Nicholas Stanley Mercer (born 25 December 1949) is a British

Anglican Anglicanism, also known as Episcopalianism in some countries, is a Western Christianity, Western Christian tradition which developed from the practices, liturgy, and identity of the Church of England following the English Reformation, in the ...

priest who was the

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

for the

Diocese of London The Diocese of London forms part of the Church of England's Province of Canterbury in England. It lies directly north of the Thames, covering and all or part of 17 London boroughs. This corresponds almost exactly to the historic county of ...

from 2007 to 2017; he was additionally

Archdeacon of London The Archdeacon of London is a senior ecclesiastical officer in the Church of England. They are responsible for the eastern Archdeaconry (the Archdeaconry of London) of the Two Cities (London and Westminster) in the Diocese of London, an area with ...

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 the Adur District, Adur district, in the county of West Sussex, England. In 2011 it had a population of 20,547. The town is bordered to its north by the South Downs, to ...

, 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 Baptists are a denomination within Protestant Christianity distinguished by baptizing only professing Christian believers ( believer's baptism) and doing so by complete immersion. Baptist churches generally subscribe to the doctrines of ...

. He was named Nicholas after

Saint Nicholas Saint Nicholas of Myra (traditionally 15 March 270 – 6 December 343), also known as Nicholas of Bari, was an early Christian bishop of Greeks, Greek descent from the maritime city of Patara (Lycia), Patara in Anatolia (in modern-day Antalya ...

of Myra, Santa Claus. He was educated at primary school in his home town, Worthing High School, and

Selwyn College, Cambridge Selwyn College, Cambridge is a Colleges of the University of Cambridge, constituent college of the University of Cambridge. The college was founded in 1882 by the Selwyn Memorial Committee in memory of George Selwyn (bishop of Lichfield), Georg ...

, graduating

Bachelor of Arts A Bachelor of Arts (abbreviated B.A., BA, A.B. or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is the holder of a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the liberal arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts deg ...

in 1972 (and

Master of Arts A Master of Arts ( or ''Artium Magister''; abbreviated MA or AM) 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. Those admitted to the degree have ...

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, Northern Ireland, and South Africa -where it can take up to three years- which provides training in order to allow graduate ...

as a qualified teacher in 1973.

Early career

Following a short spell of teaching at

Lancing College Lancing College is a Public school (United Kingdom), public school (English Private schools in the United Kingdom, private boarding school, boarding and day school) for pupils aged 13–18 in southern England, UK. The school is located in West S ...

, an independent boarding school located close to his family home, he enrolled at Spurgeon's College, 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 A Master of Philosophy (MPhil or PhM; Latin ' or ') is a postgraduate degree. The name of the degree is most often abbreviated MPhil (or, at times, as PhM in other countries). MPhil are awarded to postgraduate students after completing at leas ...

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 Catholicism, Catholic heritage (especially pre-English Reformation, Reformation roots) and identity of the Church of England and various churches within Anglicanism. Anglo-Ca ...

, later stating that he had been a "closet anglo-catholic" since his university days at Selwyn College. Following training at

Cranmer Hall, Durham Cranmer Hall is a Church of England theological college based at Durham, England. Cranmer Hall forms part of St John's College, Durham which is a recognised college of Durham University. It stands in the Open Evangelical Churchmanship, tradition. ...

, 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 in Northwood Hills and

Pimlico Pimlico () is a district in Central London, in the City of Westminster, built as a southern extension to neighbouring Belgravia. It is known for its garden squares and distinctive Regency architecture. Pimlico is demarcated to the north by Lon ...

he was Director of Ministry for the

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 vari ...

(overseeing a team of Directors) from 2007 to 2017. He was a

Prebendary A prebendary is a member of the Catholic Church, Catholic or Anglicanism , Anglican clergy, a form of canon (priest) , canon with a role in the administration of a cathedral or collegiate church. When attending services, prebendaries sit in part ...

St Paul's Cathedral St Paul's Cathedral, formally the Cathedral Church of St Paul the Apostle, is an Anglican cathedral in London, England, the seat of the Bishop of London. The cathedral serves as the mother church of the Diocese of London in the Church of Engl ...

from 2008 (around the time of his appointment as

) to 2017. He was also honorary priest in charge of St Botolph-without-Bishopsgate in the

City of London The City of London, also known as ''the City'', is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county and Districts of England, local government district with City status in the United Kingdom, city status in England. It is the Old town, his ...

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