James George Deck
Encyclopedia
James George Deck was a New Zealand
evangelist
.
, England
. His education included military training in Paris
before obtaining a military commission with the British East India Company
where he served from 1824 to 1826.
After returning to England he experienced an evangelical conversion and in 1829 married Alicia Field, who was subsequently to be the mother of nine of the Deck children. Joining the Plymouth Brethren
he was baptised by full immersion and also resigned his commission, and became an evangelist for the movement.
As the Bethesda controversy divided the Brethren movement in 1848, Deck unsuccessfully attempted reconciliation, and then after suffering a stroke decided to emigrate to New Zealand
. But soon after arriving in 1853 and moving to land purchased at Waiwhero, Ngatimoti
, Nelson
(this land now has an exclusive hotel on it), his wife died.
In July 1855 he married Lewanna Atkinson, who bore the next five Deck children. Then on the first day of 1860 he began the New Zealand Brethren movement at his farm with local Ngatimoti families such as the Salisburys.
The Nelson Brethren Assemblies rapidly developed thereafter and when the Deck family moved to Wellington in 1865, more Assemblies were established as a result. But in 1875 the news of the division that had occurred in England became known in New Zealand and with visits to New Zealand by George Wigram
and John Nelson Darby
the division was enforced with the cost on Deck being that he ceased writing hymns, for which he is internationally respected. Deck died in August 1884 at Motueka
.
The Brethren movement in New Zealand had an influence in New Zealand's rapid social development despite Deck's followers remaining outside of political institutions. One member of the Motueka Assembly who left the Brethren and involved himself in politics was Keith Holyoake
who went on to become a long serving Prime Minister and then Governor General. Deck's sons and descendants were involved in both "open" and "exclusive" assemblies and one son was the first New Zealand Brethren missionary in 1877.
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
evangelist
Evangelism
Evangelism refers to the practice of relaying information about a particular set of beliefs to others who do not hold those beliefs. The term is often used in reference to Christianity....
.
Life
Deck was born in Bury St Edmunds, SuffolkSuffolk
Suffolk is a non-metropolitan county of historic origin in East Anglia, England. It has borders with Norfolk to the north, Cambridgeshire to the west and Essex to the south. The North Sea lies to the east...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. His education included military training in Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
before obtaining a military commission with the British East India Company
British East India Company
The East India Company was an early English joint-stock company that was formed initially for pursuing trade with the East Indies, but that ended up trading mainly with the Indian subcontinent and China...
where he served from 1824 to 1826.
After returning to England he experienced an evangelical conversion and in 1829 married Alicia Field, who was subsequently to be the mother of nine of the Deck children. Joining the Plymouth Brethren
Plymouth Brethren
The Plymouth Brethren is a conservative, Evangelical Christian movement, whose history can be traced to Dublin, Ireland, in the late 1820s. Although the group is notable for not taking any official "church name" to itself, and not having an official clergy or liturgy, the title "The Brethren," is...
he was baptised by full immersion and also resigned his commission, and became an evangelist for the movement.
As the Bethesda controversy divided the Brethren movement in 1848, Deck unsuccessfully attempted reconciliation, and then after suffering a stroke decided to emigrate to New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
. But soon after arriving in 1853 and moving to land purchased at Waiwhero, Ngatimoti
Ngatimoti
Ngatimoti is a small town near Motueka in New Zealand's South Island. Its Māori name means "of Timothy".The town lies on the banks of the Motueka River and has been inhabited since 1855 when the Salisbury brothers arrived in the river valley...
, Nelson
Nelson, New Zealand
Nelson is a city on the eastern shores of Tasman Bay, and is the economic and cultural centre of the Nelson-Tasman region. Established in 1841, it is the second oldest settled city in New Zealand and the oldest in the South Island....
(this land now has an exclusive hotel on it), his wife died.
In July 1855 he married Lewanna Atkinson, who bore the next five Deck children. Then on the first day of 1860 he began the New Zealand Brethren movement at his farm with local Ngatimoti families such as the Salisburys.
The Nelson Brethren Assemblies rapidly developed thereafter and when the Deck family moved to Wellington in 1865, more Assemblies were established as a result. But in 1875 the news of the division that had occurred in England became known in New Zealand and with visits to New Zealand by George Wigram
George Wigram
George Vicesimus Wigram was an English biblical scholar and theologian.-Early life:He was the 20th child of Sir Robert Wigram, 1st Baronet, a famous and wealthy merchant, and the 14th child of Lady Eleanor Wigram, Robert's 2nd wife...
and John Nelson Darby
John Nelson Darby
John Nelson Darby was an Anglo-Irish evangelist, and an influential figure among the original Plymouth Brethren. He is considered to be the father of modern Dispensationalism. He produced a translation of the Bible based on the Hebrew and Greek texts called The Holy Scriptures: A New Translation...
the division was enforced with the cost on Deck being that he ceased writing hymns, for which he is internationally respected. Deck died in August 1884 at Motueka
Motueka
The town of Motueka in the South Island of New Zealand lies close to the mouth of the Motueka River, on the western shore of Tasman Bay. It is, after Nelson and Richmond, the third largest centre in the Tasman Region, with a population of 7125...
.
Impact
It is difficult to assess the impact of this religious pioneer as with his hymns the influence is ongoing. Within 40 years of Deck's first Brethren meeting the 1900 census revealed that nearly 2% of the New Zealand population were Brethren.The Brethren movement in New Zealand had an influence in New Zealand's rapid social development despite Deck's followers remaining outside of political institutions. One member of the Motueka Assembly who left the Brethren and involved himself in politics was Keith Holyoake
Keith Holyoake
Sir Keith Jacka Holyoake, KG, GCMG, CH, QSO, KStJ was a New Zealand politician. The only person to have been both Prime Minister and Governor-General of New Zealand, Holyoake was National Party Prime Minister from 20 September 1957 to 12 December 1957, then again from 12 December 1960 to 7...
who went on to become a long serving Prime Minister and then Governor General. Deck's sons and descendants were involved in both "open" and "exclusive" assemblies and one son was the first New Zealand Brethren missionary in 1877.