George Edward David Pytches (9 January 1931 – 21 November 2023) was an English bishop of the

Anglican Communion The Anglican Communion is a Christian Full communion, communion consisting of the Church of England and other autocephalous national and regional churches in full communion. The archbishop of Canterbury in England acts as a focus of unity, ...

. He served as the Bishop of Chile, Bolivia and Peru. Pytches was also

vicar A vicar (; Latin: '' vicarius'') is a representative, deputy or substitute; anyone acting "in the person of" or agent for a superior (compare "vicarious" in the sense of "at second hand"). Linguistically, ''vicar'' is cognate with the English p ...

of St Andrew's, in

Chorleywood Chorleywood is a village and civil parish in the Three Rivers District, Hertfordshire, on the border with Buckinghamshire, approximately northwest of Charing Cross. The village is adjacent to the Chiltern Hills Area of Outstanding Natural Be ...

, England. He was the author of many books, including '' Come Holy Spirit'' and his autobiography, ''Living at the Edge''. He was the founder of the

New Wine New Wine is a not-for-profit Christian charismatic evangelical organisation based in England, United Kingdom. It equips Christian churches and leaders in spiritual renewal, worship and church planting. Overview The purpose of New Wine is "loc ...

conferences with his wife Mary, who is also an author in the field of Christian counselling. Pytches was consecrated a bishop on 20 December 1970, by Kenneth Walter Howell, Bishop of Chile, Bolivia and Peru, in St Paul's Church,

Valparaíso Valparaíso () is a major city, Communes of Chile, commune, Port, seaport, and naval base facility in the Valparaíso Region of Chile. Valparaíso was originally named after Valparaíso de Arriba, in Castilla–La Mancha, Castile-La Mancha, Spain ...

, to serve as assistant bishop for the Valparaíso region in the Diocese of Chile, Bolivia and Peru; in 1972 he became diocesan bishop of that diocese, serving until his return to England in 1977. Until 1996 he was Vicar of St Andrew's,

, Hertfordshire, where he later lived in retirement by 2012. Pytches supported the Soul Survivor movement in England during its early days and throughout its history; for example, the Soul in the City event was supported by a large donation received from a New Wine conference only days before. Pytches, along with Bishop C. FitzSimons Allison and four others, participated in the consecration in 2000, in

Singapore Singapore, officially the Republic of Singapore, is an island country and city-state in Southeast Asia. The country's territory comprises one main island, 63 satellite islands and islets, and one outlying islet. It is about one degree ...

, of two bishops opposed to the

blessing of same-sex unions The blessing or wedding of same-sex marriages and same-sex unions is an issue about which leaders of Christian churches are in ongoing disagreement. Traditionally, Christianity teaches that sexual practices between men and sexual practices bet ...

by the Episcopal Church USA. Pytches and his wife gave the leadership of

over to John and Anne Coles in 2001, but still visited the conferences every year and continued to speak there. Pytches's son-in-law,

Christopher Cocksworth Christopher John Cocksworth (born 12 January 1959) is a Church of England bishop in the open evangelical tradition who served as Bishop of Coventry from 2008 to 2023. Prior to becoming bishop, he was a university chaplain and the Principal of ...

, was

Bishop of Coventry The Bishop of Coventry is the Ordinary (officer), ordinary of the Church of England Diocese of Coventry in the Province of Canterbury. In the Middle Ages, the Bishop of Coventry was a title used by the bishops known today as the Bishop of Lichf ...

from March 2008 until October 2023 and is now the

Dean of Windsor The Dean of Windsor is the spiritual head of the Canon (priest), canons of St George's Chapel at Windsor Castle, England. The dean chairs meetings of the Chapter of Canons as ''primus inter pares''. The post of Dean of Wolverhampton was assimilat ...

. David Pytches died on 21 November 2023, at the age of 92.

Books

*''Pastoral Prayer Ministry Training'' *''Prophecy In The Local Church'' *''Leadership For New Life'' *''Does God Speak Today?'' *''Some Said It Thundered:A Personal Encounter with the Kansas City Prophets'' (1991) *''Come Holy Spirit: Learning How to Minister in Power'' (with

John Wimber John Richard Wimber (February 25, 1934 – November 17, 1997) was an American pastor, Christian author and musician. Initially ordained as a Quaker minister, he became an early, pioneering pastor of charismatic congregations, and a popular thou ...

) (1994) *''

: a Tribute'' *''Spiritual Gifts in the Local Church'' *''Living at the Edge'' (2002) *''Can Anyone Be A Leader?'' (2004) *''Upside Down: Living the Beatitudes in the 21st Century'' (2007)

References

External links

Upside Down
book review 1931 births 2023 deaths Anglican bishops of Chile, Bolivia and Peru {{Anglican-bishop-stub 20th-century Anglican theologians 21st-century Anglican theologians