Queensland Baptist Forum

Hackworthy was born in Newcastle NSW and served as a Baptist Minister in NSW, Victoria, Tasmania, South Australia, the National Capital and in the United Kingdom. He was President of the Baptist Union of Tasmania and the Baptist Union of SA. He also has some connection with Queensland. During the Great Depression the Baptist Union of Australia appointed him Campaign Manager for an Australia wide Discipleship Campaign and he spent over a month in Brisbane at the City Tabernacle and other Brisbane Churches conducting missions.
Harold Hackworthy was one of those larger than life characters who would have been a success in any profession he chose, but early in his life he sensed and accepted a call to the Christian ministry; not even four years service in the Australian Army during World War I could divert him from that call.
A common feature of his pastorates was the close and loving relations he developed with all of his congregations. He particularly encouraged and supported the young men of his churches and a number were drawn into the ministry through his influence.
Hackworthy had a brilliant mind and he wrote widely. The biography draws on many of his articles, speeches and sermons, and much of what he said and wrote is considered to be still relevant and helpful to Christians today. His ministry was significantly enhanced by the support he received from his gracious wife, Alison, who developed a warm and loving relationship with his colleagues and people.

The mission of the church
Hackworthy firmly believed that the Christian church exists to announce to the world the ‘good news’ that Jesus is Lord and that when and where the church did this the Holy Spirit was able to transform people and societies. For him, this was the church’s mission. The word ‘mission’ comes from the Latin for ‘sent’. ‘As the Father has sent me,’ said Jesus, ‘so I am sending you.’ For Harold Hackworthy this was a personal command.

The power of love
Hackworthy’s life demonstrated how love can overcome all hurdles. In his eulogy at Hackworthy’s funeral, his contemporary, Rev A C Prior, summed up his ministry in the following words:

In every pastorate he achieved an intimacy of fellowship with his people that was quite unique. For him fellowship with his people was essential, not only to his ministry, but to life itself. He loved them, his life became entwined with theirs, and in return people in every pastorate gave him a wealth of affection....He was prodigal in the gift of his friendship, giving it often where it was not deserved and sometimes to his own hurt. He won the regard of young men as well as holding the affection of his contemporaries. I never knew him to fail a friend. Perhaps this was his greatest gift in winning men and women to the friendship of Christ.

Moral and Spiritual Rearmament
In The Australian Baptist in July 1939 he wrote an article that will have significance for many Christians today. It was about the real meaning of strength. He commenced his article by quoting the words of two British leaders of the time:

The strength of a nation consists in the vitality of her principles. Policy, foreign as well as domestic, is for every nation ultimately determined by the character of her people and the inspiration of her leaders; by the acceptance in their lives and in their policy of honesty, faith and love as the foundations on which a new world may be built. Without these qualities, the strongest armaments, the most elaborate pacts only postpone the hour of reckoning. The real need of today is moral and spiritual rearmament.

Hackworthy considered that a crisis of relativism had been reached, where religion, morality systems, standards of conduct and social orders were divested of any absolute character or significance. He added:

The moral but hidden wound in society is that it is not aware of the complete breakdown of standards. The process of the breakdown has been so gradual that we have not noticed the creeping paralysis coming over us until at last we have surrendered to relativism and uncertainty about the meaning of life. There is no strength but in principle and so we delude ourselves by the display of strength and warming our hands at the fire of arms we cry – we are warm.
The organ in the Canberra Baptist Church was dedicated in memory of Harold Hackworthy in 1958. A plaque on it briefly records his service to the church in Canberra. It reads:

One of the communion chairs at the North Adelaide Church has also been dedicated to his memory. It reads:

There is also an Honour Roll at Whitley College in Melbourne on which are listed the names of eleven men who served in World War I. Hackworthy’s name is among them. He was one of three former College students who won the Military Cross for distinguished service.

Bill Hughes, the author of the book mentioned above, has also contributed significantly to a new history of the national Baptist church in Canberra. The book covering the first 75 years of the church was launched by Rev Tim Costello on March 1 at the church’s 80th anniversary, attended by Bill Hughes. Bill is a former member and deacon of Canberra and assisted in researching a number of different topics for the book, involving work with documents and also many interviews.
The Canberra church was commenced in 1929 as a project of the Baptist Union of Australia to be a significant building and fellowship in the national capital on land made available by the government authorities. The project was led by Rev Dr A J Waldock who was also the first minister. His successor was Rev Harold Hackworthy and the circumstances of his pastorate form an important part of the new history and Mr Hughes’ biography (see above). Other pastors have been Rev F McMaster, Rev N Adcock and Dr T Lorenzen, with Rev J Barr serving currently.
The Canberra building is of interest in itself and Bill Hughes is also the author of a recent book describing is many memorials and special features.
The Baptist Church Archives Qld is pleased to have a copy of the book signed by Tim Costello.

One observation of Baptist Church life that I made during my term as President of Queensland Baptists (2007-08) is that, in general terms, we seem to be deserting the city.

What do I mean by this? There are (at least—Ed.) three major cities that once had a Baptist witness in their midst, Ipswich, Toowoomba and Townsville, that have been forsaken for the suburbs.

While I do not know the reasons for these relocations, I am sure that each Church examined carefully why they should do so, and I do not wish to sound critical about their action. After all, I was pastor of Nambour church when it relocated from the main street to the suburban area of Burnside in 1977. In that case, resumption of the site by Maroochy Shire Council for a new Civic Centre was the catalyst.
I simply want to make a case for city ministry, which I think is timely and relevant. Many large cities today have changed greatly in character. They are not just business locations, but have seen large numbers of people move into them for residential purposes. Let me give an example: the AMP Building on the corner of Queen and Edward Streets in Brisbane now has apartments within it, to cater for those who wish to live in the city. The City Tabernacle in Brisbane has realized its need to witness to these city dwellers, and has begun this type of ministry.

I saw when ministering south of Sydney some years ago the relocation of the Parramatta Baptist Church from its old location to the suburbs. A city ministry that had continued since about the mid-1850's thus came to a close. There were other Baptist Churches ministering in those suburbs, but now they had to make room for another Church in their midst.

What is so special about the suburbs? Yes, we must reach for Christ people who live there, but is that the only kind of ministry we can have as Baptists? Did not our Lord send His disciples forth to witness to Him in every place? Of course! Inner-city ministry is very difficult, particularly when permission to access apartments must be requested at street level via intercom. I experienced this difficulty when ministering at Toowong in the mid-1970's. But there are people there whom we must reach for Christ.
Specialist ministries of this type require people to be trained for them, and such people would need to have a special call to this work. They would need to be prepared for knock-backs and discouragements, for they will come. But there are many people in the city. May our motives for continuing a city work not just be to preserve what may be an historic building, but to preach Christ in all His saving grace to the people who live there. To this we have been called. May we heed and obey the call.