Bishop John has announced that he will be retiring at the beginning of October this year. This announcement started the discernment process to find the next Bishop of Worcester.
The process is being overseen by our diocesan Vacancy in See Committee. See is from the Latin term for “seat” and historically refers to the bishop’s throne, i.e. centre of authority and jurisdiction, which has been in Worcester for hundreds of year.
The Committee is a standing committee of the Worcester Diocesan Synod, but only becomes active when the retirement of a diocesan bishop is announced. It is responsible for producing the ‘Statement of Needs’ for the Diocese (similar to a parish profile) and also electing six members to sit on the Crown Nominations Committee, which will be responsible for shortlisting potential candidates and discerning who should be recommended to Downing Street and the King to be our next bishop.
The timing of this process is still to be determined, but before the Statement of Needs is produced, there will be a significant consultation process, to which we hope as many people as possible will contribute. This will be an opportunity for us to let potential candidates know what an amazing diocese we are part of, and some of the brilliant things that are happening in parishes as we continue to grow as Kingdom People.
Look out for the ways in which you can get involved in the consultation process. A summary of each meeting of the Vacancy in See Committee will also be added to this webpage.
Vacancy in See Chair
Lynn Nichol is the Chair of our Vacancy in See Committee. Lynn has lived in the Diocese since 1998 alongside her husband who has been vicar of parishes in Powick, Callow End, Madresfield, and Guarlford, Holy Trinity and St James in Malvern and Pedmore and Wollescote. Lynn was elected as one of our General Synod reps in 2021 and in that role is an ex-officio member of the Vacancy in See Committee. She works for the University of Worcester as Professor of Human Resource Development teaching research methods and supervising on the university’s doctoral programme. Her own PhD looked at working in the Church of England and how clergy’s relationship with the organisation is different to those working in the secular world.
Lynn said: “I have been a lifelong member of the Church of England, and it is a privilege to be able to serve as Chair of the Vacancy in See Committee. A key part of the process is discernment and I hope that as a group we can come together and understand the needs of the Diocese and where God is calling us to go. Appointing a new bishop is unlike recruiting to a senior post in any other organisation and the Vacancy in See has an important task to undertake. I want to give people throughout the Diocese a voice in this and hear their ideas throughout the process.”
Please do pray for the whole diocese as we continue this discernment process, for Bishop John as he heads towards retirement and Bishop Martin as he moves into the role of acting diocesan bishop.
