The Diocese of Leeds has launched its public consultation looking for the views of all people across our region about the next Bishop of Leeds.
We are asking for people to answer three questions about our new bishop and the future of our diocese, which are:
- What are your three hopes for the future of the church in your community?
- What three words describe the main skills and qualities the next Bishop of Leeds needs to have, to help us grow in confidence as a diocese?
- What is the one thing you want to say to the next Bishop of Leeds?
These questions can be answered by filling in our online form, which can be found here, or by scanning the QR code.
The Rt Revd Toby Howarth, Bishop of Bradford and the chair of our Vacancy in See committee, said: “This is a major moment for our diocese as we look forward with confidence to the next stage of our shared future.
“In doing so we would really like to hear what people think.
“Our prayer is these questions enable everyone in our diocese to have their say and to feel part of the process.”
The responses will help form a document called a Statement of Needs, which is a detailed profile of who we are as a diocese, our mission and ministry, and our hopes for the future.
This document will guide the recruitment process, shaping the search for the person who is called to be our next bishop.
As part of the consultation process, we have produced postcards with the questions on them which are being sent to every church, which can be filled in by hand and are pre-addressed to be posted back to Church House in Leeds.
Alongside these we have produced and are sending a poster advertising the consultation to every church, with a QR code to access the online form on it.
Jonathan Wood, Diocesan Secretary, said: “We really want as many people as can to take part in the consultation, so we can make sure their voices are heard as we look to the future.
“We’ve tried to make the consultation as accessible as possible, with online and printed resources available to allow people to complete it.
“If you would like more postcards or posters, please do get in touch with us and we can send more to you, or you can download them from our Vacancy in See page.”
More on the consultation and the wider Vacancy in See process can be found here.