Updated
10 Downing Street has announced that the next Bishop of Gloucester is to be the Venerable Rachel Treweek, currently Archdeacon of Hackney.
Diocese of Gloucester: Venerable Rachel Treweek
The Queen has approved the nomination of the Venerable Rachel Treweek, BA, BTh, Archdeacon of Hackney, for election as Bishop of Gloucester in succession to the Right Reverend Michael Francis Perham, MA, whose resignation took effect on the 21 November 2014.
Notes for editors
The Venerable Rachel Treweek (nee Montgomery) aged 52, studied at Reading University and trained for the ordained ministry at Wycliffe Hall, Oxford. She served her first curacy at Saint George and All Saints, Tufnell Park in the Diocese of London from 1994 to 1997 and was Associate Vicar from 1997 to 1999.
From 1999 to 2006 she was Vicar at Saint James the Less, Bethnal Green and Continuing Ministerial Education Officer for the Stepney Episcopal Area. From 2006 to 2011 she was Archdeacon of Northolt in the Diocese of London. Since 2011 she has been Archdeacon of Hackney. In 2013 she was elected as Participant Observer in the House of Bishops for the South East Region.
Rachel is married to Guy, Priest-in-Charge of two parishes in the City of London.
Her interests include conflict transformation, walking and canoeing.
Gloucester diocese has a page welcoming the new bishop-designate including the following quote
Following the announcement, Rachel said:
“It is an immense joy and privilege to be appointed as the Bishop of Gloucester. I am surprised and, I have to admit, even a little daunted by the prospect, but my overwhelming feeling is one of excitement to be coming to join with others in sharing the love of Jesus Christ with the people of this diocese.
“I am looking forward to encouraging Christians to speak out with confidence about their faith and the good news that the Gospel brings. It will be my privilege to work with churches as we connect with people, wherever they are and whatever their concerns.
“My calling to the role of bishop has been shaped by human encounter. I believe profoundly that relationship is at the heart of who God is. I have been with people through the joys and pains of their lives and it is these experiences that I will reflect upon as I take up this new role.”
The diocese of London also covers the appointment of one of its archdeacons. The Bishop of London, Richard Chartres, is quoted:
As Richard of Gloucester is reinterred, Rachel of Gloucester is revealed. Rachel has served her entire ministry in the Diocese of London, excelling wherever she has been. She has twice acted as Archdeacon, in Northolt and then Hackney — two highly demanding and contrasting areas where she has shone in equal measure.
… While we are very sorry to see her go, Gloucester has appointed someone with real quality and distinction. We look forward to continuing to support her in the years to come.
There is also coverage in the press including
several of which note that she is expected to become the first woman bishop to sit in the House of Lords.
Excellent appointment as anyone in the Diocese of London who has experienced her ministry will know!
This is third appointment of a woman and in each case they have an ordained spouse.
Northern Province 2 – Southern Province 1
Or does One Diocesan trump two Suffragans?
David, I think it does 😛
So you don’t have to be married to a cleric (of the opposite sex) but it helps.
Being married to a cleric keeps the headship ConEvos happy…
Pete Broadbent,
that made me laugh out loud. Thank you.
Is the idea that the bishops will take instructions from their husbands who will be the power behind the ceremonial throne?
Many Congratulations to Rachel on this appointment. She’s an able and experienced individual; one who will be a great asset to the Diocese of Gloucester.
Good wishes to Rachel and those that rejoice at her appointment.
Love and blessing to Ven Revd Rachel Treweek! I suspect that Rose Hudson-Wilkin will be amongst the next ones appointed but I wish that she’s appointed for the right reasons and not the wrong ones.
{sound of ice cracking}
“Let justice roll down like waters And righteousness like an ever-flowing stream…” [Amos 5:24]
Pete Broadbent that quote is gold. It is surpassed only by the Church Times report that apparently “GLOUCESTER is to have the Church of England’s first diocesan bishop, it was announced today.”
Rachel will be in good company in this diocese of Gloucester. We have some outstanding women clergy, highly esteemed by society at large and loved and honoured by layfolk.
Especial acknowledgement is due to Bp Martyn, Suffragan of Tewkesbury, who is currently shepherding the diocese with generosity and level-headedness. He will now have a new (woman!) boss.
Peter, I know that Gloucester was only created as a separate diocese in Tudor times but surely the honour of being the first Diocesan Bishop thereof belongs to John Wakeman alias Wiche in 1541. Methinks that the Church Crimes omitted to mention the gender of Bishop Designate Treweek.
“Being married to a cleric keeps the headship ConEvos happy…”
Bishop Pete – I presume that’s a joke at the expense the of the headship Con Evos in your episcopal area, and not what they really think?
Pete’s comment was very good…..
but I had a (female) conservative evangelical ordinand once who was told (in all seriousness) at some evangelical conference that at least now she was getting married she would have some male headship to be under!
Is it worth raising a concerned voice at what appears, at least, to be a steady procession of Evangelicals of both sexes being advanced to the Office of Bishop in the Church? They are not the sole strand in Anglican tradition, and there is the danger of a serious imbalance being created on the bench of bishops. It would be reassuring to see some fitting candidates who have a firmly Catholic ecclesiology and sacramental theology being consecrated to the episcopate.
cuts both ways though – in the Trad AC world about 5 years ago I met a girl who became engaged to the curate. At their engagement party she was only half joking when she said:
“Of course I’m going to have to find another church now because I don’t approve of married clergymen”
‘Twould be quite nice, now, to have an Anglo-Catholic woman priest appointed as a diocesan bishop – if only to keep a right balance. And then, of course, there must be room made on the Bench for Jeffrey John.
Barry,
Martin Seeley is going to St Edmundsbury & Ipswich, so that’s one catholic appointment at diocesan level.
I join cheerfully with all the justified applause for Bishop Rachel, and am sure she will be very good. However, quite apart from the contrast between gender revolution and churchmanship conventionality, it is also interesting that a ministry spent entirely in the Diocese of London is accepted without question as good preparation to lead the church in Gloucestershire. Although many in this diocese would say suburbia begins at the Severn anyway.
Thank you @Barry. I didn’t want to jump in and look like I was dampening the fire of real joy at this appointment. But, it’s true: another Evangelical (with an Evangelical suffragan in post). From Catholic scholar/liturgist to Evangelical is quite a shift for a Diocese. And I don’t think we’re going to see Rachel challenging the LGBT status quo. Yes, a predicted pattern is emerging and I’m not holding my breath for a catholic/liberal female diocesan soon. The weight of expectation now falls on Nick Holtam and Martin Seeley to lead the way with their suffragan appointments.
Father Ron – such a bishop would indeed be nice. Thank you for making me smile. Perhaps we shall one day have such a priest at St Mary’s Bourne Street where we are, yet again, sadly, lacking a vicar.
Remember that she was one of the advisers to the Pilling Report, and therefore part of the group which opened the door to change on LGBT issues.
Yes, Francis, you may be right. However, did the Pilling Report actually OPEN the door for LGBT people or has it ensured that it be closed for ever?
Julia, if you would accept an 85 year-old A.C. as your interim Vicar, I would gladly move over from ACANZP to fill the gap, temporarily, of course!
And top marks, with delicious irony too, to Wycliffe Hall for producing the C of E’s first female diocesan bishop. As well as one of the first female deans.
Congratulations to Thinking Anglicans in reaching the dizzy heights of having received an honourable mention on the Sunday programme on the wireless, thanks to Bishop Broadbent’s witticism on “Headship”
Simon W – you must remember that Wycliffe under the last principal was an aberration. Rachel trained there when it was sensible.
Thank you, Father Ron, for the very generous offer across the miles! At +Londin’s instigation, a Priest in Charge will be licensed to St Mary’s after Easter, for a maximum of one year. Who knows what dizzy vistas may open to us after that …?
Charles – I do indeed. I know plenty who have trained there over the years and also sent a good few ordinands in Wycliffe’s direction as DDO. When one views this appointment in the perspective of the past 30 years in the C of E it’s still pretty remarkable.
Julia – All Saints Clifton dropped the Resolutions in 2013. Have faith. All things are possible! And Fr Ron as an interim would have been fun.
Simon – as far as Resolutions are concerned, I think it is probably quite likely that FiF will work very hard to get what are now ‘A&B-only’ parishes to pass a ‘Resolution under the House of Bishops’ Declaration’. I don’t think that the considerable amount of material on the subject already on their website should be under-estimated. But yes, all things are certainly possible, and lovely to have the positive anecdote!
Rachel trained at Wycliffe before the staff debacle and the swerve towards Reform (now corrected), but it wasn’t an easy place to be. She (and several of my female ordinands) got a lot of stick from fellow students of a “headship” persuasion. But they survived…
Slight correction +Pete – Rachel trained at Wycliffe when Reform was founded. I know – I was there in the room next door.