The Vacancy in See Committee is a standing committee of the Diocesan Synod, but only becomes active when the retirement of a diocesan bishop is announced.
The committee is made up of 24 people, including the diocese’s General Synod representatives, the Chairs of the House of Clergy and House of Laity, the Bishop of Dudley, Archdeacons and elected lay and clergy representatives from across the Diocese.
Once the committee is convened, it has two tasks – to write a Statement of Needs for the diocese (a document similar to a parish profile) and to elect six of its members to sit on the Crown Nominations Commission (CNC) alongside six representatives from the national Church.
The Statement of Needs is drafted following considerable consultation across the Diocese, with which we hope as many people as possible will engage.
The CNC is a national Church of England body, which will be responsible for compiling a shortlist of candidates and discerning which nominee should be recommended to the King and Downing Street to be the next Bishop of Worcester.
Members of the Vacancy in See Committee
- The Bishop of Dudley, Martin Gorick
- The Dean of Worcester, Stephen Edwards (Interim Dean)
- The Archdeacon of Worcester, Mark Badger
- The Archdeacon of Dudley, Nikki Groarke
- The Revd Wyn Beynon
- The Revd Victoria Barlow
- Harriet Chimani
- John Dentith
- Kasmir Garton
- The Revd Adam Hadley
- The Revd Laura Handy
- The Revd Rich Johnson
- Paul Latham
- The Revd Claire Lording
- Robin Lunn
- Lynn Nichol (Chair)
- The Revd Fraser Oates
- Hugh Richards
- Sam Setchell
- David Sims
- Clare Stockford
- Irenaeus (Iren) Treasure
- Eric Wiles
- Secretary to the Committee - Andy Todd
Read more about the process for appointing the next Bishop of Worcester
Prayer during the Vacancy in See
Please join us in prayer following the retirement of the Bishop of Woreser.
Heavenly Father,
We thank you for those you call to faithfully lead and shepherd your church.
As we seek a new Bishop of Worcester, help us to be attentive to the Holy Spirit’s
guidance, give us heavenly wisdom, and bless our diocese that we might enter a
new season of growth and fruitfulness as Kingdom People.
For your glory and in the name of Christ. Amen
Meetings of the Committee
The Vacancy in See Committee met for the first time on Saturday 22 June. We spent time in worship and prayer, got to know one another better, and began to sketch an outline plan for the key deliverables with which the Committee is officially tasked.
The Committee then held a number of other meetings at which they discussed the 'Join the Conversation' consultation around the Diocese, putting together our diocesan Statement of Needs and which members of the Committee would like to stand to be our diocesan representatives on the Crown Nominations Commission (CNC).
Representatives voted to the CNC:
At our Vacancy in See Meeting on 3 October, the following people were voted to be our diocesan representatives on the Crown Nominations Commission.
- Kashmir Garton
- Nikki Groarke
- Rich Johnson
- Claire Lording
- Hugh Richards
- Iren Treasure
The CNC will meet together for the first time in January, shortlisting of candidates will be in May with interviews held on 12 and 13 June. It is hoped that we will be able to make an announcement about the next Bishop of Worcester in July 2025.
Diocesan Statement of Needs
At the same meeting, the Vacancy in See Committee unanimously approved our Statement of Needs for the Diocese. This sets out who we are as the Diocese of Worcester and what we want from our next Bishop. This was written following the diocesan 'join the conversation' consultation.