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NEW BISHOP OF CROYDON

Monday 25 March 2003

The Queen has appointed the Ven. Nicholas (Nick) Baines to the Suffragan See of Croydon. He will succeed the Rt Rev. Wilfred Wood as the Area Bishop of Croydon in the Diocese of Southwark assisting the Diocesan Bishop in the oversight and pastoral care of parishes in the extensive southern part of the Diocese. He will be consecrated Bishop in St Paul's Cathedral on Thursday 8 May 2003.

Statement from Nick Baines

Nick Baines, 45, has been the Archdeacon of Lambeth, in the Diocese of Southwark, since the summer of 2000. He is a member of the General Synod of the Church of England, and is involved in various Committees looking at mission at home and abroad. Nick is married to Linda and they have three children.

Since coming to Southwark Diocese, Nick Baines has continued his long held interest in youth work as Chair of the Diocesan Children & Youth Policy Group. Other interests include the shaping of the church to face the challenges and opportunities of the twenty first century, clergy development, ecumenism and mission to people outside the church.

Nick Baines was appointed a Director of Ecclesiastical Insurance in 2002. For many years he has been a regular contributor to Pause for Thought on Radio 2 and in September a book based on the scripts of these reflections will be published by St Andrew's Press.

Before becoming an archdeacon Nick Baines was the Vicar of Rothley, Leicester, and Rural Dean of Goscote, in the Diocese of Leicester. He has wide parish experience, including city centre, urban UPA, town centre, market town, rural village, and commuter village. As Archdeacon of Lambeth he has had oversight of mainly inner-city and suburban churches, with the extra responsibility of sharing the Bishop's staffing and management of them.

Prior to his ordination in 1987 he was a specialist in modern languages, working briefly in Germany and France and then for four years in the UK as a Linguist Specialist. While in Leicester he used to broadcast regularly on BBC Radio Leicester, Leicester Sound, and BBC Radio 2, and twice received a commendation in the Andrew Cross Awards for religious broadcasting.

Commenting on his new appointment as Bishop of Croydon, he said, "Having enjoyed several years here in Southwark Diocese as the Archdeacon of Lambeth I am now pleased to be asked to respond to the challenges and opportunities of the Croydon Area. Following Bishop Wilfred Wood is a considerable challenge but, I shall do my best to serve the people there as faithfully and generously as he did for so many years."

The Bishop of Southwark, the Rt Rev Tom Butler, says, "I have watched Nick Baines over several years using his many gifts and deep commitment to the task of the contemporary Church. It is a special pleasure to know that he will still be a close colleague in his new role. The Croydon Area holds a mixture of urban, suburban and very rural parishes, where I am confident Nick Baines will be a worthy successor to Bishop Wilfred."

Following his consecration Nick Baines will be installed in Southwark Cathedral on Sunday 11 May and welcomed into his new Area at Croydon Parish Church on Sunday 1 June. Further details on these services will follow.

SHORT BIOGRAPHY: The Ven Nicholas Baines

Born in Liverpool, 13 November 1957
1969-76: Educated at Holt Comprehensive School, Liverpool
1976-80: University of Bradford: BA (Hons. 2.2) in German & French
1977-84: Translation and liaison work in Germany, France and Britain
1980 : Married Linda. 3 children: Richard (1981), Melanie (1984), Andrew (1988)
1984-87: Trinity College, Bristol: BA (Hons. 2.1) in Theological Studies
1987 : Ordained Deacon. 1988: Ordained Priest
1987-91: Assistant Curate, St. Thomas, Kendal, & St Catherine, Crook
1991-92: Associate Minister, Holy Trinity, Leicester & secondment to Team Parish of Braunstone
1992- 2000 : Vicar of Rothley, Leicester
1992-95: Chaplain (part-time) to Glenfrith (adult mental health unit) Hospital, Mountsorrel
1995-2000: Rural Dean of Goscote
1995- : Proctor in Convocation, The General Synod of the Church of England

1999 : Appointed to Crown Appointments Commission Review Group.
1999 : Represented the Church of England at the National Conference of Roman Catholic Priests in England and Wales (Birmingham, September).
2000 : Member of regional group feeding into the Leadership Forum, established by the House of Bishops to explore issues of leadership in the Church.
2002: Appointed to the Board of Directors of Ecclesiastical Insurance.

PUBLICATIONS
Various articles and reviews
1991 : First book, Hungry for Hope (Darton, Longman & Todd)
1986-89: Involvement in Theological Education and the Media project based at Edinburgh University and concerned with questions of communication with and education of people living in a media-saturated society.
1997 Handbook for Rural Deans.

Note for Editors

The Croydon Episcopal Area is made up of the Archdeaconries of Croydon and Reigate.

The Archdeaconry of Reigate comprises the three Rural Deaneries of Caterham (9 parishes), Godstone (14 parishes), and Reigate (24 parishes).

The archdeaconry of Croydon comprises the Rural Deaneries of Croydon Addington (9 parishes), Croydon Central (10 parishes), Croydon North (12 parishes), Croydon South (10 parishes) and Sutton (14 parishes).

The Episcopal Area includes Croydon itself, and extends to Sutton and Reigate in the north-west, south to the edge of Gatwick Airport and to Godstone and Lingfield in the south and south-east.

Ends.

For further information contact: 

Diocesan Communications Officer
Tel: 020-7939 9400
Mobile: 07831-694021
Fax: 020-7939 9468