Minister's gown

This minister’s gown was worn by Helmut Herbert Hermann Rex (1913-1967), Presbyterian theologian and lecturer, as he studied for the ministerial exams of the Confessing Church in Germany in the late 1930s. The Confessing Church arose in opposition to the pro-Nazi Protestant Reich Church. Rex was arrested briefly in 1937 and left Germany in 1938.

Religious refugees

Rex and his wife were brought to New Zealand in 1939 by the Presbyterian Church just before World War II began. He became a hugely influential teacher at Knox Theological College, Dunedin, and made a profound impact on the Presbyterian Church here.

Origins of gown

The style of gown dates back to the Protestant Reformation when the ornate and colourful vestments of the Roman Catholic Church were rejected. This simple yet dignified gown is meant to convey the authority and solemn duty of the ordained wearer. The gown obscures individual grooming and avoids fashion - instead it draws attention to the wearer’s office and not their person.

The gown was worn with white bands at the neck. Bands are formal neckwear worn by some clergy. They were adopted for legal, official, ecclesiastic, and academic use in the mid 17th century.