A sad loss to the diocese and the whole Church of England; few bishops have brought such previous experiences of diplomacy, academia and communications to a diocesan role. His contributions to broadcasting, diplomacy in integrating the three northern dioceses into a single unit, and pastoral care will be sadly missed. May good health and happiness contribute to a new period of ministry.
Judge not that ye be not judged?
If you read the profoundly Christian message from Pope Francis from his hospital bed, he speaks movingly of the imperfections in us all.
Nobody gets it right all the time.
The church community is so very often too good at sniping, back biting and finding fault in others.
Too many of us enjoy doing it.
….and others pass by on the other side.
What we see globally in the Anglican Communion is that a whole generation of Bishops mainly what some survivors and advocates call the old guard have a very poor record in safeguarding. We see this in Australia NZ Canada SA . The reasons are manifold but reflect poorly on systemic attitudes of protection of the Church, fear of exposure and deferential leadership styles based around hierarchy power and control. I imagine in the C of E with the UKs historical and contemporary class system and deference ( unelected Prelates sitting in the House of Lords ) and the elitist structures… Read more »
Yet again somebody speaks out on behalf of the survivor community and they are attacked. The attack is not because their information is wrong. They are told they should not speak out at all Are we learning nothing? Surely we are grown up enough to have a nuanced response to a person or an issue. Is it not possible that the bishop did great things in some areas but was weak in others? We need to be able to discuss that possibility and learn from it. It is not sniping and back-biting. Discussing such things in public is a mature… Read more »
If it is not sniping and back biting Then, fine. If it is, not fine. However it is sadly true that such things proliferate in the Christian community, which is then found wanting. My point stands. We have to be careful about passing judgement. I also utterly detest abuse of persons which is a paramount evil. There is no place for abuse in the Christian community and, yes, it is utterly inexcusable. The two points are not in competition one with another. I loathe the fact that people’s lives are destroyed or damaged by abuse but still suggest that we… Read more »
Neither Simon nor I was passing judgment on the Bishop of Leeds, or on anyone else. In response to unqualified praise from Angusian, I merely pointed out that survivors in that diocese tell a different story. There was a lot more I could have said about that, but didn’t. It shouldn’t be controversial to point out that someone isn’t perfect; as Simon said we ought to be able to cope with nuance. And survivors have so often been overlooked that it’s unfortunately necessary to repeatedly put their point of view. Every bishop ought to bear in mind that their ministry… Read more »
You are absolutely right. Far too many ‘pass by on the other side’.
They leave survivors suffering alone, in many different ways telling them to be quiet and not tell the truth as they see it. They also often abuse the Bible, quoting verses out of context to justify their position.
Please see my reply to Simon.
I do not advocate survivors suffering alone.
I think you are putting a spin on my words which is not justified.
Furthermore, you assume that I am not a survivor myself.
I assume absolutely nothing about you as a person – I don’t know you so it wouldn’t be right for me to do that. We disagree about how your words come across, but beyond that I make absolutely no judgment about you. The ‘they’ in my response are the Bishops (and others) who do that. I just see it as unfortunate that you chose to take Janet to task for speaking the truth as she saw it, and your words came across to me as colluding with them. If that wasn’t your intention, then I have to take that at… Read more »
I am wondering why there has not been any other amalgamation of dioceses following the Leeds example. Could it be that mega diocese might not be the best idea? If my memory is correct, Wakefield was included against its will, but I might be wrong about that.
The Dioceses Commission website still had when last I looked documents related to the creation of what became the (Anglicn) Diocese of Leeds: https://www.churchofengland.org/about/governance/general-synod/committees-and-commissions/dioceses-commission IIUC reasons for antipathy toward further ‘amalgamations’ focus on the ‘discomforts’ of disagreement, the interpersonal matters, rather than rational or ‘rationalisation’. The Commission’s preference, as much as it is not to express it (it has to be invited/ instructed to carry oiut work) is for dioceses to find ways to work more closely in ways short of the time-and- emotionally expensive’ complexities of ‘amagamations’. No biting of silver bullets. As others have observed, there is no… Read more »
It is not ‘mean spirited’ to speak from one’s own poor experience. It’s fair to say that the Bishop of Leeds has divided opinion. And yes, some in the diocese, and some survivors, do say they have been bullied by him. And some in the diocese claim he has broken promises. It isn’t surprising that someone in a difficult job will disappoint in some aspects of it. We ought to be able to admit that. How do you think it feels, when someone who has had a difficult experience speaks out, to see their experience denied and the person who… Read more »
Anthony Archer
3 days ago
Probably one of the most challenging diocesan bishoprics to fill, at a time when the CNC is performing so badly. There are now ten vacant or soon to be vacant dioceses, almost certainly a record. One is Carlisle, where the Carlisle 2 process is currently underway. Another is Ely, where the Ely 2 process won’t happen until the end of this year. Another is Durham. St Eds and Ips, Worcester, and Canterbury are now timetabled, with Leeds joining at the end of the queue of the rest, St Albans, Liverpool, and Bristol. This doesn’t look good, especially when the cupboard… Read more »
Certainly a change in protocol is needed to stop such a backlog building up. One way would be to give the CNC a deadline of, say, 9 months and after that the most senior suffragan in the diocese is automatically nominated. I suspect that suddenly the CNC would find more diary days and be more likely to reach agreement.
It is worth remembering that the central members of the CNC, elected by General Synod, are unpaid volunteers. I’ve been off the CNC for a couple of years now, and I found the demands of the CNC tough when also holding down a very full time job, and that was before the current volume of vacancies and unfilled posts. As with Synod, some people have to take unpaid leave or use holiday time. Also the staff supporting the process are also overseeing other senior appointments like deans. I’m not saying our system of appointments doesn’t need reform – it does… Read more »
If it is possible to go without a permanent diocesan for more than nine months or so then I question whether we really need that diocesan at all. The Church either needs to face that head on or reform the CNC process to fill posts more quickly. There are a lot of alternatives but the present system is clearly broken.
Kate, what is your professional background if you don’t mind me asking.
It seems to me that you often speak from a position of great common sense in the governance/management domain, but what you say is then immediately dismissed by hordes of men who say of course that would never work in the church.
I don’t disagree with you Kate but parishes are often left vacant for months even years. There is no CofE without its parishes but there is not the same urgency to fill them. Others have alluded to a paucity of good candidates but unless you invest in the training ground you’ll get more of the bureaucrats and less holy men and women of God.
I’m not sure that is an answer Kate, not all suffragans would be suited to becoming the diocesan… and what are you going to do if the ‘senior’ suffragan is 68… go through the process again in two years?
Both and. But it should ordinarily not be the case that the CNC can’t make a nomination, unless as we know members vote on a tribal basis and frustrate the process. The current panel of central members and some diocesan representatives (or some of them) don’t get discernment.
There are 103 candidates on ‘Ready Now’ lists (see the answer to Q35 on p.21 of this General Synod Q&A), so filling 10 vacancies should not be that difficult.
But I agree some fast track appointments would be good, Ideally bishops should be required to give at least 6 months notice of their retirement, so the process can start as soon as possible.
Perhaps that suggests there is a very good case for looking outside the cupboard and calling people from unexpected places rather than relying on the rather sparse nooks and crannies of the pile of suffragans and archdeacons.
We will have a vacancy soon where I live. I think we have been lucky. But I would rather the discernment process focused on finding the right person with spark and calibre rather than picking some career minded cleric who happens to be on the nearest place on the greasy pole at the time.
Alastair (living in Scotland)
3 days ago
I always appreciate Bishop Nick’s Thoughts. However perhaps time for the Dioceses Commission to review the number of Bishops in Leeds Diocese? Not overlooking need for radical overhaul of number of Bishops. Modest research indicates the increase in the number of Bishops corresponds with a decline in number of communicants!
It’s not actually funny. I sometimes work as a data scientist, and the number of times I see a model which predicts some effect, based on zero causality, is disturbing. Just as bad are models which do not account for a chain of causality – A depends on B which depends on C which depends on D, and the only thing I can change (the decision variable) is D. Even very large companies waste billions of pounds on nonsense models.
Maungy Vicar
3 days ago
A bad start when meeting with clergy went downhill and continued on that trajectory, sadly.
Tim Evans
2 days ago
Enlightenment please: what is the ‘Ready now ‘ list referred to above by Sam Jones? And how do you get on it? I realise that these questions reveals my ignorance of the inner workings of the Church of England. It sounds suspiciously like a careerists path to ‘promotion’ but I hope I’m wrong.
The “ready now” list is maintained by the office of the Archbishops’ Appointments Secretary and contains names of those considered ready now for appointment as a diocesan bishop. Clergy may be put on the list by ther own diocesan bishop. The list is made available to the members of each CNC. However, the CNC is not constrained to select from the list — all CNC members can suggest names for a particular vacancy. There is a similar list of those considered ready for appointment as suffragan bishops, made available to the committee that assists a diocesan bishop in that selection… Read more »
So, do I understand correctly: any diocesan bishop (and no other person) may put a name on one or other (or both?) list(s). But there is no further evaluation made of that nomination, until and unless a particular CNC picks up that name for longlisting? Presumably, names on the Diocesan bishop nomination list include some persons who are already Suffragan bishops? Does a person nominated get told that they are on whichever list? Do they have to agree to be there?
I don’t have answers to all these questions. My recollection is that only the diocesan bishop can put names on the list, but I could be misremembering. I understand this is done with the knowledge of the person concerned and they are able to opt out either “permanently” or temporarily. Again, my recollection is that people on the list prepare a record of ministry (a sort of CV) and a statement or reflection on their ministry, and the diocesan bishop writes a reference. And yes, some of the names on the diocesan list are likely to be existing suffragan /… Read more »
Your recollection matches my own from being on a CNC process in 2022. There are two separate lists – RNSB and RNDB (Ready Now Suffragan Bishop, Ready Now Diocesan Bishop). CNC members are given access to the files of the RNDB lists which include a lot of information, including a reference from the diocesan bishop, CV of the person concerned, several documents from the person concerned such as their reflections on the nature of episcopal ministry. CNC members are not limited to the RNDB lists and may request the Appointments Advisor to pull together a file on anyone they would… Read more »
Thanks, Simon, that’s very helpful. I can see the need for some kind of pre-selection process to help those making decisions. But lots of questions also arise; here are just three:
Are there any criteria given to bishops to guide them in their decisions? Is successful attendance on the national leadership programme required? How do we guard against groupthink (including re theological tradition)?
Peter Owen’s list of diocesan vacancies lists 60 appointments since 2008. Of these, (though I lost one somewhere along the line) 36 were suffragans, 6 already diocesans, 4 archdeacons, 4 deans and 9 others. Of the others, 2 were head of CMS, 2 were college principals, Speaker’s chaplain, cathedral chaplain, Archbishop’s Missioner, and the Vicar of St Martin in the Fields.
Pam Wilkinson
2 days ago
From the outside, it doesn’t sound like much fun to be a bishop. I understand the focus on safeguarding which is essentially a very important management role – and the whole job clearly requires exceptional management skills. But those skills are a bit different from pastoral skills. And taking a lead in theological matters is something else again. Maybe a “super diocese” could have a triumvirate of leaders? Distinct, but also equal parts of a whole. Are there any precedents for such a notion?
yes – good points. But perhaps an argument for team management, and dioceses big enough to make 3 leaders affordable? And do they all need to “be in Holy Orders?” I do think a respectable academic grasp of theology, and an interest in facilitating discussion at diocesan level matters – Bishops who can challenge their congregations, their clergy and the central leadership? It’s a lot to ask all that of one person.
I am reminded of various other denominations such as the United Reformed Church, where the committee of elders are the managers of a church community, and they appoint a minister as pastor and theologian, with the care of the community shared between elders and minister.
It seems to me there is a lot of wisdom in that system. Could it be scaled up to a diocesan level?
Though I’d love to see some theological heavy hitters around on the Bench, in the world in which we live, a world of diminished theological resources, give me a bishop who thinks theology is central to the task. This diocese has set up a ‘theological reference group’ calling on lay and ordained, parochial and non-parochial, male, female… theologically articulate voices whose purpose is to ensure that diocesan strategies are rooted in theology rather than having it glued on after as a veneer. Will it work? We shall see. But the appointment of diocesans who recognise the centrality of good theology… Read more »
Perhaps the Anglican Diocese of Leeds (formerly known at its creation as the Diocese of West Yorkshire and The Dales) might ‘qualify’ as such a ‘super diocese’. I note that the Diocesan website lists some six bishops including the retiring Diocesan and excluding the recently announced Suffragan Bishop of Wakefield. Formerly, before the ‘amalgamation’ of the three constituent dioceses, the Bishop of Wakefield was designated a Diocesan. I note that the Diocese of Leeds celebrates eleven years of existence in April 2025. Relatedly, picking up on the observations regarding a list of those considered by whatever criteria to be ‘ready… Read more »
‘West Yorkshire and the Dales’ really did not work at all for those parishes in North Yorkshire but not in the Dales… talk about feeling excluded…
Nicholas Henshall
1 day ago
I’m sorry there have been negative comments on this thread. My own experience of Nick was largely when I was acting Archdeacon in Ripon&Leeds during the merger of the Dioceses. Whatever the merits of that merger, Nick showed humility and leadership throughout with a characteristic attention to detail and to people. He has also made some excellent appointments, not least the very able Arun Arora.
On a wider canvas Nick has been outstanding in presenting the church as a credible partner in the public square in a whole range of arenas. A episcopal ministry of real quality and depth.
That’s very good to hear. He took on the unenviable task of leading the new merged diocese which inevitably had lots of challenges, some of which were known about beforehand and many of which were only discovered along the way. And he has been good on the international and ecumenical front, too.
I will add, for clarity, that I consider it perfectly OK for people to contribute their own positive experience of a person under discussion, or to give a reasoned defence against criticisms. What is not OK is to criticise or blame people giving a negative viewpoint. That has contributed to the cover-up of so many scandals. And I think that posting ‘I’m sorry there have been negative comments on this thread’ is an implied criticism of those who have spoken out.
Brave man to have fronted up about the challenges of creating the ‘super-diocese’. Could be a useful man to have on hand to grasp the nettle and do another one in the southern province. Eg the next bishop of Worcester should be given the brief of taking on Hereford during their tenure.
That would never work. Hereford is the senior diocese with its first bishop, Putta in 676 predating Worcester’s by 4 years! More seriously this was attempted politically and failed. The counties were merged in the 1974 Local Goverment Reorganisation. There was much resentment as Herefordshire always was seen as the junior partner and second-class to Worcester. I remember my mother (long deceased) complaining about ‘them in Worcester’. This arrangement was abolished in 1998 and each county was allowed to manage itself. Geographical propinquity hides many cultural and historical links. We should be looking towards smaller dioceses which have some sort… Read more »
And if you live in the beautiful and deep south of the Peterborough Diocese, there are at least 6 cathedrals which are closer than Peterborough… One of which is St Paul’s Cathedral in London!
Anglican Priest
1 day ago
I have contributed here–I am sure with irritation for many–as a priest serving in the US, Scotland, France, Germany. Now for maybe a decade (or more). TA manifests now, endless eddies of contestation. Church life has this dimension, of course. But, should attention given to the reality hovering over all of this? Fear of a death of something formerly known, in various ways, by various segments of the CofE, now looking like it is hastening to a serious assize. Lacking any kind of vision, or clear leadership with a plan, or something coherent, things are buffering, spiraling, and wounds and… Read more »
A sad loss to the diocese and the whole Church of England; few bishops have brought such previous experiences of diplomacy, academia and communications to a diocesan role. His contributions to broadcasting, diplomacy in integrating the three northern dioceses into a single unit, and pastoral care will be sadly missed. May good health and happiness contribute to a new period of ministry.
That is not what I’ve heard from survivors in his diocese.
Judge not that ye be not judged?
If you read the profoundly Christian message from Pope Francis from his hospital bed, he speaks movingly of the imperfections in us all.
Nobody gets it right all the time.
The church community is so very often too good at sniping, back biting and finding fault in others.
Too many of us enjoy doing it.
….and others pass by on the other side.
What we see globally in the Anglican Communion is that a whole generation of Bishops mainly what some survivors and advocates call the old guard have a very poor record in safeguarding. We see this in Australia NZ Canada SA . The reasons are manifold but reflect poorly on systemic attitudes of protection of the Church, fear of exposure and deferential leadership styles based around hierarchy power and control. I imagine in the C of E with the UKs historical and contemporary class system and deference ( unelected Prelates sitting in the House of Lords ) and the elitist structures… Read more »
Yet again somebody speaks out on behalf of the survivor community and they are attacked. The attack is not because their information is wrong. They are told they should not speak out at all Are we learning nothing? Surely we are grown up enough to have a nuanced response to a person or an issue. Is it not possible that the bishop did great things in some areas but was weak in others? We need to be able to discuss that possibility and learn from it. It is not sniping and back-biting. Discussing such things in public is a mature… Read more »
If it is not sniping and back biting Then, fine. If it is, not fine. However it is sadly true that such things proliferate in the Christian community, which is then found wanting. My point stands. We have to be careful about passing judgement. I also utterly detest abuse of persons which is a paramount evil. There is no place for abuse in the Christian community and, yes, it is utterly inexcusable. The two points are not in competition one with another. I loathe the fact that people’s lives are destroyed or damaged by abuse but still suggest that we… Read more »
Neither Simon nor I was passing judgment on the Bishop of Leeds, or on anyone else. In response to unqualified praise from Angusian, I merely pointed out that survivors in that diocese tell a different story. There was a lot more I could have said about that, but didn’t. It shouldn’t be controversial to point out that someone isn’t perfect; as Simon said we ought to be able to cope with nuance. And survivors have so often been overlooked that it’s unfortunately necessary to repeatedly put their point of view. Every bishop ought to bear in mind that their ministry… Read more »
You are absolutely right. Far too many ‘pass by on the other side’.
They leave survivors suffering alone, in many different ways telling them to be quiet and not tell the truth as they see it. They also often abuse the Bible, quoting verses out of context to justify their position.
Go figure…
Please see my reply to Simon.
I do not advocate survivors suffering alone.
I think you are putting a spin on my words which is not justified.
Furthermore, you assume that I am not a survivor myself.
I assume absolutely nothing about you as a person – I don’t know you so it wouldn’t be right for me to do that. We disagree about how your words come across, but beyond that I make absolutely no judgment about you. The ‘they’ in my response are the Bishops (and others) who do that. I just see it as unfortunate that you chose to take Janet to task for speaking the truth as she saw it, and your words came across to me as colluding with them. If that wasn’t your intention, then I have to take that at… Read more »
I am wondering why there has not been any other amalgamation of dioceses following the Leeds example. Could it be that mega diocese might not be the best idea? If my memory is correct, Wakefield was included against its will, but I might be wrong about that.
The Dioceses Commission website still had when last I looked documents related to the creation of what became the (Anglicn) Diocese of Leeds: https://www.churchofengland.org/about/governance/general-synod/committees-and-commissions/dioceses-commission IIUC reasons for antipathy toward further ‘amalgamations’ focus on the ‘discomforts’ of disagreement, the interpersonal matters, rather than rational or ‘rationalisation’. The Commission’s preference, as much as it is not to express it (it has to be invited/ instructed to carry oiut work) is for dioceses to find ways to work more closely in ways short of the time-and- emotionally expensive’ complexities of ‘amagamations’. No biting of silver bullets. As others have observed, there is no… Read more »
I agree. One of the outstanding bishops of this era.
That was absolutely not my experience of him, nor, I understand, that of many others.
Oh don’t be so mean spirited.
He has not been caught bullying, abusing children, stealing or lying to general synod. By comparison to his peers, he’s a saint.
I speak my truth. Why do you want to shut that down, just because it goes against the prevailing hagiographic narrative on here?
It is not ‘mean spirited’ to speak from one’s own poor experience. It’s fair to say that the Bishop of Leeds has divided opinion. And yes, some in the diocese, and some survivors, do say they have been bullied by him. And some in the diocese claim he has broken promises. It isn’t surprising that someone in a difficult job will disappoint in some aspects of it. We ought to be able to admit that. How do you think it feels, when someone who has had a difficult experience speaks out, to see their experience denied and the person who… Read more »
Probably one of the most challenging diocesan bishoprics to fill, at a time when the CNC is performing so badly. There are now ten vacant or soon to be vacant dioceses, almost certainly a record. One is Carlisle, where the Carlisle 2 process is currently underway. Another is Ely, where the Ely 2 process won’t happen until the end of this year. Another is Durham. St Eds and Ips, Worcester, and Canterbury are now timetabled, with Leeds joining at the end of the queue of the rest, St Albans, Liverpool, and Bristol. This doesn’t look good, especially when the cupboard… Read more »
Certainly a change in protocol is needed to stop such a backlog building up. One way would be to give the CNC a deadline of, say, 9 months and after that the most senior suffragan in the diocese is automatically nominated. I suspect that suddenly the CNC would find more diary days and be more likely to reach agreement.
It is worth remembering that the central members of the CNC, elected by General Synod, are unpaid volunteers. I’ve been off the CNC for a couple of years now, and I found the demands of the CNC tough when also holding down a very full time job, and that was before the current volume of vacancies and unfilled posts. As with Synod, some people have to take unpaid leave or use holiday time. Also the staff supporting the process are also overseeing other senior appointments like deans. I’m not saying our system of appointments doesn’t need reform – it does… Read more »
If it is possible to go without a permanent diocesan for more than nine months or so then I question whether we really need that diocesan at all. The Church either needs to face that head on or reform the CNC process to fill posts more quickly. There are a lot of alternatives but the present system is clearly broken.
Kate, what is your professional background if you don’t mind me asking.
It seems to me that you often speak from a position of great common sense in the governance/management domain, but what you say is then immediately dismissed by hordes of men who say of course that would never work in the church.
Why not?
I don’t disagree with you Kate but parishes are often left vacant for months even years. There is no CofE without its parishes but there is not the same urgency to fill them. Others have alluded to a paucity of good candidates but unless you invest in the training ground you’ll get more of the bureaucrats and less holy men and women of God.
I’m not sure that is an answer Kate, not all suffragans would be suited to becoming the diocesan… and what are you going to do if the ‘senior’ suffragan is 68… go through the process again in two years?
So is it that the “CNC performing so badly”, or have they also concluded that “the cupboard for talent is fairly bare”?
Both and. But it should ordinarily not be the case that the CNC can’t make a nomination, unless as we know members vote on a tribal basis and frustrate the process. The current panel of central members and some diocesan representatives (or some of them) don’t get discernment.
There are 103 candidates on ‘Ready Now’ lists (see the answer to Q35 on p.21 of this General Synod Q&A), so filling 10 vacancies should not be that difficult.
But I agree some fast track appointments would be good, Ideally bishops should be required to give at least 6 months notice of their retirement, so the process can start as soon as possible.
Perhaps that suggests there is a very good case for looking outside the cupboard and calling people from unexpected places rather than relying on the rather sparse nooks and crannies of the pile of suffragans and archdeacons.
We will have a vacancy soon where I live. I think we have been lucky. But I would rather the discernment process focused on finding the right person with spark and calibre rather than picking some career minded cleric who happens to be on the nearest place on the greasy pole at the time.
I always appreciate Bishop Nick’s Thoughts. However perhaps time for the Dioceses Commission to review the number of Bishops in Leeds Diocese? Not overlooking need for radical overhaul of number of Bishops. Modest research indicates the increase in the number of Bishops corresponds with a decline in number of communicants!
Is that causation or correlation? This confusion has beset much discussion of church growth. Remember the margarine and divorce graph…
Or the ice cream sales and sun lotion sales graphs. If we increase ice cream sales, we will increase sun lotion sales!
That is a triumph of hope over meteorology!
It’s not actually funny. I sometimes work as a data scientist, and the number of times I see a model which predicts some effect, based on zero causality, is disturbing. Just as bad are models which do not account for a chain of causality – A depends on B which depends on C which depends on D, and the only thing I can change (the decision variable) is D. Even very large companies waste billions of pounds on nonsense models.
A bad start when meeting with clergy went downhill and continued on that trajectory, sadly.
Enlightenment please: what is the ‘Ready now ‘ list referred to above by Sam Jones? And how do you get on it? I realise that these questions reveals my ignorance of the inner workings of the Church of England. It sounds suspiciously like a careerists path to ‘promotion’ but I hope I’m wrong.
The “ready now” list is maintained by the office of the Archbishops’ Appointments Secretary and contains names of those considered ready now for appointment as a diocesan bishop. Clergy may be put on the list by ther own diocesan bishop. The list is made available to the members of each CNC. However, the CNC is not constrained to select from the list — all CNC members can suggest names for a particular vacancy. There is a similar list of those considered ready for appointment as suffragan bishops, made available to the committee that assists a diocesan bishop in that selection… Read more »
So, do I understand correctly: any diocesan bishop (and no other person) may put a name on one or other (or both?) list(s). But there is no further evaluation made of that nomination, until and unless a particular CNC picks up that name for longlisting? Presumably, names on the Diocesan bishop nomination list include some persons who are already Suffragan bishops? Does a person nominated get told that they are on whichever list? Do they have to agree to be there?
I don’t have answers to all these questions. My recollection is that only the diocesan bishop can put names on the list, but I could be misremembering. I understand this is done with the knowledge of the person concerned and they are able to opt out either “permanently” or temporarily. Again, my recollection is that people on the list prepare a record of ministry (a sort of CV) and a statement or reflection on their ministry, and the diocesan bishop writes a reference. And yes, some of the names on the diocesan list are likely to be existing suffragan /… Read more »
Your recollection matches my own from being on a CNC process in 2022. There are two separate lists – RNSB and RNDB (Ready Now Suffragan Bishop, Ready Now Diocesan Bishop). CNC members are given access to the files of the RNDB lists which include a lot of information, including a reference from the diocesan bishop, CV of the person concerned, several documents from the person concerned such as their reflections on the nature of episcopal ministry. CNC members are not limited to the RNDB lists and may request the Appointments Advisor to pull together a file on anyone they would… Read more »
Thanks, Simon, that’s very helpful. I can see the need for some kind of pre-selection process to help those making decisions. But lots of questions also arise; here are just three:
Are there any criteria given to bishops to guide them in their decisions? Is successful attendance on the national leadership programme required? How do we guard against groupthink (including re theological tradition)?
I don’t know (or can’t remember) answers to these questions, I’m afraid. Anthony Archer may well be able to tell us.
Peter Owen’s list of diocesan vacancies lists 60 appointments since 2008. Of these, (though I lost one somewhere along the line) 36 were suffragans, 6 already diocesans, 4 archdeacons, 4 deans and 9 others. Of the others, 2 were head of CMS, 2 were college principals, Speaker’s chaplain, cathedral chaplain, Archbishop’s Missioner, and the Vicar of St Martin in the Fields.
From the outside, it doesn’t sound like much fun to be a bishop. I understand the focus on safeguarding which is essentially a very important management role – and the whole job clearly requires exceptional management skills. But those skills are a bit different from pastoral skills. And taking a lead in theological matters is something else again. Maybe a “super diocese” could have a triumvirate of leaders? Distinct, but also equal parts of a whole. Are there any precedents for such a notion?
I wonder if the C of E CNC process tends to select managers, whereas those provinces which elect their bishops tend to appoint pastors.
And neither process necessarily prioritises theologians.
yes – good points. But perhaps an argument for team management, and dioceses big enough to make 3 leaders affordable? And do they all need to “be in Holy Orders?” I do think a respectable academic grasp of theology, and an interest in facilitating discussion at diocesan level matters – Bishops who can challenge their congregations, their clergy and the central leadership? It’s a lot to ask all that of one person.
I am reminded of various other denominations such as the United Reformed Church, where the committee of elders are the managers of a church community, and they appoint a minister as pastor and theologian, with the care of the community shared between elders and minister.
It seems to me there is a lot of wisdom in that system. Could it be scaled up to a diocesan level?
“guided by the Holy Spirit” the elders of a URC church discern and then “call” their minister to serve.
Though I’d love to see some theological heavy hitters around on the Bench, in the world in which we live, a world of diminished theological resources, give me a bishop who thinks theology is central to the task. This diocese has set up a ‘theological reference group’ calling on lay and ordained, parochial and non-parochial, male, female… theologically articulate voices whose purpose is to ensure that diocesan strategies are rooted in theology rather than having it glued on after as a veneer. Will it work? We shall see. But the appointment of diocesans who recognise the centrality of good theology… Read more »
Perhaps the Anglican Diocese of Leeds (formerly known at its creation as the Diocese of West Yorkshire and The Dales) might ‘qualify’ as such a ‘super diocese’. I note that the Diocesan website lists some six bishops including the retiring Diocesan and excluding the recently announced Suffragan Bishop of Wakefield. Formerly, before the ‘amalgamation’ of the three constituent dioceses, the Bishop of Wakefield was designated a Diocesan. I note that the Diocese of Leeds celebrates eleven years of existence in April 2025. Relatedly, picking up on the observations regarding a list of those considered by whatever criteria to be ‘ready… Read more »
‘West Yorkshire and the Dales’ really did not work at all for those parishes in North Yorkshire but not in the Dales… talk about feeling excluded…
I’m sorry there have been negative comments on this thread. My own experience of Nick was largely when I was acting Archdeacon in Ripon&Leeds during the merger of the Dioceses. Whatever the merits of that merger, Nick showed humility and leadership throughout with a characteristic attention to detail and to people. He has also made some excellent appointments, not least the very able Arun Arora.
On a wider canvas Nick has been outstanding in presenting the church as a credible partner in the public square in a whole range of arenas. A episcopal ministry of real quality and depth.
That’s very good to hear. He took on the unenviable task of leading the new merged diocese which inevitably had lots of challenges, some of which were known about beforehand and many of which were only discovered along the way. And he has been good on the international and ecumenical front, too.
well said – appreciated
Do we have to go on pretending that all bishops are perfect, disregarding evidence to the contrary?
Janet, your original comment, in response to Angusian, was indeed proper and acceptable. It brought balance and we value your contributions.
Thank you, Pilgrim.
I will add, for clarity, that I consider it perfectly OK for people to contribute their own positive experience of a person under discussion, or to give a reasoned defence against criticisms. What is not OK is to criticise or blame people giving a negative viewpoint. That has contributed to the cover-up of so many scandals. And I think that posting ‘I’m sorry there have been negative comments on this thread’ is an implied criticism of those who have spoken out.
Janet, I often wished that TA had a “like” button as a simple way of showing that your comment (and Jim’s above) had my support.
Why is it that we cannot accept mature debate and nuance?
Thank you, Simon.
Brave man to have fronted up about the challenges of creating the ‘super-diocese’. Could be a useful man to have on hand to grasp the nettle and do another one in the southern province. Eg the next bishop of Worcester should be given the brief of taking on Hereford during their tenure.
That would never work. Hereford is the senior diocese with its first bishop, Putta in 676 predating Worcester’s by 4 years! More seriously this was attempted politically and failed. The counties were merged in the 1974 Local Goverment Reorganisation. There was much resentment as Herefordshire always was seen as the junior partner and second-class to Worcester. I remember my mother (long deceased) complaining about ‘them in Worcester’. This arrangement was abolished in 1998 and each county was allowed to manage itself. Geographical propinquity hides many cultural and historical links. We should be looking towards smaller dioceses which have some sort… Read more »
And if you live in the beautiful and deep south of the Peterborough Diocese, there are at least 6 cathedrals which are closer than Peterborough… One of which is St Paul’s Cathedral in London!
I have contributed here–I am sure with irritation for many–as a priest serving in the US, Scotland, France, Germany. Now for maybe a decade (or more). TA manifests now, endless eddies of contestation. Church life has this dimension, of course. But, should attention given to the reality hovering over all of this? Fear of a death of something formerly known, in various ways, by various segments of the CofE, now looking like it is hastening to a serious assize. Lacking any kind of vision, or clear leadership with a plan, or something coherent, things are buffering, spiraling, and wounds and… Read more »