Gregory David Anderson (born 1961) is an Australian Anglican

bishop A bishop is an ordained clergy member who is entrusted with a position of authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance of dioceses. The role or office of bishop is ...

and former musicologist who has served as the 6th

Bishop of the Northern Territory The Bishop of the Northern Territory is the diocesan bishop of the Anglican Diocese of the Northern Territory, Australia. List of Bishops of the Northern Territory References External links * – official site {{DEFAULTSORT:Northe ...

since 29 November 2014.

Early life and parish ministry

Anderson was born in Sydney and attended an Anglican church from birth. In the early-mid 1980s Anderson studied ethnomusicology at the

University of Sydney The University of Sydney (USYD), also known as Sydney University, or informally Sydney Uni, is a public university, public research university located in Sydney, Australia. Founded in 1850, it is the oldest university in Australia and is one o ...

with an interest in researching traditional Aboriginal songs. In 1986, he moved to the

Northern Territory The Northern Territory (commonly abbreviated as NT; formally the Northern Territory of Australia) is an Australian territory in the central and central northern regions of Australia. The Northern Territory shares its borders with Western Au ...

for 14 months to research the songs of Central

Arnhem Land Arnhem Land is a historical region of the Northern Territory of Australia, with the term still in use. It is located in the north-eastern corner of the territory and is around from the territory capital, Darwin. In 1623, Dutch East India Company ...

, during which time he was adopted by a

Rembarrnga The Rembarrnga people, also spelt Rembarunga and other variants, are an Aboriginal Australian people of the Northern Territory. Language The Rembarrnga language is a non-Pama-Nyungan language belonging to the Gunwinyguan language family. Coun ...

clan and he worked with musicians who had become Christians through a revival on

Elcho Island Elcho Island, known to its traditional owners as Galiwin'ku (Galiwinku) is an island off the coast of Arnhem Land, in the Northern Territory of Australia. It is located at the southern end of the Wessel Islands group located in the East Arnh ...

in 1979. This led Anderson to study theology in order to be involved in the growth and development of the Aboriginal church. After completing studies at

Moore Theological College Moore Theological College, otherwise known simply as Moore College, is the theological training seminary of the Diocese of Sydney in the Anglican Church of Australia. The president of the Moore Theological College Council is ''ex officio'' t ...

, Anderson returned to the Northern Territory with his wife and children as a missionary with the

Church Missionary Society The Church Mission Society (CMS), formerly known as the Church Missionary Society, is a British mission society working with the Christians around the world. Founded in 1799, CMS has attracted over nine thousand men and women to serve as mission ...

where he remained for the next 12 years. He lived at

Numbulwar Numbulwar, formerly known as Rose River Mission,https://www.ntlis.nt.gov.au/placenames/view.jsp?id=22449 is a small, primarily Aboriginal community on the Gulf of Carpentaria in the Northern Territory of Australia. The major language group of th ...

and later in

Darwin Darwin may refer to: Common meanings * Charles Darwin (1809–1882), English naturalist and writer, best known as the originator of the theory of biological evolution by natural selection * Darwin, Northern Territory, a territorial capital city i ...

, training Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander church leaders first at Nungalinya College (where he served as Academic Dean) and for the Diocese of the Northern Territory (where he served as Aboriginal Ministry Development Officer and an Honorary Assistant Priest at

Christ Church Cathedral, Darwin The Anglican Diocese of the Northern Territory covers Australia's Northern Territory and is part of the Province of Queensland in the Anglican Church of Australia. The first Bishop of the Northern Territory was consecrated in 1968. The cathe ...

. Anderson was ordained deacon in 2001 and priest in 2002, and was the first person to be ordained by Bishop

Philip Freier Philip Leslie Freier (born 9 February 1955) is an Australian Anglican bishop. He has been the 13th Archbishop of Melbourne since 16 December 2006. He served as Primate of Australia from 28 June 2014 until 31 March 2020. Previously, he serve ...

(in his role at the time as Bishop of the Northern Territory). In 2007, Anderson and his family moved back to Sydney where he served head of the Department of Mission at

, a position he held until his appointment to the episcopate in 2014.

Episcopal ministry

In June 2014, Anderson was elected as the sixth Bishop of the Northern Territory, replacing Bishop Greg Thompson who had been translated to the Anglican Diocese of Newcastle as of 2014. He was consecrated and enthroned as bishop on the eve of St Andrew's Day, on 29 November 2014.

Personal life

Anderson is married to Annette, who is herself a music educator and musician, and previously conducted the Darwin Youth Orchestra. They have 4 children.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Anderson, Greg 1961 births 21st-century Anglican bishops in Australia Anglican bishops of the Northern Territory Living people Academic staff of Moore Theological College People educated at James Ruse Agricultural High School Moore Theological College alumni University of Sydney alumni Australian musicologists