Thinking Anglicans

Diocese of Southwell and Nottingham: Right Reverend Paul Williams

The next Bishop of Southwell and Nottingham is to be the Right Reverend Paul Williams, it was announced by Number 10 this morning.

Diocese of Southwell and Nottingham: Right Reverend Paul Williams
From: Prime Minister’s Office, 10 Downing Street
First published:10 February 2015
Part of: Community and society

The Queen has approved the nomination of the Right Reverend Paul Gavin Williams for election as Bishop of Southwell and Nottingham.

The Queen has approved the nomination of the Right Reverend Paul Gavin Williams, BA, Area Bishop of Kensington, in the Diocese of London, for election as Bishop of Southwell and Nottingham in succession to the Right Reverend Paul Roger Butler, BA, on his translation to the See of Durham on 20 January 2014.

Notes for editors

Paul Williams (aged 47) studied at Grey College, University of Durham and trained for the ordained ministry at Wycliffe Hall, Oxford. He served his title curacy at St James Muswell Hill in the Diocese of London from 1992 to 1995 and then as Associate Vicar at Christ Church Clifton, Bristol from 1995 to 1999. From 1999 to 2009 he was Rector of St James Gerrards Cross with Fulmer in South Buckinghamshire and an Honorary Canon of Christ Church Cathedral, Oxford from 2007 to 2009. Since 2009 he has been Area Bishop of Kensington, with oversight for the mission of the church across a diverse and dynamic part of West London, covering 6 boroughs. Paul has made a wider contribution in the area of church growth, leadership training, schools development and the church’s ministry among children and younger people.

Paul is married to Sarah, and they have 3 sons, Edward (16), Thomas (14) and Joseph (12). They are also foster carers for their local borough and have a close engagement in wider issues relating to the care of looked-after children. Paul’s leisure interests encompass a number of sports, especially football and cricket. He grew up in the West County where his father was an electrical engineer and his mother was among the first women to be an ordained priest in 1994.

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Anthony Archer
Anthony Archer
9 years ago

Terrific appointment. It was only a matter of time. I don’t want to heap pressure on him, but you are looking at a future archbishop. London’s loss (as the bishop said) is Southwell and Nottingham’s gain, for the time being. Every blessing for his new ministry.

Father David
Father David
9 years ago

I’m sure that when the new bishop arrives in Nottinghamshire he will soon ensure that his diocese is financially solvent for when he was Rector of Gerrards Cross (a parish not lacking in a bob or two) he raised several million pounds to built a spanking new, state of the art, Conference Centre which greatly assisted in the mission and outreach of St. James’ parish church.

Stevie Gamble
Stevie Gamble
9 years ago

Wow! The last Archbishop capable of such prodigious feats of fundraising is now remembered for ‘Morton’s Fork’; are you really sure that this is Christ’s way forward in the 21st century?

Anthony Archer
Anthony Archer
9 years ago

The CofE is a £1 billion enterprise (forgive the plc language, but you get the point). I am no expert on John Morton but it it is the case that the CofE probably has more money than it needs (that’s the good news). The bad news is that it is in the pockets of its parishioners. The Bishop of Kensington, when at Gerrard’s Cross, was able to persuade the congregation to step up and invest in Gospel work (from what I am led to believe). From debates in General Synod today, the fact that the money is available is fine… Read more »

Laurence Cunnington
Laurence Cunnington
9 years ago

The lack of comments here suggests two things to me:

1. The moderator is at Synod and is too busy to post them and/or

2. We are all following our grandmothers’ advice that if you can’t say something nice about someone, don’t say anything at all.

robert ian williams
robert ian williams
9 years ago

A good sound evangelical, happily married with children!Get the pattern?

Father David
Father David
9 years ago

Yes, quite astonishing how few Comments have been posted on this particular entry concerning the appointment of a Diocesan Bishop. Suffragan Bishop Libby and Suffragan Bishop Philip received a much larger post bag. Perhaps, had the next Bishop of Southwell and Nottingham been a woman and thus the first female Diocesan Bishop or (tell it not in Gath or to Anthony Archer) a Traditionalist, then I suspect there would have been far more Comments. Maybe we have to wait until a woman is appointed to a diocese, perhaps Oxford, before the number of Comments increase dramatically. Even before he is… Read more »

Simon Kershaw
9 years ago

Laurence: there are three editors / moderators. We are not all at the Synod (though we do have other things to do instead). Comments continue to be monitored and published on a reasonably timely basis.

Laurence Cunnington
Laurence Cunnington
9 years ago

That was an attempt at humour! I realise that the moderators are very busy people and appreciate all the work they do 🙂

Peter Mullins
Peter Mullins
9 years ago

I’m sure the new Bishop of Southwell is as excellent as people say and I’m sure he was equally distinguished as Rector Gerrards Cross – what follows is not to cast any doubt on any of that. But I do wonder whether it was a tiny bit easier to pull off the financial coup in Gerrards Cross than it will be in many parts of Nottingham and rural Notts. It is interesting that the south Buckinghamshire parishes close to London are above average in sending their excellent parish priests to diocesan sees (Nott from Beaconsfield to Norwich via Taunton, Priddis… Read more »

Peter Mullins
Peter Mullins
9 years ago

There is Hill (from Chesham Bois to Bristol via Buckingham – he was in Slough before Chesham Bois) as well.

William Richards
William Richards
9 years ago

@Anthony Archer “London’s loss… is Southwell and Nottingham’s gain.” My parental home is in the Kensington Area. My reaction – and the reaction of those who worship in the church where I grew up (including the vicar!) – is to repeat Anthony Archer’s plaudit in reverse. There seems to be plenty of schadenfreude between Harrods and Heathrow at the moment.

Father David
Father David
9 years ago

Even more worrying and of concern is that the Archbishop of Canterbury’s Presidential Address hasn’t garnered a single solitary comment!

Father David
Father David
9 years ago

Peter, could that lovely man Colin Bennetts be added to the list of distinguished South Bucks clergy who went onto higher things – Coventry via Buckingham?

Peter Mullins
Peter Mullins
9 years ago

No, Father David, Colin Bennetts [who preached at the service at which I was ordained priest] became a Suffragan Bishop from appointments at St Andrew’s, north Oxford and Chester Cathedral. I was being struck by the fact that for fourth time in thirty years a new diocesan Bishop was being appointed who became a Suffragan Bishop from a parish appointment in the Amersham Deanery [to two of whom – and many other high quality priests who served in that deanery – I remain personally endebted].

Father David
Father David
9 years ago

Well, Peter, if you won’t allow dear Colin Bennetts, what about Robin Smith who was Rector of Chesham and sometime R.D. In the Amersham deanery. As I recall Robin didn’t quite make Diocesan Bishop but he did become episcopal as a Suffragan bishop in the St. Albans diocese. Surely someone from Beaconsfield must have risen up the ranks over the years? If not then the great Dom Gregory Dix once served at St. Michael’s in Beaconsfield and I’m sure that you will agree that the author of The Shape of the Liturgy is worth at least half a dozen Diocesans?… Read more »

James A
James A
9 years ago

I did, of course, confidently predict this would be the first vacant diocesan See to be filled by a woman. So confident was I, that I popped down to William Hill. Now I am twenty quid poorer! But… I had not reckoned on the degree to which archiepiscopal influence is being currently exerted at CNCs. That Paul Williams is very much in the image likeness of Welby and Sentamu is not in doubt. But it gives further credence to the (widely discussed) perception that, having consecrated Libby Lane, we will not now see a woman (and certainly not a woman… Read more »

Perry Butler
Perry Butler
9 years ago

Well, how about the Ven Rachel Treweek for Kensington?

Tim Chesterton
9 years ago

I can’t let Father David’s mention of Roland Allen go by without standing out of respect for that great man. His ‘Missionary Methods: St. Paul’s or Ours?’ had an enormous influence on me.

Peter Mullins
Peter Mullins
9 years ago

I wonder whether James A is being just a little bit premature. (a) We can’t assume that on the new more level playing field the best candidate for the first particular vacancy would happen to be female. (b) This candidate matches the diocesan spec quite closely. (c) At least the early stages of the process for this particular appointment were ahead of the levelling of the playing field. But if the new Bishops of Gloucester and Oxford are both male then, yes, it will cost us much more than one person’s loss of £20.

Father David
Father David
9 years ago

Well, how about Piccadilly for Oxon? That would be yet another feather in the cap for the multi-talented Amersham Deanery.

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