Barry Chant

Barry Chant (born 1938) is the author of Heart of Fire: The story of Australian Pentecostalism (the first history of Australian pentecostalism) and founder and founding principal of Tabor College Australia. He was founding editor of Australia's New Day magazine, the first national magazine addressing Australian pentecostals, charismatics and evangelicals.

He married Vanessa in 1960 and has three children (Rebekah, Michael and Luke) 12 grandchildren and one great grandchild.

Career summary

Chant graduated from the University of Adelaide in 1960 with a Bachelor of Arts degree, with honours in English literature. He started his career in 1960 as a secondary school teacher at Murray Bridge High School in South Australia, where he taught until 1963.

Chant was ordained as a minister of the Christian Revival Crusade (now CRC Churches International) in 1962. He became pastor of the Port Adelaide CRC assembly from 1964 to 1975 and associate pastor of the Adelaide Crusade Centre from 1975 to 1978.

Appointed dean of the Crusade Bible College in 1964, Chant continued this role until 1977 when he became principal of the college. In 1979 he led the redevelopment of the college into Tabor College, a multidenominational charismatic tertiary institution. He was president of the college until 2003. He also founded Tabor College Sydney in 1992, being its principal until 2002.

Chant was the founding editor of Australia's New Day magazine in 1980. It was the first national magazine addressing Australian pentecostals, charismatics and evangelicals. He remained president of the magazine until it ceased operations in 1997. He was also a Sunday night talkback radio host on 5DN in Adelaide, South Australia, from 1983 to 1986 and chairman of the United Charismatic Conventions in South Australia from 1980 to 1991.

In 2000, Chant received a PhD in history from Macquarie University, his thesis being "The spirit of Pentecost".^[2]

From 2003 to 2010, Chant was the senior pastor of the International Congregation at Wesley Mission, Sydney.

He is now semi retired.

Other roles

• Editor, PCBC Journal (1997–2003)
• President, Association of Pentecostal and Charismatic Bible Colleges of Australasia (1994–2002)
• Chairman, Association of Pentecostal and Charismatic Bible Colleges of Australasia (1990–1993)
• Secretary, Australian Pentecostal Ministers Fellowship Steering Committee (1988–1991)
• Member, Advisory Committee International Charismatic Consultation on World Evangelism (1987–1997)
• Member, Austral-Asian Christian Church (1983–2003)
• Member, Heads of Churches Committee, Adelaide, S.A. (1979–1985)
• Member, Australian Pentecostal Ministers Fellowship Steering Committee (1978–2004)
• National vice-chairman, Christian Revival Crusade Inc, Australia (1977–1980)
• Member, Rotary Club of Adelaide West (1976–1985)
• State chairman, Christian Revival Crusade Inc, South Australia (1974–1985)

Qualifications

• Bachelor of Arts degree, with honours in English literature (University of Adelaide, 1960)
• Diploma of Education (University of Adelaide, 1963)
• Bachelor of Divinity degree (Melbourne College of Divinity, 1968)
• Doctor of Ministry degree (Luther Rice Seminary, 1985)
• Doctor of Philosophy degree (Macquarie University, 2000); thesis topic – "The origins and development of the Pentecostal movement in Australia, 1870–1939"

Published books

• About Angels and You (Open Book, 2002)
• Walking with a Limp: a Charismatic Approach to Suffering (Open Book, 2002)
• Praying in the Spirit (Sovereign World, 2002)
• Spindles and the Crocodile (CD) (Turnaround Music, 2001)
• Spindles and the Crocodile (Tabor, 1999)
• The Scion Factor: The Kosmon Report Part 2 (Albatross, 1996)
• The Doom of Drakon: The Kosmon Report Part 1 (Albatross, 1996)
• Breaking the Power of the Past (Tabor, 1995)
• Spiritual Gifts: A Reappraisal – a Biblical and Practical Handbook (Tabor, 1993)
• Spindles and the Sleepy Lizard (Tabor, 1989)
• The Return (with Winkie Pratney) (Sovereign World, 1988)
• Creative Living: how to live the kind of life you've always wanted to live (Tabor, 1987)
• Your Guide to God's Power (Sovereign World, 1987)
• Jack-in-the-box [Musical] (Tabor, 1987)
• Straight Talk About Marriage (Tabor, 1983)
• Spindles and the Children (Tabor, 1983)
• Spindles and the Lamb [Musical] (Genesis Music, 1982)
• Spindles and the Orphan (Tabor, 1980)
• Spindles and the Wombat (Tabor, 1978)
• Straight Talk About Sex (Whitaker, 1977)
• Spindles and the Eagles (Tabor, 1976)
• Spindles of the Dusty Range (Tabor, 1975)
• Heart of Fire: The story of Australian Pentecostalism (Tabor, 1973) ISBN 0-9598050-0-1
• The Secret is Out (Crusade, 1971)
• Fact or Fantasy (Crusade, 1970)
• About angels and you
• Biblical Typology (Vision Foundations for Ministry) with Gill Waddle, 1996
• Connecting with the church, the community and the world in the 21st century
• Firm in the faith: Ten basic Bible study modules for new Christians
• How To Live The Kind Of Life You've Always Wanted To Live
• How To Study
• Spindles and the Giant Eagle Rescue (An Australian outback adventure)
• The Australian Career Of John Alexander Dowie, 1992?
• The Church (Vision Foundations for Ministry) with Ken Chant, 1988
• The Miracle of Calvary
• Upon Dry Ground

Magazines

• Australia's New Day magazine ISSN 0159-7442 (published between 1987 and 1996)

See also

• Ken Chant

Notes

1. ↑ "Family Notices.". The Advertiser (Adelaide, SA : 1931 - 1954). Adelaide, SA: National Library of Australia. 26 October 1938. p. 16. Retrieved 15 February 2016. 
2. ↑ Barry Chant, unpublished, The spirit of Pentecost: origins and development of the Pentecostal movement in Australia, 1870–1939,: Macquarrie University PhD Thesis 2000

External links

• Profile on the Wesley Mission website
• Profile on Tabor College website