About Us

Welcome

St John’s Anglican Church is a diverse community ranging from sceptics to committed followers of Jesus. Wherever you are coming from, and whatever questions or issues you may be facing, you are welcome here. 

Our church is far more than just a building or a social club; it is a family of people who are seeking truth, practising goodness, and creating beauty. 

Our History

St John’s is a church community… Our roots in Darlinghurst go back to 1849. But our true origins run much deeper than that. After his death and resurrection, Jesus Christ established the church to embody his presence to the world. As a community whose life revolves around God’s word and the sacraments, we are, for all our faults, a concrete manifestation of the presence of Christ.

St John’s began in the 1840s when a new parish church was created to serve the area. Long a popular area with the traditional custodians of the Eora Nation, Darlinghurst was quickly becoming the most fashionable residential area for the well-to-do of Sydney. 

Sparing almost no cost, the great architect Edmund Blacket was employed to design the new church in the neo-Gothic style for which he became famous. Throughout the late 19th and early 20th centuries St John’s was the spiritual home for the families who lived nearby on large estates. Their legacy is reflected today in the many memorial plaques and stained-glass windows in our state heritage-listed building.

The area around Darlinghurst changed dramatically around the time of the Second World War. The nearby Garden Island Naval Base brought thousands of Australian and American soldiers and sailors (and their vices) giving the area a cosmopolitan and edgy character. In addition, its proximity to the city made it home to a growing number of working-class residents who crammed into newly created apartment blocks and terrace homes. 
It quickly became one of the densest, most controversial areas in Sydney—a “red light district” replete with crime, corrupt police, prostitution, drugs, and violence. It also became an enclave for those seeking to escape the mores and strictures of traditional society. 

In the 21st century Darlinghurst has undergone yet more significant shifts. While retaining much of its edgy and alternative character, it has also seen an influx of young professionals, families, and retirees, all of whom are attracted by its proximity to the CBD, the Harbour, and the nearby beaches. 
Today the area contains a vibrant mix of ages, socioeconomic conditions, and ideologies. It is a truly unique cultural hub located in the heart of Sydney—a community abuzz with all the hopes and heartbreaks of life in the city. 

St John’s has always attempted to manifest the love of Christ in tangible ways to a complex and ever-evolving area. In the 1970s the motor-bike riding rector started “Johnny’s Club”, a large and successful outreach to local youth. In the 1980s and 1990s the church was deeply engaged in ministering to those who were affected by the AIDS pandemic. 

In recent decades the parish has developed a robust set of social services like the “Rough Edges” drop-in centre for those experiencing homelessness and the “Banksia Women” service for women who have been affected by domestic violence. Most recently it entered into a longterm partnership with Hammondcare to build an aged care home onsite to provide comfort and dignity to the most vulnerable elderly people in the city.  

Acknowledgement of Country

We acknowledge that St John’s Darlinghurst is located on the land of the Gadigal people of the Eora nation. We have been privileged to gather here continuously since 1849, but its traditional custodians have belonged to this land from time immemorial. As we worship the God who made all people in his image we acknowledge and pay our respects to those whom God entrusted with the stewardship of this place, and especially to their elders—past, present, and emerging. 

We recognise the impact that colonisation has had upon Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. As a church we acknowledge with sorrow that, at different points throughout Australian history, those bearing the name of Christ were involved in dispossession, theft, injustice, the removal of Indigenous children from their families, and other sinful acts. These things grieve God, and they never should have happened. We are truly sorry, and we pray that God would empower us in the pursuit of justice for, and reconciliation with, Indigenous peoples.