Geoffrey Herbert Blackburn OAM (7 November 1914 – 13 July 2014) was an Australian

Baptist Baptists form a major branch of Protestantism distinguished by baptizing professing Christian believers only (believer's baptism), and doing so by complete immersion. Baptist churches also generally subscribe to the doctrines of soul compete ...

minister who served as Secretary and President General of the

Baptist Union of Australia Australian Baptist Ministries (formerly Baptist Union of Australia) is the oldest and largest national cooperative body of Baptists in Australia. The Baptist Union of Australia was inaugurated on 24 August 1926 at the Burton Street Church in ...

. Blackburn was born in

Melbourne Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a met ...

in 1914 and began his ministry as a home missionary at

Beechworth Beechworth is a well-preserved historical town located in the north-east of Victoria, Australia, famous for its major growth during the gold rush days of the mid-1850s. At the , Beechworth had a population of 3,859. Beechworth's many histor ...

Baptist church in 1934. He completed his studies at the Baptist College of Victoria in 1939, obtaining

B.A. Bachelor of arts (BA or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts degree course is generally completed in three or four years ...

and LTh degrees, and ministered in the parishes of Hopetoun and

Elsternwick Elsternwick is an inner suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 9 km south-east of Melbourne's Central Business District, located within the City of Glen Eira local government area. Elsternwick recorded a population of 10,887 at the 2021 ...

. He also served as an

army An army (from Old French ''armee'', itself derived from the Latin verb ''armāre'', meaning "to arm", and related to the Latin noun ''arma'', meaning "arms" or "weapons"), ground force or land force is a fighting force that fights primarily on ...

chaplain A chaplain is, traditionally, a cleric (such as a Minister (Christianity), minister, priest, pastor, rabbi, purohit, or imam), or a laity, lay representative of a religious tradition, attached to a secularity, secular institution (such as a hosp ...

during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

. In 1947 Blackburn was appointed as the Baptist Union of Victoria's first full-time Youth Director, during which time he completed a

BEd A bed is an item of furniture that is used as a place to sleep, rest, and relax. Most modern beds consist of a soft, cushioned mattress on a bed frame. The mattress rests either on a solid base, often wood slats, or a sprung base. Many b ...

at the

University of Melbourne The University of Melbourne is a public research university located in Melbourne, Australia. Founded in 1853, it is Australia's second oldest university and the oldest in Victoria. Its main campus is located in Parkville, an inner suburb nor ...

. He served in the capacity of Editor of Sunday School Publications from 1949 to 1972, before returning to parish ministry at Syndal until his retirement in 1986. In addition to this, Blackburn was Secretary of the

from 1949 to 1971 and its President General from 1971 to 1975. He also served as vice-president of the

Baptist World Alliance The Baptist World Alliance (BWA) is the largest international Baptist organization with an estimated 51 million people in 2022 with 246 member bodies in 128 countries and territories. A voluntary association of Baptist churches, the BWA account ...

from 1975 to 1980. Blackburn obtained an

M.A. A Master of Arts ( la, Magister Artium or ''Artium Magister''; abbreviated MA, M.A., AM, or A.M.) is the holder of a master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The degree is usually contrasted with that of Master of Science. Tho ...

from the

in 1965, examining the development of the Jewish elementary school. In 1969 he received a

PhD PHD or PhD may refer to: * Doctor of Philosophy (PhD), an academic qualification Entertainment * '' PhD: Phantasy Degree'', a Korean comic series * ''Piled Higher and Deeper'', a web comic * Ph.D. (band), a 1980s British group ** Ph.D. (Ph.D. albu ...

from the same institution. His doctoral thesis involved methods of biblical study in the

Early Christian Church Early Christianity (up to the First Council of Nicaea in 325) spread from the Levant, across the Roman Empire, and beyond. Originally, this progression was closely connected to already established Jewish centers in the Holy Land and the Jewish d ...

. He also obtained a DMin from

Fuller Theological Seminary Fuller Theological Seminary is an interdenominational Evangelical Christian seminary in Pasadena, California, with regional campuses in the western United States. It is egalitarian in nature. Fuller consistently has a student body that compri ...

in 1991, writing on cross-cultural ministry. Blackburn was granted the

Medal of the Order of Australia The Order of Australia is an honour that recognises Australian citizens and other persons for outstanding achievement and service. It was established on 14 February 1975 by Elizabeth II, Queen of Australia, on the advice of the Australian Gove ...

in 1998 for "service to the Baptist church". The Geoffrey Blackburn Library at

Whitley College Whitley College is a Baptist theological institute in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. The college is associated with the Baptist Union of Victoria (Australian Baptist Ministries) and is one of the theological schools of the University of Divinity ...

is named in his honour, and he was one of the inaugural inductees into the

Camberwell Grammar School , motto_translation = By our deeds may we be known , established = , type = Independent, single sex, Anglican primary and secondary day school , denomination = Anglican , slogan ...

Gallery of Achievement.

Rowland Croucher Rowland Croucher (born 1937) is a retired Australian pastor, counsellor and author. Early life and education He was brought up in the Open Brethren in Sydney. Croucher graduated as a teacher from Bathurst Teachers' College; BA University of N ...

described Blackburn as one of the four most admired

Australian Australian(s) may refer to: Australia * Australia, a country * Australians, citizens of the Commonwealth of Australia ** European Australians ** Anglo-Celtic Australians, Australians descended principally from British colonists ** Aboriginal Au ...

Baptists Baptists form a major branch of Protestantism distinguished by baptizing professing Christian believers only ( believer's baptism), and doing so by complete immersion. Baptist churches also generally subscribe to the doctrines of soul compe ...

, alongside G. H. Morling,

F. W. Boreham Frank William Boreham OBE (3 March 1871, Tunbridge Wells, Kent, England – 18 May 1959, Melbourne, Victoria) was a Baptist preacher best known in New Zealand, Australia, and England. Life and career Boreham's birth coincided with the end of the ...

and

Noel Vose Godfrey Noel Vose (23 December 1921 – 2 May 2016) was a Western Australian Baptist minister, the founding principal of Vose Seminary (formerly the Baptist Theological College of Western Australia) and the only Australian appointed as President o ...

.
Review: Geoffrey Blackburn, 'Beyond Imagining'
',

o
John Mark Ministries
website. Accessed 8 August 2007. After his official retirement Blackburn engaged in several interim ministries in Victorian churches, including

Heathmont Heathmont is a suburb of Melbourne, Victoria (Australia), Victoria, Australia, 24 km east of Melbourne's Melbourne City Centre, Central Business District, located within the City of Maroondah Local government areas of Victoria, local govern ...

and Diamond Valley Baptist Churches. From 2001 he served as part-time

Pastoral Care Pastoral care is an ancient model of emotional, social and spiritual support that can be found in all cultures and traditions. The term is considered inclusive of distinctly non-religious forms of support, as well as support for people from rel ...

minister at

Scots' Church, Melbourne The Scots' Church is a Presbyterian church in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. It was the first Presbyterian church to be built in the Port Phillip District (now the state of Victoria) and is located on Collins Street. It is a congregation of the ...

. In April 2012 Blackburn retired for the final time, at the age of 97. In 1940 he married Edna Atkins, who died in 1967. They had two sons. In 1969 he married Jessie Campbell, who died 29 March 2019. He was survived by Jessie, sons Keith and Alan and five grandchildren.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Blackburn, Geoffrey 1914 births 2014 deaths 20th-century Australian Baptist ministers Religious leaders from Melbourne Recipients of the Medal of the Order of Australia University of Melbourne alumni Fuller Theological Seminary alumni Australian military chaplains World War II chaplains 21st-century Australian Baptist ministers

Further reading

References