Background
Kelly was born at Saint James" vicarage, George Street, Manchester, the son of the Revd.
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Herbert Kelly
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He was educated at Manchester Grammar School. After army training at the Royal Military Academy, Woolwich, Kelly studied History at Queens College, Oxford and was ordained in 1884.
Career
As a theologian Kelly was influenced initially by Charles Kingsley, but to a more lasting effect by the writing of Frederick Denison Maurice especially his two volumes titled The Moral and Metaphysical Philosophy and The Kingdom of Christ. Kelly sought to explore the way in which a society and culture created "propositions" about God and then a church "system" that follows from such propositions. Although identified by others as Anglo-Catholic in his outlook, Kelly often stated that God and religion were not the same, challenging his own students to focus on issues of Faith and practical evangelism rather than the technicalities of church doctrine and administration.
Kelly"s interest in the ecumenical movement involved him in the Student Christian Movement.
While training people for missionary service in of Korea and Africa, Kelly founded an Anglican religious order, the Society of the Sacred Mission, in Kennington, London in 1893. As the number of students increased, the order first relocated to Mildenhall in Suffolk and then in 1903, to Kelham Hall, Nottinghamshire.
Kelly was succeeded as director of the Society by Fr David Jenks in 1910. Bibliographic directory from Project Canterbury
Heroes of the Faith: Herbert Kelly 1860-1950, The Church Observer, Easter 2006.
