Charles Strong

Charles Strong (26 September 1844 – 12 February 1942) was a Scottish-born Australian preacher and the founder of the Australian Church. Strong was educated at the University of Glasgow, where he adopted a liberal and broad church theology under the influence of his mentor John Caird. After being ordained in the Church of Scotland and holding a series of Scottish ministries, he was selected as the new minister of Scots' Church, Melbourne, in 1875. Upon moving to Australia he was initially a popular and successful minister, but eventually began to attract criticism due to his liberal views. Facing a heresy trial, he resigned from the Presbyterian Church in 1883.

In 1885 Strong founded the Australian Church. The church quickly attracted a large following, particularly among Melbourne's economic, political, and intellectual elite. Strong was active in advocating for a range of charitable and political causes, including labour rights, prison reform, and pacifism. However, his increasingly radical preaching and the financial difficulties of his church eventually caused the Australian Church to decline, and in 1922 it sold its premises and moved to a smaller building nearby. Strong died in 1942 at the age of 97. The Australian Church continued for a time after his death, but eventually ceased to operate in 1957.