Milestone reached in search for our next Bishop of Oxford

The final meeting of the Vacancy in See Committee on Tuesday marked a significant step forward in the process to appoint our next Bishop of Oxford.

The Revd Canon Geoff Bayliss, Chair of the Committee, thanked everyone for their dedication throughout the process:
“I pay tribute to all those who have formed part of the Committee, and all those who have supported its work, for their strong commitment to the task and for the tone and graciousness with which it has been possible to work together.”

Explore our…

? Statement of Needs

? Crown Nominations Commission representatives

?? Summary report of the Consultation

? Updated prayer resources

Is God calling you?

Our Statement of Needs is the result of a huge amount of work by many and gives a wonderful picture of the life of our diocese.

The Statement was unanimously agreed by the Committee earlier this week. Whether you are discerning a calling to join us as our next bishop or seeking to understand more about the diocese, read it online now.
Read the Statement of Needs

From left: Sir Hector Sants, the Revd Joy Mawdesley, the Ven Stephen Pullin, Prof Helen King (joining remotely), Helen Lamb, and the Revd Matt Beer.

“Through four weeks of consultation and detailed analysis, over 2,700 of you generously responded to share your hopes for the diocese and our next Bishop of Oxford.From this breadth of responses, ten key themes emerged as most frequently raised across all questions: some, issues for the next bishop to address, others, qualities they should offer. The Consultation Summary Report details these crucial findings.“God our Shepherd, We give you thanks for Bishop Steven’s ministry as our bishop and ask your blessing on him as he prepares to retire. At this time, we ask your blessing also on our diocese and those who have been chosen to shape its future. May they listen to one another, to the voices of your people, and to the voice of your Holy Spirit. May your love be at the heart of all their decisions and your will be done in the appointment of a new bishop. We ask this through your Son, who shared your love in his life among us and showed it in his death for us, Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.”The CNC meet later this year, beginning the process of searching for candidates. As we await this next stage, please keep praying – for the diocese, for the process and those involved in it, and for our next bishop – that even now God may be preparing them for the role ahead.”>Prayer resources are available, including a prayer for this next stage, and a short liturgy from the Revd Canon Val Plumb – A Shepherd Awaits…

Representatives chosen for the next stages

The Committee elected six of its members to represent the diocese on the Crown Nominations Commission (CNC), responsible for drawing up a shortlist of candidates and recommending a nominee. Read about our six representatives.

These representatives join six members from the national Church and the Archbishops in forming the full CNC. Please pray for all members as they carry out their work later this year on our behalf in discerning who God is calling to be the next Bishop of Oxford. We hope that this will result in an announcement in February 2027.