The Prime Minister’s Office issued the press release below this morning. The London diocesan website has more details in New Bishop for East London announced.
The King has approved the nomination of The Venerable Roderick (Rod) Ernest Alexander Green, BA, MA, MTh, to the Suffragan See of Stepney, in the Diocese of London
From: Prime Minister’s Office, 10 Downing Street and The Rt Hon Sir Keir Starmer KCB KC MP
Published 20 March 2026
The King has approved the nomination of The Venerable Roderick (Rod) Ernest Alexander Green, BA, MA, MTh, Archdeacon of Llandaff, in the Church in Wales, to the Suffragan See of Stepney, in the Diocese of London, in succession to The Right Reverend Dr Joanne Woolway Grenfell, MA, DPhil, following her translation to the See of St Edmundsbury and Ipswich.
Rod was educated at the University of Reading and the London School of Theology, and trained for ministry at Wycliffe Hall, Oxford. He served his title at Christ Church, Spitalfields, in the Stepney Area of the Diocese of London and was ordained priest in 2008.
In 2011 he took up the role of Associate Rector at St Paul’s, Shadwell, also in the Stepney Area of the Diocese of London. In 2014 he was appointed Vicar at St. Peter’s, West Harrow, in the Willesden Area of the Diocese of London.
He has served in his current role as Archdeacon of Llandaff, in the Diocese of Llandaff, in the Church in Wales, since 2021.
What a contrast with the new Bishop of St Albans. Trevor Huddleston was once Bishop of Stepney – another contrast. It’s spring. Rod will soon be planting in Stepney.
Is this the second episcopal Rod on the bench of bishops?
I’m missing something here. Why is this a contrast?
This is an appointment of great insight. Congrats to Rod Green. A thoroughly worthy Bishop of Stepney.
When he was Community Development Manager of St Mary Islington Rod was also our first Administrator of Fulcrum, and came up with the name and strapline – Fulcrum: renewing the Evangelical Centre!
He has wide experience and sympathies.
Graham I’m slightly puzzled by as to why Fulcrum failed. It is possibly because there is no agreement on what the evangelical centre is now? Evangelicals have clearly become divided on what to think about same sex relationships and the conservative evangelicals seem to get ever more convinced that they and they should control what the Church of England believes about that matter. Where this new bishop stands on that matter I don’t know. But unless he is prepared to accept that some of the clergy in his episcopal area are happily settled in same sex relationships that aren’t celibate… Read more »
It’s interesting that an area see in London diocese is being filled while the diocesan see is vacant. Or was Rod Green nominated for the suffragan see of Stepney by Sarah Mullally before she ceased to be Bishop of London on the confirmation of her election as Archbishop of Canterbury on 28 January 2026? In any event, especially in view of the area system operating in London, it seems sensible for the see, vacant since 5 September 2025 on the confirmation of election of Joanne Grenfell as Bishop of St Edmundsbury & Ipswich, not to remain vacant until after a… Read more »
But isn’t there an argument that the new Bishop of London should be able to build up his/her staff themself?
Sarah had already started the process before she was announced for Canterbury.
Always good to celebrate the regular appointment of an Overseer.
I have no personal knowledge of Rod Green. My hunch is that this is not good news for Stepney. It has suffered the seemingly unstoppable spread of HTB tentacles, with several formerly middle of the road, liberal catholic and anglo-catholic parishes being taken over. Of course, some people will welcome this, and it must be conceded that in some cases this has kept parishes open. But for others this has been, is, a serious loss of the historic Anglican presence in Stepney, which has been rich, and mostly sacramental in character.
This is not good news for Stepney, it will now become HTB on every corner. It’ll be a case of “All Hail, the Messiah cometh”
Nothing wrong with HTB on every corner. Solid biblical teaching seems to work well in my opinion. I think you may find that this appointment is a typically middle of the road Anglican appointment. Rod spoke in September last year in the, hopelessly declining, Church in Wales and backed “the C of E following the Welsh church model in blessings for LGB people.
With the latest two Bishops to be appointed it appears the C of E can be clearly viewed in the rear view mirror of the C in W vehicle.
‘Solid biblical teaching’ is somewhat in the eye of the observer. I and many others would differ from the HTB interpretation of scriptures on a number of points, I suspect.
I guess if the rich, historic sacramental Anglican presence in Stepney had been as valuable and compelling for others as you portray it … it would still thrive?
The CofE is not interested in financially helping struggling parishes unless newcomers arrive strumming guitars telling people Jesus wants them for a Sunbeam.
Given that the median adult usual Sunday attendance is 23 according to the latest data, there will be a great many struggling parishes. (Source Statistics for Mission 2024) Perhaps a change in worship style is called for.
I agree. We’ve had enough happy-clappiness to last a lifetime. It’s time to return to solid Catholic teaching and dignified worship.
Are the churches with this style of worship expanding? Are they then sharing their resources (people, financial resources, gifts) with the struggling parishes? I hope so, but I would be grateful for some examples in England.From my own experience I haven’t seen any evidence of this. Perhaps you have examples of grafting on to struggling parishes, or of paying the clergy costs of struggling parishes.
See my comment above. The CofE allows the decline of non-evangelical parishes, to be then replaced and financed by a narrow-minded congregationalism promoting a pre-packaged happy-clappy product with a tenuous Anglican identity.
I take it from your response that you can provide no examples of churches with your favoured style of worship helping out struggling parishes. Whereas in my city three large evangelical churches are all engaged in supporting struggling parishes. Why aren’t churches with “solid Catholic teaching and dignified worship” supporting struggling parishes? Is it because they don’t care, or because they think it is someone else’s job. I await an answer.
“Anglo -Catholic Church Planting” by Dr John Wallace provides answers and examples to your question.
Thank you. Could you provide the names of some examples in England please.
I am aware of church planting in Victorian times in my own city but not of any recent examples in England.
Yes indeed, although your unkind appraisal is not strictly accurate, thriving congregations with solid biblical teaching ,large attendance and sound finance should not prop up the failing elements of the C of E that feel they have a right to financial support regardless of how they bend with societies trends that distance themselves from Gods teachings. Those who choose to preach unholy lifestyles must accept the cost in terms of declining attendance and financial failure.
Perhaps they are not so much talking about sunbeams, rather, that the gate is narrow. Not much about sunbeams in scripture but plenty about turning to Christ and not sinning. The narrow way, while costly, appears to attract adherents. The revisionist spirit of the age way, coupled with archaic religiosity, appears not to work so well in Stepney and elsewhere.
You are correct. We need a call to the full Catholic Faith, turning to Christ and a renunciation of religious bigotry, narrow-mindedness and evangelical judgementalism.
Does “narrow-mindedness” include the rejection of all other forms of worship, such as “happy-clappiness” (aka charismatic worship”?
Happy-clappiness and narrow-mindedness are one and the same.
other forms of bigotry and judgementalism are available
So far no one seems to have considered the possibility of population migration. Google offers some general statistics for Stepney (as well as London as a whole) but not, of course, specific to C of E attendance.
Migration certainly does play a part in the make up of churches within an area. The growing number of Pentecostal churches reflects, I believe, increased migration from West Africa. But it does not, I believe, explain the decline in the churches described by FrDavid. These, in my own diocese, have ageing congregations, small numbers on the electoral role, low levels of individual giving and are reluctant to change their style of worship to attract young families.
Pretty significant I imagine. The east end has changed enormously demographically even since I went to the London diocese in 1980.
Well done Rowland for addressing the elephant in the room. A high percentage of people in the Stepney episcopal area will be of other faiths. Many of those who are Christian will be from Afro-Caribbean backgrounds and will be more likely to attend HTB plants than other C of E churches.
IIRC ++Sentamu was +Stepney en route from Uganda to York.
The Province of the West Indies is Anglo Catholic. Why should Afro-Caribbean Anglicans become happy clappies?
Can we please ban the term ‘happy clappy’? It is a cliché and insulting. It is like referring to Anglo Catholics as smells and bells.
I’m not referring to FrDavid H in particular, the term kept on being used above.
It is insulting.
The term, you seem to delight in repeating, “happy clappies” , I assume, is used as a derogatory term to describe those from evangelical/ charismatic styles of worship? It’s a cheap shot and possibly results from the decline in Anglo Catholic and Liberal “open evangelical “ traditions. You cannot argue that the HTB, New Wine models of church are both authentic, attractive, sustainable and growing.
Could you unpack “authentic” please?
Yes. Simply put, “authentic” in that they remain firmly rooted in scripture and don’t accommodate false doctrine that reflects societal changes. I hope this helps but I suspect you actually knew what I meant and may choose to add your own angle in true TA tradition.
I don’t believe they have become anything. They have simply continued in their chosen style of worship, often Pentecostal. That is certainly the pattern near me. They are certainly happy in their chosen style of worship. They often clap too during worship and even raise their hands in praise.
You are correct but Anglicanism is only one small denomination among many others in the Caribbean.
Can we drop the ‘Afro-‘ bit? Caribbean culture is sui generis. Afro-Carribeans and Indo-Caribbeans have a lot more in common with each other than with they do with the places their ancestors came from over two centuries ago.
I always find it fascinating that people who have never met the candidates are so sure of what they will be like, ignoring the views of those who have met them. For instance, he has been working in the Church in Wales for a few years along side and for those of various churchpersonships, genders and sexualities and still managed to get the necessary references. Some people rave about him, others find him a bit abrasive or management speaky, but he is a unique individual not a simple evangelical clone.
Over a few years in Llandaff, I (as a progressive catholic) have found Rhod to be genuinely passionate about enabling the church’s mission across various churchpersonships and contexts. We can all make presumptions based on what’s written on this announcement or that; but perhaps we ought to know better!
There seems to be quite a wave of appointments recently, and it makes me feel encouraged. Good women and men with a diversity of talents are rising to the surface which bodes well for the future. Maybe God has exciting plans for the Church of England yet…. #just saying!
I always find it very funny when Anglicans – and newly-appointed bishops – declare that God has “exciting plans”. About 1 per cent of the population attends church. God doesn’t seem very effective at devising plans and strategies to reverse decline. Perhaps He’s too busy trying to sort out the British economy, the wars in Iran and Ukraine and the ravages of climate change. His “exciting plans” for the CofE seem a bit low on His agenda.
God needs to go on a leadership course, obviously. And do ‘Alpha for deities.’
God works through us.
I never understand it when people talk about God’s will or God’s plans. Who or what is this God they are talking about?
Nigel, IIUC Jeremiah speaks of God knowing ‘the plans I have for you’- God’s plan, for us. OK that is the Old Testament God …