Christopher "Chris" Lowson (born 3 February 1953) is a retired British

Anglican Anglicanism is a Western Christian tradition that has developed from the practices, liturgy, and identity of the Church of England following the English Reformation, in the context of the Protestant Reformation in Europe. It is one of th ...

bishop. He served as Bishop of Lincoln, 2011–2021.

Education and ordination

Lowson was educated at Newcastle Cathedral School, Consett Grammar School and

King's College London King's College London (informally King's or KCL) is a public research university located in London, England. King's was established by royal charter in 1829 under the patronage of King George IV and the Duke of Wellington. In 1836, King's ...

where he was awarded an Associateship of King's College qualification in theology in 1975. He then studied at the Pacific School of Religion in Berkeley, California, (as a World Council of Churches' scholar), where he received a Master of Sacred Theology degree in theology before being ordained in 1977. During his work Lowson studied part-time at Heythrop College, University of London, where he obtained a Master of Theology degree in pastoral theology in 1996 and, in 2003, he completed a Master of Laws degree in canon law at

Cardiff Law School Cardiff School of Law and Politics (also known as Cardiff Law School) () is part of Cardiff University in Cardiff, Wales. It confers LLB and LLM degrees for British and international students. Background In 1963, the Law Building (previou ...

Ordained ministry

Lowson was made a deacon at Petertide on 3 July 1977 and was ordained as a priest the following year, both times by Mervyn Stockwood, Bishop of Southwark, at Southwark Cathedral. He began his ordained ministry as an assistant curate in Richmond, Surrey. He was successively priest in charge (1982 to 1983) and vicar (1983 to 1991) at

Holy Trinity The Christian doctrine of the Trinity (, from 'threefold') is the central dogma concerning the nature of God in most Christian churches, which defines one God existing in three coequal, coeternal, consubstantial divine persons: God the F ...

, Eltham. From 1982 to 1985 he was also a

chaplain A chaplain is, traditionally, a cleric (such as a Minister (Christianity), minister, priest, pastor, rabbi, purohit, or imam), or a laity, lay representative of a religious tradition, attached to a secularity, secular institution (such as a hosp ...

at Avery Hill College and then of

Thames Polytechnic The River Thames ( ), known alternatively in parts as the River Isis, is a river that flows through southern England including London. At , it is the longest river entirely in England and the second-longest in the United Kingdom, after the R ...

until 1991. That year, he became vicar of Petersfield and

rector Rector (Latin for the member of a vessel's crew who steers) may refer to: Style or title *Rector (ecclesiastical), a cleric who functions as an administrative leader in some Christian denominations *Rector (academia), a senior official in an edu ...

Buriton Buriton () is a village and civil parish in the East Hampshire district of Hampshire, England. It is located 2 miles (3.3 km) south of Petersfield. History About a mile north-west of Buriton was the extensive manor of West Mapledurham, for ...

. He held this appointment for eight years, during the last four of which he was also rural dean of Petersfield. In 1999 he became Archdeacon of Portsmouth, which soon after was divided into the archdeaconries of The Meon and of

Portsdown Portsdown is a biological Site of Special Scientific Interest on Portsdown Hill, on the northern outskirts of Portsmouth in Hampshire. This is a linear south-facing escarpment with a rich chalk grassland flora. The diverse insect fauna includes a ...

. After the split, Lowson became the Archdeacon of Portsdown and held this position until 2006. In that year he was appointed director of the Ministry Division of the Archbishops' Council and a priest vicar at Westminster Abbey, posts he held until the confirmation of his election to the See of Lincoln.

Episcopal ministry

Lowson's election as Bishop of Lincoln was confirmed at

Lambeth Palace Lambeth Palace is the official London residence of the Archbishop of Canterbury. It is situated in north Lambeth, London, on the south bank of the River Thames, south-east of the Palace of Westminster, which houses Parliament, on the opposite ...

on 19 July 2011. He was consecrated as a bishop on 21 September 2011 in Westminster Abbey and enthroned in

Lincoln Cathedral Lincoln Cathedral, Lincoln Minster, or the Cathedral Church of the Blessed Virgin Mary of Lincoln and sometimes St Mary's Cathedral, in Lincoln, England, is a Grade I listed cathedral and is the seat of the Anglican Bishop of Lincoln. Constructio ...

on 12 November 2011.Diocese of Lincoln – Consecration of Christopher Lowson
He is believed to be the only steel worker ever to have been appointed a bishop. He was introduced to the House of Lords as a Lord Spiritual on 14 September 2017. Following information provided by police, Lowson was suspended from office by Justin Welby,

Archbishop of Canterbury The archbishop of Canterbury is the senior bishop and a principal leader of the Church of England, the ceremonial head of the worldwide Anglican Communion and the diocesan bishop of the Diocese of Canterbury. The current archbishop is Justi ...

, on 16 May 2019. According to Welby, the suspension was in relation to a safeguarding children inquiry, but "is a neutral act", and there has been "no allegation that ehas committed abuse of a child or vulnerable adult". He accepted a misconduct penalty in relation to his mishandling of "a disclosure about a member of clergy in the Lincoln diocese in early 2019", and returned to work in February 2021. On 31 December 2021, he resigned the See of Lincoln and retired from full-time ministry.

Clubs

He is a member of the Athenaeum Club and the Royal Automobile Club.

Styles

*'' The Reverend'' Chris Lowson (1978–1999) *''The Venerable'' Chris Lowson (1999–2011)Lindisfarne Regional Training Partnership – Visit from Director of the Ministry Division
(Retrieved 21 December 2015) *''The

Right Reverend The Right Reverend (abbreviated The Rt Revd, The Rt Rev'd, The Rt Rev.) is a style applied to certain religious figures. Overview *In the Anglican Communion and the Catholic Church in Great Britain, it applies to bishops, except that ''The M ...

'' Christopher Lowson (2011–present)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Lowson, Christopher 1953 births People from Consett People educated at Consett Grammar School Alumni of King's College London Associates of King's College Archdeacons of Portsmouth Archdeacons of Portsdown Bishops of Lincoln Lords Spiritual 21st-century Church of England bishops Living people Pacific School of Religion alumni