The Diocese of Chester has published its Statement of Needs, a brief description of the diocese and statement setting out the desired profile of the next Bishop of Chester.
The 34-page document is the culmination of a diocesan-wide consultation and public meetings. Hundreds of individuals, PCCs and church groups contributed their thoughts and views on who the next bishop should be and the qualities he or she should have. The document will help inform the Crown Nominations Commission (CNC) - the body that will ultimately nominate someone to the role - as to the qualities the diocese hopes to see in the next Bishop of Chester.
George Colville, Diocesan Secretary and Secretary of the Vacancy in See Committee, says the document reflects the views of the diocese as a whole: "Firstly, I'd wish to say a huge thank you to everyone that contributed to the consultation process. What is clear from the hundreds of responses we received through the consultation and public meeting is that the Diocese of Chester contains a rich diversity of places, cultures and church traditions. The Vacancy in See Committee is satisfied that our Statement of Needs faithfully reflects the diocese as a whole and I hope it will serve the Crown Nominations Commission well as they discern who it is God is calling to be the next Bishop of Chester."
Download the Statement of Needs
Download a digital version here.
Hard copies of the Statement of Needs will be posted out to all parishes by the end of November.
The Bishop of Birkenhead, and Acting Bishop of Chester, Keith Sinclair, is encouraging everyone to pray during the discernment process. A prayer, written especially for the vacancy, is included in the Statement of Needs and will be made widely available to individuals and parishes over the coming weeks. Bishop Keith says: "The prayer found in the Statement of Needs is a prayer for all. Let's pray together as we wait for the person God is calling to be the next Bishop of Chester. May God bless us all during this period of transition and change."
In August and September, the parishes within the Diocese of Chester were invited to contribute to a consultation which asked respondents to share their views on who the next Bishop of Chester should be and what qualities he or she should have. You can read about it here.
Following the consultation, a drafting group read all of the responses and began the process of producing the Statement of Needs.
Because diocesan bishops have a variety of roles, not only within the Church of England but also in the local community and the nation at large, the choice of the next Bishop of Chester is not made by representatives of the diocese alone.
On 24 September, six people from the Vacancy in See Committee were elected to work with representatives of the Church of England as a whole, under the presidency of the Archbishops, on the CNC.
The six members elected to represent the diocese on the CNC are:
The Ven Ian Bishop
Canon Dr John Mason
Revd Rob Munro
Canon Betty Renshaw MBE
Mrs Deborah Woods
Revd Peter Froggatt
Seem more about them here
Next steps in the vacancy process
03 February
The CNC meets for the first time
16/17 March
The CNC meets again and agrees on the person it wishes to nominate for the role
Spring 2020
Downing Street announces the name of the next Bishop of Chester