Gordon Wilfred Kuhrt (born 15 February 1941) is an

Anglican Anglicanism is a Western Christian tradition that has developed from the practices, liturgy, and identity of the Church of England following the English Reformation, in the context of the Protestant Reformation in Europe. It is one of th ...

priest and author. He was the

Archdeacon of Lewisham The Archdeacons in the Anglican Diocese of Southwark, Diocese of Southwark are senior clergy in the Church of England in South London and Surrey. They currently include: the archdeacons of Southwark, of Reigate (formerly of Kingston-on-Thames) and ...

from 1989 to 1996. He has served a member of the

General Synod of the Church of England The General Synod is the tricameral deliberative and legislative organ of the Church of England. The synod was instituted in 1970, replacing the Church Assembly, and is the culmination of a process of rediscovering self-government for the Church ...

from 1986 to 1996. Afterwards, he was Director of Ministry for the Archbishops' Council of the Church of England. He is now retired, married to Olive Kuhrt and has 3 sons and 10 grandchildren. Kuhrt was educated at

Colfe's Grammar School Colfe's School, previously Colfe's Grammar School is a co-educational independent day school in Lee in the London Borough of Lewisham, in southeast London, England, and one of the oldest schools in London. The school is a member of the Headmast ...

London University The University of London (UoL; abbreviated as Lond or more rarely Londin in post-nominals) is a federal public research university located in London, England, United Kingdom. The university was established by royal charter in 1836 as a degree- ...

and Middlesex University. He was

ordained Ordination is the process by which individuals are consecrated, that is, set apart and elevated from the laity class to the clergy, who are thus then authorized (usually by the denominational hierarchy composed of other clergy) to perform va ...

in 1967 and served

curacies A curate () is a person who is invested with the ''care'' or ''cure'' (''cura'') ''of souls'' of a parish. In this sense, "curate" means a parish priest; but in English-speaking countries the term ''curate'' is commonly used to describe clergy w ...

Illogan Illogan (pronounced ''il'luggan'', kw, Egloshalow) is a village and civil parish in west Cornwall, UK, two miles (3 km) northwest of Redruth. The population of Illogan was 5,404 at the 2011 census. In the same year the population of the Ca ...

and Wallington. Crockfords (London, Church House, 1995) He held incumbencies at St John the Baptist Shenstone and Emmanuel,

South Croydon South Croydon in south London is the area surrounding the valley south of central Croydon and running as far south as the former Red Deer public house on the Brighton Road. It is bounded by Waddon to the West and Selsdon and Sanderstead to the ...

Early life

In his autobiographical book, ''Life's Not Always Easy,'' Kuhrt tells of his childhood. He was born in the Indian city of Madras during the Second World War, which prevented his parents from returning to England. He was born with clubbed feet, and then, still in India, he contracted ''

polio Poliomyelitis, commonly shortened to polio, is an infectious disease caused by the poliovirus. Approximately 70% of cases are asymptomatic; mild symptoms which can occur include sore throat and fever; in a proportion of cases more severe s ...

myelitis'' at the age of 15 months, which exacerbated his health issues. The family finally returned to England in January 1945, and were able to see doctor Paul Brand and he then underwent treatment in

Great Ormond Street Children's Hospital Great Ormond Street Hospital (informally GOSH or Great Ormond Street, formerly the Hospital for Sick Children) is a children's hospital located in the Bloomsbury area of the London Borough of Camden, and a part of Great Ormond Street Hospital ...

, London. In 1946, his parents returned to India to the mission field, but were unable to take their son, owing to the ongoing treatment. For the next five years the young Gordon Kuhrt lived with foster parents, the Thorpes. He did not see his parents again until he was 10. After attending

, much interrupted by hospital treatment, he graduated with a degree in Theology from

. He was then a schoolteacher for

Religious education In secular usage, religious education is the teaching of a particular religion (although in the United Kingdom the term ''religious instruction'' would refer to the teaching of a particular religion, with ''religious education'' referring to te ...

in a Comprehensive School.

Ministry

Kuhrt was

in 1967 and served

and Wallington. He held incumbencies at St John the Baptist Shenstone and Emmanuel,

. He was elected to the General Synod of the Church of England in 1986, and served on the Council for Ministry. He was also a member of the Drafting and Steering Committees for the legislation for the ordination of women. He was appointed

in 1989 and remained in that post until 1996. In that year he was made Director of Ministry for the Archbishops' Council of the Church of England. He gained a degree of Doctor of Professional Studies from

Middlesex University Middlesex University London (legally Middlesex University and abbreviated MDX) is a public research university in Hendon, northwest London, England. The name of the university is taken from its location within the historic county boundaries ...

. He has been for many years a Fellow and Tutor of the College of Preachers. He retired in 2011, but for six years remained Associate Minister for Tredington, Warwickshire. He is now lives in Haddenham, Buckinghamshire.

Bibliography

* ''A Handbook for Council and committee members: A Practical Guide to their Work' (''1985'')'' * ''Believing In Baptism: Christian Baptism Its Theology And Practice'' (1987) *''The Church and its Unity (Parts 3)'' (1992) * ''Doctrine Matters'' (1993) * ''To Proclaim Afresh: Evangelical Agenda for the Church'' (1995) * ''Ministry Issues For The Church Of England: Mapping The Trends'' (2001) *''Doctors in Society: Medical professionalism in a changing world'' (Contributor) (2005) * ''Life’s Not Always Easy (with Pip Prideaux-Selby)'' (2011) * ''An Introduction To Christian Ministry'' (2012) * ''Bridging The Gap: Reader Ministry Today'' (Editor) (2012) *''Believing In Baptism (New Edition): Understanding and Living God's Covenant Sign (with Stephen Kuhrt)'' (2020)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Kuhrt, Gordon Wilfred 1941 births People educated at Colfe's School Alumni of the University of London Archdeacons of Lewisham Living people Members of the General Synod of the Church of England