The group was led by James William Kent (1890 – May 5, 1983, Australia, aged 93), a "veteran Australian evangelist and administrator," who chaired a meeting of "concerned" individuals in Sydney in 1974. On 3–4 February 1976, a group of 16 men (11 "senior ministers," all retired, and five laymen) including Kent and George Burnside (1908–1994), a New Zealand evangelist (described as the "foremost anti-Ford pamphleteer") was given a hearing by 20 men from the Biblical Research Institute in the Australasian Division (now the South Pacific Division). According to one author, Ford's understanding of righteousness by faith was the main issue, while the report describes "concern about the teaching of theology at Avondale College, particularly in the area of the Sanctuary, the Age of the Earth, and Inspiration." In response, the Institute affirmed its support for Avondale in its report.