Bishop talks about faith in the Dales

THE new Bishop or Leeds, West Yorkshire and the Dales has found life a little disjointed since he took up his new role - partly because he is preparing for the domestic upheaval of moving house.

But the Right Rev Nick Baines, who has been in his new role officially since June 8 and in an acting capacity since April 22, is looking forward to the responsibilities of leading a new super-diocese that oversees 656 churches.

The 56-year-old, who previously had been Bishop of Bradford since 2011, is very familiar with faith in this part of the world, as that diocese also stretched out to the far reaches of Craven.

He said “a load of social dynamics” are at work in Dales churches, such as having to deal with "pretty poor" public transport systems and not having access to the latest broadband technology.

He pointed out that rural church congregations may have a lot of older members, but this is simply because village populations are ageing.

"Bigger churches have a gathered community, but in country areas you have churches with people who actually live in the village."

And he said because of their smaller size, it often ends up being one or two people who take on leadership roles in the church.

Bishop Nick said that strong leadership is one of the keys to attracting more people into the church.

"We need imaginative leadership and people who are keen to be disciples of Jesus," he said. "It's not about finding another gimmick to bring into church."

The bishop says that part of his job is how to resource people in communities.

"There may be eight million things to work out, but how to resource people in communities is vitally important," he said. "We have to give them confidence to bring new people in place.

"Any vicar or church worth their salt reaches out to communities in different ways. You have to be imaginative in how you reach out."

He said churches that do not have facilities for children might not attract young families and churches that focus on more child oriented services might not attract elderly people.

"You can't be a one-dish restaurant," said the Bishop.

He said that one of the important things that churches in the Dales can offer is a role in playing an integral part of the community.

"It's important because often in some places the church is the only public space or building where you can bring people together."

During his time leading the Bradford Diocese, the Bishop said that the number of clergy serving churches reduced because of retirements.

After the dissolution of the three dioceses of Bradford, Ripon and Leeds, and Wakefield, he said: "The new diocese inherited three different ways of addressing this."

He also stressed the importance of leaders being attentive to cultures of people living in the area they serve, as leading a church in Manningham would be very different to serving a church congregation in the Dales.

When asked about last week's decision by the General Synod to allow women into the Church of England's top ranks as bishops, he said: "For most people, it's not an issue.

"We demonstrated to the world that we're not going to chuck out people who don't agree with the decision. You have to work at these things.

"I'm glad that we should be able to stop talking about women bishops and just talk about bishops.”

In his online blog – Musings of a restless bishop – he writes: “Not everyone will be welcoming this development, even if they knew it had to happen.

“The bottom line is simply that the Church of England has practised what it preaches and taken the time (lots of it…) to make a decision that keeps people together despite disagreement.”

In his post-vote statement, he added: “I’m delighted that the General Synod has voted in favour of the legislation that will allow women to be consecrated as bishops.

“It’s been a long time coming, but that’s because the Church of England has worked hard to hold together those of contrasting views, even when those opposed were in the minority. “But the wrestling has paid off and we have upheld our commitment to being a broad church.

“With the guiding principles the bishops have set out, we have a process that will both fully support women bishops while providing for the flourishing of those who are still opposed, and we can now move forward in a spirit of reconciliation and trust.

“I believe women bishops will have a hugely positive impact on the Church of England, and I look forward to the first consecration.”

Although his blog went on to say that while the hard work is just beginning, he added “for now we can sleep in peace, knowing that the Church did something remarkable.”