and speaker and surprised us all in all sorts of ways.
Bishop Stephen Hale was youth director from 1988 to 1996 in the Diocese of Melbourne.
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