Jeffrey William Driver (born 6 October 1951[1]) is a retired Australian Anglican bishop. He is the former Archbishop of Adelaide and Metropolitan of South Australia in the Anglican Church of Australia.[2]


Jeffrey Driver
Archbishop of Adelaide
ProvinceSouth Australia
DioceseAdelaide
Installed2005
Term ended2016
PredecessorIan George
SuccessorGeoffrey Smith
Other post(s)Bishop of Gippsland
Orders
Ordination1977
Consecration2001
Personal details
Born
Jeffrey William Driver

(1951-10-06) 6 October 1951 (age 72)
NationalityAustralian

Early life edit

Driver grew up in the New South Wales country town of Cowra. His theological education was undertaken through the Australian College of Theology. After a short career as a newspaper journalist he was ordained in 1977 and began his career as an assistant curate in Bathurst. He held incumbencies at Mid-Richmond and Jamison and was later Archdeacon of Young, New South Wales and also Rector of the parish of St Paul's Manuka in Canberra. Driver was Executive Director of St Mark's National Theological Centre in Canberra from 1995 to 1997,[3] and founding Head of Charles Sturt University's School of Theology. In 2001, Driver was consecrated and appointed Bishop of Gippsland in eastern Victoria,[4] a position he held until his translation to Adelaide in 2005.[5]

Driver holds a PhD from Charles Sturt University, MTh. from the Sydney College of Divinity, as well as Scholar and Licentiate in Theology from the Australian College of Theology.[6]

Driver continues to lecture and write on biblical studies and Anglican ecclesiology, and has been closely involved with the work of the Anglican Church's caring body, Anglicare, in a number of dioceses.[7] He attended the Global South Fourth Encounter that took place in Singapore, on 19–23 April 2010.[8]

On 10 April 2016, Driver announced that he would retire in August 2016.[9] It was announced in December 2016 that his successor would be Geoffrey Smith, the assistant bishop, general manager and registrar of the Diocese of Brisbane.[10]

In retirement, Driver has been acting principal of Newton Theological College in Papua New Guinea.[11]

Styles of
Jeffrey Driver
 
Reference styleThe Right Reverend
Religious styleArchbishop

References edit

  1. ^ Who's Who 2008: London, A & C Black, 2008 ISBN 978-0-7136-8555-8
  2. ^ Anglican Communion
  3. ^ "The Advertiser: "Adelaide's retiring Anglican Archbishop Jeffrey Driver calls for greater 'connection', 10 April 2016". Retrieved 16 April 2021.
  4. ^ Diocesan history Archived 13 September 2009 at the Wayback Machine
  5. ^ Anglicanism on-line
  6. ^ Rüdiger, Gerhard (16 June 2010). "Annual Ecumenical Lecture: Ecumenism Today". South Australian Council of Churches. Retrieved 23 April 2016.
  7. ^ "Archbishop". Anglican Diocese of Adelaide. Archived from the original on 26 May 2016. Retrieved 23 April 2016.
  8. ^ SINGAPORE: Global South Observers Reflect on Worldwide Anglicanism, Virtue Online, 25 April 2010
  9. ^ Hunt, Nigel (10 April 2016). "Anglican Archbishop of Adelaide Jeffrey Driver announces his retirement". The Advertiser. Retrieved 10 April 2016.
  10. ^ "Adelaide gets new Anglican archbishop". News.com.au. 3 December 2016. Retrieved 12 March 2017.
  11. ^ "Anglican Focus: Newton Theological College". Retrieved 27 April 2021.
Anglican Communion titles
Preceded by Bishop of Gippsland
2001–2005
Succeeded by
Preceded by Archbishop of Adelaide
2005–2016
Succeeded by