Dr Matt Brain elected 10th Bishop of Bendigo

Posted on December 8, 2017 
Filed under Australian dioceses

Dr Matt Brain, Assistant Bishop in the Diocese of Canberra and Goulburn, has been elected 10th Bishop of the Diocese of Bendigo.

Here is the announcement from the Bendigo Vicar General:

“Diocesan Update – 7th December 2017

Election of 10th Bishop of Bendigo

Dear Friends,

Following the prayerful work of the Bishopric Electoral Board over a number of months, I am delighted to announce that last night The Right Rev’d Dr Matt Brain was duly elected by the Board as the 10th Bishop of Bendigo.

Bishop Matt is currently an Assistant Bishop in the Diocese of Canberra-Goulburn. He has worked in both lay and ordained capacity in five dioceses including North-West Australia where he was ordained and gained valuable experience in rural and remote ministry.

At the diocesan level Bishop Matt is currently responsible for Ministry Training and Development in Canberra- Goulburn, and oversees Parish Support Chaplaincy and Mission. He has served as Acting Registrar for the diocese on two occasions and was the Director of Anglican Diocesan Services until recently. He has served on numerous diocesan and school boards and is a member of General Synod and the Primatial Panel of Electors.

At the parish level he is currently the Rector of Arawang Anglican Church, south-west of Canberra, where he leads a ministry team comprising of ordained and lay leaders.

Bishop Matt has published numerous books, articles and conference papers and lectures at St Marks Theological College in Ministry and Outreach where he is also the deputy chair of the board. His doctoral thesis was “Treasures in Jars of Clay: Towards a new Pauline Pastoral Theology of Mission to Generation Y in Australia.”

Bishop Matt has a keen interest in advocacy and is a trustee of the Anglican Relief and Development Fund-Australia.

He is married to Rachael and they have 5 children aged 8-15. Bishop Matt originally trained and worked as a physiotherapist. He lists his interests as playing guitar, reading, cycling and jogging.

As a Diocese we have worked hard to be transformative, mission-shaped communities of faith so that our society may be transformed by Jesus. Bishop Matt is delighted to be able to join with us as we seek to be true to this calling and is looking forward to sharing in Jesus’ transformative work with us.

Details of when Bishop Matt will move to Bendigo will follow in the coming weeks. The date for his installation is Saturday, 17 February at St Paul’s Cathedral, Bendigo.

Please pray for Bishop Matt, Rachael and their children as they make their way to Bendigo and Matt starts his new ministry with us.

With blessings,

The Very Rev’d John Roundhill
Vicar General.”

Photo: Diocese of Canberra & Goulburn.