Nicholas Stanley Mercer (born 25 December 1949) is a British Anglican priest who was the

Vicar general A vicar general (previously, archdeacon) is the principal deputy of the bishop of a diocese for the exercise of administrative authority and possesses the title of local ordinary. As vicar of the bishop, the vicar general exercises the bishop' ...

for the Diocese of London from 2007 to 2017; he was additionally Archdeacon of London from 2014 until 2016.

Early life and education

Mercer was born on Christmas Day 1949 and raised at

Shoreham-by-Sea Shoreham-by-Sea (often shortened to Shoreham) is a coastal town and port in West Sussex, England. The town is bordered to its north by the South Downs, to its west by the Adur Valley and to its south by the River Adur and Shoreham Beach on th ...

, one of seven children in a family living in a small three-bedroom home, and was a member of the town's local Baptist church. He was named Nicholas after Saint Nicholas of Myra, Santa Claus. He was educated at primary school in his home town, Worthing High School, and

Selwyn College, Cambridge Selwyn College, Cambridge (formally Selwyn College in the University of Cambridge) is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge. The college was founded in 1882 by the Selwyn Memorial Committee in memory of George Augustus Selwyn (18 ...

, graduating

Bachelor of Arts Bachelor of arts (BA or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts degree course is generally completed in three or four year ...

in 1972 (and

Master of Arts A Master of Arts ( la, Magister Artium or ''Artium Magister''; abbreviated MA, M.A., AM, or A.M.) is the holder of a master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The degree is usually contrasted with that of Master of Science. Th ...

in 1976). Remaining at Selwyn College, he studied for, and was awarded, the

Postgraduate Certificate in Education The Postgraduate Certificate in Education (PGCE/PGCertEd) is a one- or two-year higher education course in England, Wales and Northern Ireland which provides training in order to allow graduates to become teachers within maintained schools. In ...

as a qualified teacher in 1973.

Early career

Following a short spell of teaching at

Lancing College Lancing College is a public school (English independent day and boarding school for pupils aged 13–18) in southern England, UK. The school is located in West Sussex, east of Worthing near the village of Lancing, on the south coast of England. ...

, an independent boarding school located close to his family home, he enrolled at

Spurgeon's College Spurgeon's College is an evangelical Baptist theological college in South Norwood, London, UK. It is affiliated with the Baptist Union of Great Britain. History The school was founded in 1856 by Pastor Charles Spurgeon as "Pastors' College" in ...

, graduating with a second BA degree in 1978. He entered the ministry of the Baptist denomination, beginning as a student minister at a large Baptist church in Enfield, north London, and subsequently as Assistant Minister at Upton Vale Baptist Church, Torquay; later studying at London Bible College (where he was the Laing Scholar), obtaining a

Master of Philosophy The Master of Philosophy (MPhil; Latin ' or ') is a postgraduate degree. In the United States, an MPhil typically includes a taught portion and a significant research portion, during which a thesis project is conducted under supervision. An MPhil ...

degree in 1986.

Church of England

Mercer's theological studies eventually led him from the Baptist Union into the Church of England, where he self-identified as an

anglo-catholic Anglo-Catholicism comprises beliefs and practices that emphasise the Catholic heritage and identity of the various Anglican churches. The term was coined in the early 19th century, although movements emphasising the Catholic nature of Anglica ...

, later stating that he had been a "closet anglo-catholic" since his university days at Selwyn College. Following training at Cranmer Hall, Durham, he was ordained as a deacon in 1995, and as a priest shortly afterwards, in the same year. In his autobiography, published in the anthology "The post-evangelical debate" (1997), Mercer speaks of a growing realisation that he was no longer a conservative evangelical, despite his continued deep Biblical faith. After

curacies A curate () is a person who is invested with the ''care'' or ''cure'' (''cura'') ''of souls'' of a parish. In this sense, "curate" means a parish priest; but in English-speaking countries the term ''curate'' is commonly used to describe clergy ...

in Northwood Hills and Pimlico he was Director of Ministry for the Diocese of London from 2003 to 2007. He was Diocesan Director of

Ordinands Ordination is the process by which individuals are consecrated, that is, set apart and elevated from the laity class to the clergy, who are thus then authorized (usually by the denominational hierarchy composed of other clergy) to perform var ...

(overseeing a team of

Directors Director may refer to: Literature * ''Director'' (magazine), a British magazine * ''The Director'' (novel), a 1971 novel by Henry Denker * ''The Director'' (play), a 2000 play by Nancy Hasty Music * Director (band), an Irish rock band * ''D ...

) from 2007 to 2017. He was a

Prebendary A prebendary is a member of the Roman Catholic or Anglican clergy, a form of canon with a role in the administration of a cathedral or collegiate church. When attending services, prebendaries sit in particular seats, usually at the back of th ...

of St Paul's Cathedral from 2008 (around the time of his appointment as

) to 2017. He was also honorary priest in charge of

St Botolph-without-Bishopsgate St Botolph-without-Bishopsgate is a Church of England church in the Bishopsgate Without area of the City of London, and also, by virtue of lying outside the city's (now demolished) eastern walls, part of London's East End. Adjoining the buildi ...

in the

City of London The City of London is a city, ceremonial county and local government district that contains the historic centre and constitutes, alongside Canary Wharf, the primary central business district (CBD) of London. It constituted most of London f ...

from 2015 to 2016. He retired in 2017, on reaching the customary Church of England retirement age of 68 years. He was appointed an emeritus Prebendary of St Paul's cathedral, and an emeritus Archdeacon of London, on his retirement.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Mercer, Nicholas Stanley 1949 births Alumni of Selwyn College, Cambridge Alumni of the London School of Theology 20th-century English Anglican priests 21st-century English Anglican priests Archdeacons of London Living people Alumni of Cranmer Hall, Durham Alumni of Spurgeon's College