Quick Facts
Biography
Richard Charles "Dick" Lucas (born 10 September 1925) is an Anglican evangelical cleric, best known for his long ministry at St Helen's Bishopsgate in London, England, and for his work as founder of the Proclamation Trust and the Cornhill Training Course.
Lucas was born on 10 September 1925 in Lewes, Sussex. He was converted to evangelical Christianity in 1941 under the camp ministry of E. J. H. Nash. Lucas served in the Royal Navy during World War II. He was educated at Trinity College, Cambridge and Ridley Hall, and was ordained in the Church of England, serving a first curacy at St Nicholas' Church, Sevenoaks.
Lucas was Rector of St. Helen's Bishopsgate from 1961 to 1998. Under his leadership, St. Helen's grew from a tiny congregation of a few individuals to a large thriving church with a ministry to city workers, families, students and young professionals. He developed a reputation for strong Bible teaching and preaching. He emerged as a widely respected evangelical speaker, particularly at the Keswick Convention. He was outspoken among his generation of evangelical ministers in encouraging systematic expositional preaching. With this in mind, Lucas was among those who established a popular and widely duplicated programme of training workshops for preachers.
In May 1986 Lucas founded the Proclamation Trust, the aim of which is to encourage ministry that seeks to "expound the Bible as God's Word for today". Lucas remains active as a Trustee.
In 1991, in partnership with David Jackman, Lucas helped form the Cornhill Training Course. The course originally met for training in St Peter upon Cornhill, then moved to Borough to meet in office space on Borough High Street. Lucas is no longer part of the leadership team there.
Now just into his nineties, Lucas still has an active and influential ministry, preaching and speaking at conferences in the UK and further afield. He is Rector Emeritus of St Helen's, where he returns each summer to preach.
Lucas is the author of a number of evangelical books and commentaries. With John Stott, J.I. Packer and others, Lucas was a key figure in shaping the conservative evangelical movement in the United Kingdom during the 20th century.