James George Deck

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James George Deck (born 1 November 1807 – August 1884) was a New Zealand evangelist.

Deck was born in Suffolk, England. His education included military training in Paris before obtaining a military commission with the British East India Company where he served from 1824–1826. 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 Bethsaida controversy divided the Brethren movement in the mid 1840's 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 Salisbury's. 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 occurred in England became known in New Zealand and with visits to New Zealand GV 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.

[edit] His 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 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.