{{Short description|Australian Anglican bishop}} {{Use Australian English|date=March 2026}} {{Use dmy dates|date=March 2026}} {{Infobox Christian leader | type = Bishop | honorific_prefix = {{pre-nominal styles|size=100%|RRevd}} | name = Tiffany Sparks | title = Assistant Bishop of Grafton | church = Anglican Church of Australia | diocese = Grafton | term = 2026–present | other_post = Diocesan Archdeacon, Grafton (2019–2026) | ordination = 2011 | ordained_by = Phillip Aspinall | consecration = 12 March 2026 | consecrated_by = Peter Stuart | birth_date = 1981 | nationality = Australian | religion = Anglican | spouse = Grant | alma_mater = Australian Catholic University }}
'''Tiffany Sparks''' is an Australian Anglican bishop. She has served as assistant bishop in the Anglican Diocese of Grafton since March 2026.<ref name="announcement">{{cite web |title=Announcement of Assistant Bishop 5 December 2025 |url=https://www.graftondiocese.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/Announcement.pdf |website=Anglican Diocese of Grafton |format=PDF |date=5 December 2025 |access-date=15 March 2026}}</ref><ref name="youtube">{{cite web |title=The Consecration of the Venerable Tiffany Sparks as Bishop in the Church of God |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BMxildIJ4u4 |website=YouTube |publisher=Christ Church Cathedral Grafton |date=12 March 2026 |access-date=15 March 2026}}</ref> Before becoming a bishop, she served as diocesan archdeacon and ministry development officer of Grafton from 2019.<ref name="anglicanfocus">{{cite web |title=The Rev'd Tiffany to serve as Archdeacon of Grafton Diocese |url=https://anglicanfocus.org.au/2019/04/10/the-revd-tiffany-to-serve-as-archdeacon-of-grafton-diocese/ |website=Anglican Focus |date=10 April 2019 |access-date=15 March 2026}}</ref> Her views on women's ordination, same-sex marriage and church reform have been reported by ABC News, ''The Guardian'' and SBS as well as in church media.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Taylor |first=Jenan |date=2022-05-11 |title=Anglican Church in 'perilous' position after failing to define marriage as one man, one woman: Raffel |url=https://tma.melbourneanglican.org.au/2022/05/anglican-church-in-perilous-position-after-failing-to-define-marriage-as-one-man-one-woman/ |access-date=2026-03-21 |website=The Melbourne Anglican |language=en-AU}}</ref>
== Early life and education ==
Sparks studied social science and theology at Australian Catholic University.<ref name="announcement" />
== Ministry ==
Sparks was ordained in 2011 in the Anglican Diocese of Brisbane.<ref name="anglicanfocus" /> Her curacy included serving at St Mark's Anglican Church, The Gap.<ref name="announcement" /> In 2012 she became priest-in-charge, and later rector, of St Paul's Anglican Church, Ithaca-Ashgrove, in Brisbane, where she served for seven years.<ref name="anglicanfocus" />
In June 2019, Sparks moved to the Anglican Diocese of Grafton to take up the role of diocesan archdeacon and ministry development officer.<ref name="anglicanfocus" /> Murray Harvey, Bishop of Grafton, announced in December 2025 that Sparks would be consecrated as a bishop to serve as assistant bishop.<ref name="announcement" /> Her consecration took place at Christ Church Cathedral, Grafton, on 12 March 2026.<ref name="announcement" /><ref name="youtube" />
== Public commentary and coverage ==
In 2014, Sparks was the subject of a feature profile, ''Leap of Faith'', in ''U on Sunday'', the Sunday magazine of Brisbane's ''Sunday Mail''.<ref name="uonsunday2014">{{cite news |title=Leap of Faith |newspaper=The Sunday Mail |department=U on Sunday |location=Brisbane |date=12 January 2014 |pages=8–9}}</ref>
In April 2016, Sparks appeared on the ABC television panel programme ''Q&A'' in a discussion of religion and public life. ABC's report on the episode quoted her comments about women's leadership in churches, including her observation that some Anglican dioceses in Australia still did not ordain women.<ref name="abcqanda">{{cite news |last=Zander |first=Joel |title=Q&A: Are we failing our easily influenced youth? |url=https://www.abc.net.au/news/2016-04-26/qanda-are-we-failing-our-easily-influenced-youth/7356462 |work=ABC News |date=26 April 2016 |access-date=15 March 2026}}</ref> ''The Guardian'' also reported on the panel's discussion of marriage equality, domestic violence and Indigenous reconciliation, and separately highlighted Sparks' remarks that progressive Christians were open to discussing same-sex marriage and that LGBT Christians made significant contributions to church life.<ref name="guardian-panel">{{cite news |last=Doherty |first=Ben |title=Q&A's all-Christian panel told those who disagree 'neither wicked nor stupid' |url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2016/apr/26/qas-all-christian-panel-told-those-who-disagree-neither-wicked-nor-stupid |work=The Guardian |date=26 April 2016 |access-date=16 March 2026}}</ref><ref name="guardian-qanda">{{cite web |title=Tiffany Sparks on Q&A: 'We acknowledge the contributions of LGBT Christians' |url=https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/video/2016/apr/26/tiffany-sparks-on-qa-we-acknowledge-the-contributions-of-lgtb-christians-video |work=The Guardian |date=26 April 2016 |access-date=15 March 2026}}</ref>
In 2019, Sparks was one of the participants in the SBS documentary series ''Christians Like Us''. SBS's introductory and follow-up coverage described her as a progressive Anglican priest who supported LGBTQIA rights and women in church leadership, and said she joined the series to show that Christians could not be reduced to a single set of beliefs.<ref name="sbshousemates">{{cite web |title=Meet the housemates of 'Christians Like Us' |url=https://www.sbs.com.au/whats-on/article/meet-the-housemates-of-christians-like-us/x9y1ji5sr |work=SBS |date=29 March 2019 |access-date=15 March 2026}}</ref><ref name="sbsvoices">{{cite web |title=What participants learned in the 'Christians Like Us' house |url=https://www.sbs.com.au/voices/article/what-participants-learned-in-the-christians-like-us-house/jhju4rd9m |work=SBS Voices |date=10 April 2019 |access-date=15 March 2026}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Payne |first=Kaley |date=2019-04-02 |title=Church divide laid bare in SBS series 'Christians Like Us' - Eternity News |url=https://eternitynews.com.au/culture/church-divide-laid-bare-in-sbs-series-christians-like-us/,%20https://eternitynews.com.au/culture/church-divide-laid-bare-in-sbs-series-christians-like-us/ |access-date=2026-03-21 |language=en-AU}}</ref> Reviewing the series for ''The Guardian'', Luke Buckmaster identified Sparks as one of its housemates and described the programme as centred on disputes about the church's treatment of LGBT people, sexism and child abuse.<ref name="guardian-clu">{{cite web |last=Buckmaster |first=Luke |title=Christians Like Us: tense talks in this Big Brother house straining for heaven |url=https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2019/apr/03/christians-like-us-tense-talks-in-this-big-brother-house-straining-for-heaven |work=The Guardian |date=3 April 2019 |access-date=15 March 2026}}</ref>
In October 2019, SBS's ''The Feed'' quoted Sparks, then archdeacon of Grafton, criticising Archbishop Glenn Davies' call for supporters of same-sex marriage to leave the Anglican Church. The report said she was deeply saddened by the comments, argued that the church should reform rather than exclude people, and described the dispute as a matter of integrity and communion.<ref name="sbsfeed">{{cite web |title='So damaging': Anglicans warn of impacts of Archbishop's call for supporters of same-sex marriage to leave the Church |url=https://www.sbs.com.au/news/the-feed/article/so-damaging-anglicans-warn-of-impacts-of-archbishops-call-for-same-sex-marriage-supporters-to-leave-the-church/iueptzkmf |work=SBS The Feed |date=17 October 2019 |access-date=16 March 2026}}</ref>
Sparks has spoken about her support for gender equality in the church.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Lead Like a Woman conference: Insights and learnings |url=https://anglicanfocus.org.au/2025/03/19/lead-like-a-woman-conference-insights-and-learnings/ |access-date=2026-03-21 |language=en}}</ref> In an interview after her consecration in 2026, Sparks said she hoped her new role would encourage more women to seek opportunities within ministry.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2026-03-20 |title=Sparkling moment as new Assistant Bishop consecrated I Australian Rural & Regional News |url=https://arr.news/2026/03/20/sparkling-moment-as-new-assistant-bishop-consecrated/ |access-date=2026-03-21 |website=Australian Rural & Regional News |language=en-GB}}</ref>
== See also == {{Wikiquote|Ordination of women}}
* List of women bishops in the Anglican Church of Australia * Ordination of women in the Anglican Communion * List of female Anglican bishops
== References ==
{{Reflist}}
== External links ==
* [https://www.graftondiocese.org.au/ Anglican Diocese of Grafton – official website]
{{Portal bar|Biography|Christianity|Australia}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Sparks, Tiffany}} Category:Living people Category:21st-century Anglican bishops in Australia Category:Anglican archdeacons in Australia Category:Women Anglican bishops Category:Australian Catholic University alumni Category:Anglican bishops in Australia Category:1981 births