The Church in Wales has issued revised proposals for the appointment of the Bishop of Bangor, (Press Release, 23 October 2025); Archbishop Cherry has also announced the appointment, on a temporary basis, of an acting Diocesan Secretary.
Press Release
Revised proposals for appointment of Bishop of Bangor
The Church in Wales has announced revised plans for the appointment of a new Bishop of Bangor following the retirement of the former Bishop at the end of August.
After an initial meeting of the Electoral College for the diocese, it has been decided not to take forward the election process for the time being and to seek the approval of the Church’s Governing Body for an alternative interim approach.
It is proposed that an experienced bishop should be invited to come to Bangor for a period of one to two years to provide leadership and stability and to work with the diocese to strengthen leadership, finance, governance and management.
In order to do this, the Governing Body will need to approve a motion which makes some time-limited changes to the Constitution to allow for the interim appointment. These proposals will be discussed at a special meeting of the Governing Body at Venue Cymru in Llandudno on Tuesday 25 November 2025.
The proposal, which has been endorsed by the Bangor Electoral College, and by the Standing Committee of the Church in Wales Governing Body, is the latest stage of the work being led by the Archbishop of Wales, the Most Revd Cherry Vann to address what she described in her letter to members of the Governing Body as “tough financial and organisational challenges.”
In that letter, outlining the changes, she added: “The diocese of Bangor needs the whole family of the Church in Wales to support it as it navigates a time of change.”
Text of letter from Archbishop Cherry
Thursday 23rd October 2025
Dear Sisters and Brothers in Christ, In my address to your Diocesan Conference, I spoke about keeping our eyes fixed on Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, as together we work through the challenges that need to be addressed. My purpose in writing to you today is to update you on progress on two of those challenges.
Diocesan Bishop
It is almost two months since Bishop Andy retired, and work has been taking place to discern who should succeed him as Bishop of Bangor. The members of the Electoral College have met twice in on-line meetings, diocesan and provincial profile documents have been produced and the vacancy advertised. Several names were suggested and staff from the national team contacted each of them to invite them to allow their names to be considered. Some of them did and, at their most recent meeting, the electors considered the information which they provided.
The electors were very grateful to each of them for allowing their names to be considered. However, carefully considering the challenges facing the diocese at this time (none of which were clearly identified in the diocesan profile), the College did not feel able to progress with the shortlisting of candidates. The College also decided that there was insufficient time to repeat the advertising process and to allow time for references to be taken up and safeguarding checks undertaken before the end of November when the Electoral College was due to meet for the election. The College therefore reported this to the Standing Committee of the Governing Body for guidance on next steps.
The Constitution of the Church in Wales empowers the Standing Committee to set the dates on which an Electoral College meets provided those dates fall within six months of the vacancy arising. If the College either fails to meet or fails to elect during this period, the right to appoint the next bishop passes to the Bench of Bishops. The only body which can amend or override these rules is the Governing Body.
My own view is that whilst we could explore other ways forward, the immediate need is for an experienced bishop to be invited, on an interim basis, to come to Bangor for a period of one to two years, providing leadership and stability and working with you to strengthen leadership, finance, governance and management. Those who were at the Diocesan Conference will have heard that there are some tough financial and organisational challenges to face. In order to do this, the Governing Body will need to approve a motion which formally authorises this course of action.
I am therefore writing to Governing Body members today to call an extraordinary meeting of the Governing Body on Tuesday 25 November in Llandudno. On the following day, I am hoping to meet with the episcopal electors from Bangor. If Governing Body approves the course of action proposed, I will be able to discuss this further with the episcopal electors, as well as looking at potential candidates at that meeting.
Diocesan Secretary
Tŷ Deiniol has been without a Diocesan Secretary for almost two years. I am very grateful to the DBF staff for their endurance through this time. I am pleased to announce that Joanna Thomas, the Diocesan Director of Education, has agreed, on a temporary basis, to become acting Diocesan Secretary. I have invited the trustees of the DBF to meet with me on 4 November to discuss next steps.