The diocesan Vacancy in See Committee has elected six people to represent the diocese on the Crown Nominations Commission (CNC), the body that will interview candidates and ultimately nominate someone to be the next Bishop of Chester.
The election took place on Tuesday 24 September.
The six diocesan representatives are listed below and you can contact them through the information provided:
The Ven Ian Bishop
Ian became the Archdeacon of Macclesfield in January 2011. He was brought up in Devizes and worked as a chartered surveyor before ordination. He is married to Sue who works at Crewe YMCA, and he has three adult sons. Ordained a deacon in 1991 and priested the following year he went on to be Rector of Middlewich and Byley and Rural Dean of Middlewich before being appointed Archdeacon of Macclesfield. He is also a Simeon’s Trustee.
Address: Chester Diocesan Board of Finance, Church House, 5500 Daresbury Park,
Daresbury, Warrington WA4 4GE.
T: 01928 718834 Ext 234 (Mobile 07715 102 519) E: ian.bishop@chester.anglican.org
Canon Dr John Mason
Canon Dr John Mason is Chair of the Vacancy in See Committee and Chair of the House of Laity at Diocesan Synod. He is also an Elected Lay Member of the Church of England's General Synod representing the Archdeaconry of Chester in the Diocese of Chester. John worked initially as a research scientist before taking on management roles in various technical services businesses. John was appointed Diocesan Secretary of the Diocese of Chester in 2006. He is now semi-retired but holds the position of Finance Director in a tech start-up company based in Daresbury. He worships at St Boniface, Bunbury where he has been treasurer for nearly 20 years. Address: Willington Mill, Weetwood, Tarporley CW6 0NQ
T: 01829 733971 E: johnpmason@gmail.com
Revd Rob Munro
Rob is the Chair of the House of Clergy at Diocesan Synod and currently chairs the Diocesan Mission Committee. He has served as an elected member of General Synod for over 14 years and is on the Diocese Commission and the National Church Statistics Reference Panel. He is Rector of St Marys, Cheadle and the local Rural Dean, as well as Chair of the Cheadle Village Partnership serving the local community. Rob is married with three children and a dog and used to be a secondary school teacher.
Cheadle Church Office, 11 Wilmslow Road, Cheadle SK8 1DW
T: 0161-428-8050 E: rob.munro@cheadle.org.uk
C
anon Betty Renshaw MBE
Betty is an Elected Lay Member of the Church of England’s General Synod representing the Diocese of Chester. She is the Chair of Chester Diocesan Multi Academies Trust (CDAT) and an Elected Lay Church Commissioner. She was formerly chair of Chester Diocesan Board of Finance.
Address. 82 Ennisdale Drive West Kirby, Wirral CH48 9UA
T: 07443 513351 E: betty.renshaw@gmail.com
Miss Debbie Woods
Debbie is a churchwarden at St. John's Knutsford, a trustee of Growing Young Disciples and an Associate Professor at the University of Law initially in Chester and now in Manchester.
Address: 10 South downs Knutsford WA168ND
T: 07505 381109
E: debbie.woods@law.ac.uk
Revd Peter Froggatt
Revd Peter Froggatt is Vicar of Christ Church Barnston with St Michael’s Pensby. He has been in ordained ministry in the diocese for 24 years, previously in Bebington and Rock Ferry and is currently Rural Dean of Wirral North Deanery and a member of Diocesan Synod. He has been a Bishop’s Advisor on national selection panels for 7 years.
E: cncrep@chester.anglican.org
The six diocesan representatives will join others from the Church of England as a whole, including the Archbishops, to form the CNC. It is due to meet for the first time on 03 February and then again on the 16 and 17 March.
An announcement on who has been nominated to be the next Bishop of Chester is expected around Easter time.
The diocesan Vacancy in See Committee is currently writing its Statement of Needs - a brief description of the diocese and statement setting out the desired profile of the next bishop. The document will help inform the CNC as to the qualities the diocese hopes to see in the next Bishop of Chester.
The document follows a diocesan-wide consultation that asked people to share their views on who should be the next Bishop of Chester and what qualities he or she should have. Over 430 individuals, groups and PCCs responded.
The Statement of Needs for the Diocese of Chester will be published later this autumn.
Next steps in the vacancy process
November
The Diocese of Chester publishes its Statement of Needs
February 03
The CNC meets for the first time
March 16/17
The CNC meets again and agrees on the person it wishes to nominate for the role
Spring
Downing Street announces the name of the next Bishop of Chester