Maurice Betteridge

{{Short description|New Zealander church historian (1927–2020)}}

{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2022}}

Maurice Stanley Betteridge (19 February 1927 – 25 May 2020) was a church historian who served as Principal of Ridley College in Melbourne from 1979 to 1992.

Betteridge was born in New Zealand, and obtained MA and BD degrees from the University of New Zealand.{{cite news |title=New Principal for Ridley |url=http://www.australianchurchrecord.net/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/4th-September-1978.pdf |access-date=22 February 2022 |work=Australian Church Record |date=4 September 1978}}{{cite thesis |last=Betteridge |first=Maurice |year=1948 |type=Masters thesis |title=The Church of England and education in Canterbury, 1849-1918. |publisher=UC Research Repository, University of Canterbury |hdl=10092/4111 |doi=10.26021/4082 |url=https://ir.canterbury.ac.nz/handle/10092/4111}} He was ordained into the Anglican ministry by Percival Stephenson,{{cite web |title=A Tribute to Maurice Betteridge |url=https://www.vbg.net.au/index.php/8-news/18-a-tribute-to-maurice-betteridge |publisher=Victorian Bookbinders' Guild |access-date=22 February 2022}} and was greatly influenced by William Orange.{{cite journal |last1=Lange |first1=Stuart |title=Orange Pips and the Evangelical Churchman's Fellowship,1945-1972 |journal=Churchman |date=2011 |volume=125 |issue=3 |page=207 |url=https://www.churchsociety.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/Cman_125_3_Lange.pdf |access-date=22 February 2022}} Betteridge served as minister of St. Matthew's Church, Dunedin before being awarded a Fulbright scholarship to study at General Theological Seminary in New York City, where he obtained an STM degree.

Betteridge moved to Australia and served as the Federal Secretary of the Australian Church Mission Society from 1973 to 1978, as well as lecturing at the University of New England.

Betteridge was principal of Ridley College (Melbourne) from 1 June 1979 to 1992 after Leon Morris.