Matthew Parker (bishop)

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Matthew John Parker (born 1 June 1963, in Manchester) is a British bishop who has served as area Bishop of Stafford since 2021. He was previously Archdeacon of Stoke (i.e. the same area) since 2013. [1]

Contents

Education

Parker was educated at The Bishop Wand Church of England School, the University of Manchester, Sidney Sussex College, Cambridge and Ridley Hall, Cambridge.

Ordained ministry

Parker was ordained in the Church of England as a deacon in 1988 and as a priest in 1989. He served as an assistant curate at St Mary's Church, Twickenham from 1988 to 1991, and at St George's Church, Heaviley from 1991 to 1994. He was then team vicar of the Stockport SW Team from 1993 to 2000, and team rector of the Leek and Meerbrook Team from 2000 to 2013. [2]

On 24 September 2020, it was announced that he would be the next Bishop of Stafford in the Diocese of Lichfield. [3] He was scheduled to be consecrated as bishop on 28 January 2021, and installed at Lichfield Cathedral on 7 February 2021, [4] but these have been postponed and Parker licensed as Episcopal vicar for the Stafford episcopal area. [5] He was consecrated a bishop on 14 April 2021 during a Covid limited service at Lambeth Palace, [6] in the third of the three consecration services there that day. [7] The principal consecrator was Anthony Poggo, the Archbishop of Canterbury's Advisor on Anglican Communion Affairs, assisted by Sarah Mullally and Jonathan Clark. [6]

Views

In November 2023, he was one of 44 Church of England bishops who signed an open letter supporting the use of the Prayers of Love and Faith (i.e. blessings for same-sex couples) and called for "Guidance being issued without delay that includes the removal of all restrictions on clergy entering same-sex civil marriages, and on bishops ordaining and licensing such clergy". [8]

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Since the 1990s, the Anglican Communion has struggled with controversy regarding homosexuality in the church. In 1998, the 13th Lambeth Conference of Anglican bishops passed a resolution "rejecting homosexual practice as incompatible with Scripture". However, this is not legally binding. "Like all Lambeth Conference resolutions, it is not legally binding on all provinces of the Communion, including the Church of England, though it commends an essential and persuasive view of the attitude of the Communion." "Anglican national churches in Brazil, South Africa, South India, New Zealand and Canada have taken steps toward approving and celebrating same-sex relationships amid strong resistance among other national churches within the 80 million-member global body. The Episcopal Church in the U.S. has allowed same-sex marriage since 2015, and the Scottish Episcopal Church has allowed same-sex marriage since 2017." In 2017, clergy within the Church of England indicated their inclination towards supporting same-sex marriage by dismissing a bishops' report that explicitly asserted the exclusivity of church weddings to unions between a man and a woman. At General Synod in 2019, the Church of England announced that same-gender couples may remain recognised as married after one spouse experiences a gender transition. In 2023, the Church of England announced that it would authorise "prayers of thanksgiving, dedication and for God's blessing for same-sex couples."

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References

  1. ↑ "Peter Jonathan Wilcox" . Crockford's Clerical Directory (online ed.). Church House Publishing . Retrieved 1 February 2017.
  2. ↑ 'PARKER, Ven. Matthew John', Who's Who 2017, A & C Black, an imprint of Bloomsbury Publishing plc, 2017; online edn, Oxford University Press, 2016; online edn, November 2016 accessed 1 February 2017
  3. ↑ "Suffragan Bishop of Stafford: 10 September 2020". GOV.UK. Prime Minister's Office, 10 Downing Street. 24 September 2020. Retrieved 24 September 2020.
  4. ↑ "Matthew to be new Bishop of Stafford". Diocese of Lichfield. 24 September 2020. Retrieved 24 September 2020.
  5. ↑ "Bishop of Stafford update - Diocese of Lichfield".
  6. 1 2 "Bishop of Stafford consecrated". Diocese of Lichfield. 30 April 2021. Retrieved 2 November 2023.
  7. ↑ "The Consecration of the Ven Matthew Parker as Bishop of Stafford". YouTube .
  8. ↑ Martin, Francis (1 November 2023). "Don't delay guidance allowing priests to be in same-sex marriages, say 44 bishops". Church Times. Archived from the original on 2 November 2023. Retrieved 2 November 2023.
Church of England titles
Preceded by Archdeacon of Stoke
2013–2021		TBA


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