Diocese of London press release
New appointments in the Diocese of London
The Bishop of London has today confirmed the arrangements following the resignation of the Bishop of Fulham and has also announced the Revd Luke Miller as the next Archdeacon of Hampstead.
In his letter to the Diocese, Bishop Richard said:
“The Bishop of Fulham has signed his resignation deed and is set to retire on December 31st after well over 40 years service in various roles within the Diocese of London.
“After consultation with the Archbishop of Canterbury, I intend with the assistance of representative figures in the Diocese, to appoint a successor to the Suffragan See of Fulham. I envisage that any new Bishop of Fulham will be more closely related to me as the Bishop of London in serving the Two Cities Area.
“Earlier today I met with the College of Bishops to discuss the way ahead. With immediate effect the Bishop of Edmonton has agreed to assume responsibility for the pastoral care of those clergy and parishes who before today related to the Bishop Fulham.
“In addition Bishop Peter will work on the constitution and other issues involved in establishing a Society both for those already identified as ‘Fulham Clergy and Parishes’ and for others, whatever their position on the churchmanship spectrum, who are loyal to the Church of England and share similar concerns about its theological direction alongside a commitment to growth in co-operation with the majority in the Church who support the consecration of women to the episcopate.
“Bishop Peter will also continue his oecumenical work as Chairman of the London Church Leaders Executive with a special emphasis on co-ordinating the work of the Diocese of London in the field of social justice and responsibility and making a constructive response to the Big Society agenda.
“With this very significant shift of emphasis in his ministry it is obvious that the ministry of oversight in the Edmonton Area needs reinforcement. In these exceptional circumstances I have asked the Reverend Luke Miller, Vicar of St Mary’s Lansdowne Road to succeed the Venerable Michael Lawson as Archdeacon of Hampstead. Not only is the need pressing but most unusually Luke has already served a successful probationary term as an acting Archdeacon during Michael Lawson’s Sabbatical.
“During the past ten years the Church in London has responded strongly to the London Challenge, to grow in order to serve the great city of which we are a part. In education, in prayer and in outreach of all kinds we have sought to stay close to the agenda of our fellow Londoners while not neglecting the needs of our friends in Mozambique, Angola and the wider world. I would ask for your prayers and support as we navigate the next few months confident that the Spirit of Jesus Christ will guide us while we maintain our partnership in His gospel.”
So, in North London we now have a bishop AND and archdeacon who are conservative catholics opposed to the ordination of women.
But just a bit further round, you have a female archdeacon providing most of the oversight whilst +Willesden is covering Stepney as well!
In reply to Wilf
That has been the situation in Plymouth for the last few years
In North London we at last have a functioning Archdeacon again, who will do an excellent job. His views on the matter of the ordination of women are irrelevant. And we have a series of appointments to make to the Senior Staff which will, I think, make for a much more cohesive leadership in the Diocese.
Yes Wilf. Wonderful news!
The sadness for me in all of this resides in the fact that, in the London Diocese, which probably has the largest number of gay clergy, should also seemingly, have the largest number of anti-women-priest believers. The F.i.F. sodality, with its predominantly ‘gay’ culture, has surely the least reason to oppose the ministry of women – a sexist stance if ever there was one. Thank God there are Evangelicals who are against neither gays nor women clergy. If ‘Anglo-Catholic’ becomes a symbol for anti-women clergy in the U.K., then I’m glad that I live in another part of the Communion,… Read more »
The new Archdeacon is another internal appointment…it seems to be a speciality of the Diocese of London, not always for the best I think.I wouldnt entirely agree that his views on the ordination of women are irrelevant. The conservative evangelicalism of his pre-decessor created problems for some clergy and parishes.
Given the Bishop of London’s great love of Russian Orthodoxy I suggest the new society be called the Sodality of the Spilled Blood.
Pete Broadbent wrote:
“In North London we at last have a functioning Archdeacon again, who will do an excellent job. His views on the matter of the ordination of women are irrelevant.”
Not, surely, to ordained women in his Archdeaconry. I can assure +Pete that as an ordained woman that can be a very strange situation in which to minister.
And in reply to Tom, I assume the woman Archdeacon in the nearby Archdeaconry does not regard clergy opposed to the ordination of women in her area as not being truly called to priestly ministry or validly ordained?
Fr Ron Smith – all anglo catholics are not all conservatives. I worship in a highly anglo catholic church but we are fully inclusive of women and gay priests/bishops. I agree with you a seemingly large part of FiF seem to be of gay pursuasion – which also disappoints me that they are so anti women. Prejudice comes in many forms – this one the most puzzling.
The bishop of Willesden is quite wrong.The views of the new Archdeacon on the ordination of women are highly relevant. It is a great pity he does not recognise this. Any one denying the priesthood of women and working with parishes where there are women priests can hardly be expected to carry out his work with impartiality or credibility. It matters to the women and lay people too. Now London, particularly the Edmonton Area, should have its own society for the ministrations of a pro woman bishop. It would be very well supported.
And there was I thinking it was all about the best person for the job, about gifts and about calling. If we’ve got to the stage where traditionalist catholics are not to be appointed simply because they doubt the priestly calling of women, then we have reached a very sad place. Well, in London we do things a bit differently. I work with a superb female Archdeacon whose gifts and leadership are completely acknowledged by the clergy from the Fulham parishes and who is currently acting in a quasi episcopal role. Next door, we have we have appointed a very… Read more »
In this context, may I warmly commend as helpful lectio divina, a reading or re-reading of
The Flounder by Gunter Grass.
Almost required reading , really.
In reply to +Pete: My issue is not with the appointment of an Archdeacon of Fr Miller’s integrity but with his appointment in an area that already has a Bishop who does not ordain women. I don’t have an issue with the continuing appointment of ‘traditional catholics’ to posts in the CofE. I DO have an issue with the two most senior posts in an episcopal area being held at the same time by people who are not fully supportive of the ministry of women. To me that most certainly does not model diversity. I also believe that gifts and… Read more »
Of course not, Maggie! That is not the way the Bishop of London works. It means that all sorts of good people who fall below the radar because they are getting on doing a (good) job are not even considered. You have to get ‘noticed’!! How do you think Martin Warner and Lucy Winkett were propelled to their Canonries without a whole host of better gifted people not even being considered? The Diocese of London is deeply deeply dysfunctional, and sadly this is due to its Bishop – good in some respects as he is. But flawed.
So Pete Broadbent, those against the ordination of women MUST have special provision made for them, but women ministers and those in favour MUST not, or need not receive any kind of consideration, let alone pastoral provision ? Just checking I have understood it.
It don’t sound like that’s very big on diversity.
The answers to your questions are “no” and “no”. Advertising and interviewing aren’t always the best process for making appointments that will build a team. We have 6 bishops and 6 archdeacons, and the skill set and balance of the team are what matter most. “Due process” is often the resort of defensive bureaucracy, rather than the promoter of the best outcome. You will be able to judge the overall effect of what we’re seeking to achieve when we have a full team in place. Edmonton has for some considerable time had a bishop and an archdeacon who were not… Read more »
“Now London, particularly the Edmonton Area, should have its own society for the ministrations of a pro woman bishop. It would be very well supported.” – Kate, on Tuesday – Precisely, Kate! This is a very relevant matter to bring up at this time. If the Bishop of London is going to create another Flying Bishop for the Edmonton Diocese; then, I think, you would be justified in asking for another, pro-women, bishop to minister to women clergy and their congregations in the Edmonton Diocese, This would make every bit as much sense as providing supervision for the anti-women people.… Read more »
While the Bishop of Willesden is right about the importance of diversity, and we have it in welcomed and necessary profusion in the Church; the use of the term “diversity” should not be confused with accepting the discrimination that exists against women priests which, at its heart, denies as well as undermines their vocations and ministry. No matter how professionally behaved a person in authority is in the conduct of their role if they believe that a women cannot legitimately be priests it is both damaging and undermining beyond that of the women concerned. It also denies the essential Christian… Read more »
I am rather puzzled by one of Bishop Pete’s points. The last Archdeacon of Hampstead, the Ven Michael Lawson was supportive of the priestly ministry of women and took part in the laying on of hands of the (admittedly few) women priests ordained in the Area.As a conservative evangelical he may not have believed in women incumbents or indeed bishops but he was happy with women priests. For the record ( I write as the former DDO of that episcopal area), the present bishop although he does not ordain women or institute them ( I think there is still only… Read more »
Bless you +Pete Broadbent, although you do agree with the Ordination of Women, It’s great to see that you do have some sympathy for those opposed and believe that they should have some provision. Myself being a member of the Edmonton Episcopal Area, I believe that it is great news about +Peter Wheatley and The Ven Revd Luke Miller both of whom, I know quite well and believe that +Peter Wheatley is the best and only person in the Diocese of London to carry the See of Fulham through this time. Especially as You, +Paul G Williams, and the Successor… Read more »
Just a quick rejoinder to Perry re Michael Lawson – I very carefully wrote “women in leadership”, not “women priests”, because Michael is not completely convinced about women in leadership, particularly as bishops. It’s not particularly the place to do so, but I would love a “Thinking” Anglican debate on whether it is the universal experience of women priests that they don’t feel properly treated by male bishops and priests who don’t believe that they can be priests. We’ve had some pretty interesting discussions about this among our women clergy in Willesden, where I think that they would say that… Read more »
Bishop Broadbent: “Edmonton has for some considerable time had a bishop and an archdeacon who were not supportive of women in leadership.”
Malcolm French: Not THIS Edmonton: http://edmonton.anglican.org/diocese/bishop.htm
(NB, THIS Bishop of Edmonton’s predecessor was likelwise a woman.)
Does the Willesden Area have any Tradition Anglican/Anglo-Catholic Priests inside it?
So what happens during the DDO Process, if they express their concern to the Ordination of Women especially as they are in a Area, where it happens
I guessed that +Pete, but I thought the nuance might not be picked up by others esp those abroad who would assume the last Archdeacon was opposed to women priests tout court. I was also concerned given Maggies remarks to point out that Bishop Peter is supportive of women clergy in the Edmonton Area although he does not ordain nor institute them. By sponsoring them for ordination ( unlike his predecessor) he made the selection process rather more humane and for that I was most grateful. However I tend to feel Maggie has a point re a more transparent process.… Read more »
To Chuchu:
Yes. The Bishop of Fulham sponsors candidates for ordination from the churches he looks after.
Dear Fr Perry Butler,
Did +Brian John Masters institute or Licence any Women in the Edmonton Area as Deacons or Priests?
Has the DDO Process changed since you were Edmonton DDO