Canon Maggie Swinson, the Church of England’s Independent Reviewer, has advisable extra support for 2 bishops who provide prolonged episcopal oversight to parishes with a conservative stance on the ordination of ladies.
The report revealed that the availability of episcopal care within the northern province has been potentially inadequate because the retirement of the Bishop of Wakefield, who used to share the load with the Bishop of Beverley. Canon Maggie suggested that a part-time bishop was needed to help him in his work.
It also found that the workload expected of the Bishop of Ebbsfleet was unsustainable.
Figures referenced within the report suggest that the Bishop of Ebbsfleet, the Rt Rev Rob Munro, is currently taking care of 152 conservative evangelical parishes, with a usual Sunday attendance of about 25,000 people. That is more parishes and other people than many dioceses within the Church of England – and the vast majority of dioceses have multiple bishop.
The Bishop of Ebbsfleet’s job is made even harder because his parishes are opened up over the entire country – from Plymouth to Newcastle – and he even cares for a chaplaincy in Leipzig, Germany.
The Independent reviewer noted that as Bishop Munro is the one bishop within the Church of England who holds a complementarian theological position on the ministry of men and ladies, there isn’t any one who could deputise for him should he fall in poor health.
The controversy over same-sex blessings can be having an impact on the ministry of the Bishop of Ebbsfleet. Some recent parishes have passed resolutions to access his ministry, while others are, in response to the report, “experiencing strained relationships with each local churches and the broader Church of England.”
“This has had a noticeable effect on parish funds, and although the number remains to be relatively small, some congregations have either left or are considering leaving the Church of England,” the report said.
It was perhaps unsurprising that Bishop Munro was driving between meetings when he responded to the report, saying, “The report is fair and I hope that the challenge it represents to the Church can be listened to.”
Susie Leafe is director of Anglican Futures, an organisation that gives pastoral and practical support to orthodox Anglicans.
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