Development, Decline, and Diaspora:The Open Brethren in Tasmania, 1945-2000

At the height of their membership in the years following World War Two the Open Brethren represented a mere one per cent of the Tasmanian population. Yet this number of committed Christians influenced the evangelical witness in Tasmania and beyond more than what might be expected from that number during the forty years following the war's end. Fuelled by their eschatological expectations, these evangelicals spread the gospel with faith and fervour. For the first time this case study of the Tasmanian Open Brethren in the post-World War Two era analyses the reasons for their growth, their successful resistance to the pressures of cultural change in the long sixties,1 and their hopes for revival during the 1980s, only to see numbers of those identifying as Brethren fall in the 1990s and the new century. Before the end of World War Two, Tasmanian Brethren were active in their evangelical ministry. That activity intensified in peacetime as Brethren captured the vision of reaching youth through camp work—an initiative beginning in the UK and taken up by evangelicals in Australia. However, early inroads of secularity threatened the Brethren's narrative, focused on the literal interpretation of the Bible, their gospel witness, and conservative lifestyle. The passing of a generation of Brethren leaders, experienced in pre-war Brethrenism, allowed a younger generation of leaders to tackle the challenges of secularity and secure the membership of their fellowships. The emergence of a spontaneous Brethren youth ministry throughout Tasmania in the long sixties saw the movement resist the trend in many churches in Tasmania and mainland Australia. While most churches saw decline at this time, Tasmanian Open Brethren grew by 30.2 per cent between the 1966 and 1976 censuses. Successful in resisting the challenges of secularity in the long sixties, cultural change in the transition years of the 1980s saw Brethren refocus. Certainty about eschatological interpretations waned. From a preoccupation with the imminent rapture and the urgency of reaching the unsaved, Brethren recognised that change had occurred in society and that the relevance of their message went unheard by the unchurched. A time of introspection followed. Brethren churches that were open to change reviewed their liturgy and service times, recognised the pastoral needs in a changed culture, and attempted to make their presentation applicable to the unchurched. This introspection within the Brethren movement led to polarization and questioning of their identity. With the cultural and societal shifts that impacted religion in Australia as the twentieth century drew to a close, Tasmanian Brethren were particularly vulnerable to the move from a rational and single narrative of religion in modernity to the diverse and experimental in a changed culture. The 1990s and early 2000s saw many Tasmanian Open Brethren explore other evangelical churches, particularly those linked with the Pentecostal and charismatic movements that had embraced the emotional and experimental associated with the new cultural era. Traditionally, Tasmanian Open Brethren had been linked in a close-knit community. Family connections were strong. Nevertheless, many with family connections up to four and five generations of Brethren membership moved from their Brethren churches to other evangelical churches. No single explanation can be given. However, the impact of secularisation is examined in such decisions. It is argued that secularisation had broken down the expectation that allegiance to institutions, including churches, should be maintained without question. In a climate of diversity, the decision was the individual’s choice. Consequently, a significant decline was seen in Tasmanian Brethren circles. Interviews and surveys conducted as part of the research for this dissertation show that those who have been part of the diaspora overwhelmingly have joined other evangelical churches, taking their gifts, Bible knowledge, and Christian commitment with them. For those who have remained in Brethren circles, a new identity has emerged with membership of the Christian Community Churches of Victoria and Tasmania.