The Rt. Rev. Dr. Richard (Ric) Thorpe, Bishop of Islington since 2015 and a church-growth specialist within the Diocese of London, has been elected Archbishop of Melbourne in the Anglican Church of Australia.
Thorpe has overseen church growth in London for nearly 10 years, partly as director of the Gregory Centre for Church Multiplication. Beginning in the late 1980s, Thorpe worked as an assistant marketing manager for Unilever, and the Gregory Centre reflects a focus on systems and processes. Still, in a video for the Gregory Centre, Thorpe praises the architect Christopher Wren as an innovator whom modern church-growth workers might emulate.
Charles Brammell reported for The Other Cheek that Thorpe’s election “marks a further advance towards an evangelical majority in the Anglican Church of Australia” and is “likely to tip the balance in the House of Bishops of the National Church.”
Brammell also reported that all four nominees in Melbourne were evangelicals. Thorpe was the one nominee with experience as a bishop, albeit in a setting more than 10,000 miles away from Australia.
Thorpe’s early ministry occurred at Holy Trinity Brompton, first as a worship leader for nearly four years and later as a curate for nearly nine years. That church is the global launching point for the evangelistic Alpha course. HTB also has spread a model of piety that is less formal and relies more on pop music styles than on hymns. HTB has encountered some tensions with churches that have adopted its model of worship.
Some readers of Thinking Anglicans speculated about whether Thorpe had any ties to Mike Pilavachi or John Smyth, both of whom were involved in sexual scandals. Other readers pointed out that these were different theological tribes.
“Ric has been personally involved in revitalizing small or shrinking parishes and planting new churches,” said Dr. Jenny George, who led Melbourne’s Board of Nominators. “His commitment to developing future leaders is seen in his local and global training of church planters and other leaders.”
Thorpe is a graduate of Birmingham University and Wycliffe Hall at Oxford. He completed a doctoral degree in church growth at Asbury Theological Seminary in Kentucky. He is expected to become the archbishop bishop later this year, at a date to be announced by the diocese.
Douglas LeBlanc is the Associate Editor for Book Reviews and writes about Christianity and culture. He and his wife, Monica, attend St. Matthew’s Episcopal Church in Henrico, Virginia.
