Paul Bayes
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Paul Bayes (born 1953) is an English
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 ...
retired bishop. He served as Bishop of Hertford, a suffragan bishop in the
Church of England The Church of England (C of E) is the State religion#State churches, established List of Christian denominations, Christian church in England and the Crown Dependencies. It is the mother church of the Anglicanism, Anglican Christian tradition, ...
's
Diocese of St Albans The Diocese of St Albans forms part of the Province of Canterbury in England and is part of the wider Church of England, in turn part of the worldwide Anglican Communion. The diocese is home to more than 1.6 million people and comprises the hi ...
from 2010 to 2014, and then as Bishop of Liverpool from 2014 to 2022.


Early life

Bayes was born in
Bradford Bradford is a city status in the United Kingdom, city in West Yorkshire, England. It became a municipal borough in 1847, received a city charter in 1897 and, since the Local Government Act 1972, 1974 reform, the city status in the United Kingdo ...
,
West Riding of Yorkshire The West Riding of Yorkshire was one of three historic subdivisions of Yorkshire, England. From 1889 to 1974 the riding was an administrative county named County of York, West Riding. The Lord Lieutenant of the West Riding of Yorkshire, lieu ...
, on 2 November 1953, and attended Belle Vue Boys School in the city, He studied
drama Drama is the specific Mode (literature), mode of fiction Mimesis, represented in performance: a Play (theatre), play, opera, mime, ballet, etc., performed in a theatre, or on Radio drama, radio or television.Elam (1980, 98). Considered as a g ...
at the
University of Birmingham The University of Birmingham (informally Birmingham University) is a Public university, public research university in Birmingham, England. It received its royal charter in 1900 as a successor to Queen's College, Birmingham (founded in 1825 as ...
before studying for ordination at Queen's College, Edgbaston.


Ordained ministry

Bayes was
ordained Ordination is the process by which individuals are Consecration in Christianity, consecrated, that is, set apart and elevated from the laity class to the clergy, who are thus then authorized (usually by the religious denomination, denominationa ...
in the
Church of England The Church of England (C of E) is the State religion#State churches, established List of Christian denominations, Christian church in England and the Crown Dependencies. It is the mother church of the Anglicanism, Anglican Christian tradition, ...
, made a
deacon A deacon is a member of the diaconate, an office in Christian churches that is generally associated with service of some kind, but which varies among theological and denominational traditions. Major Christian denominations, such as the Cathol ...
at Petertide 1979 (1 July) and as a
priest A priest is a religious leader authorized to perform the sacred rituals of a religion, especially as a mediatory agent between humans and one or more deity, deities. They also have the authority or power to administer religious rites; in parti ...
the Petertide following (29 June 1980), both times by Ronnie Bowlby, Bishop of Newcastle, at
Newcastle Cathedral Newcastle Cathedral, formally the Cathedral Church of St Nicholas, is a Church of England cathedral in Newcastle upon Tyne, Tyne and Wear, England. It is the seat of the Bishop of Newcastle (England), Bishop of Newcastle and is the mother church ...
. He was an assistant curate at
St Paul's Church, Whitley Bay St Paul's Church is the parish church of Whitley Bay, North Tyneside, United Kingdom.The church was founded in 1864. The church's official title is St Paul's Church, Cullercoats but it is located near the centre of the town rather than the subu ...
for three years (1979–1982). He then became a university chaplain in west
London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...
from 1982 to 1987. Bayes moved to
High Wycombe High Wycombe, often referred to as Wycombe ( ), is a market town in Buckinghamshire, England. Lying in the valley of the River Wye, Buckinghamshire, River Wye surrounded by the Chiltern Hills, it is west-northwest of Charing Cross in London, ...
for seven years where he initially was Team Vicar (1987–1990) and then Team Rector (1990–1994) before becoming Team Rector of
Totton Totton is a town in the civil parish of Totton and Eling, in the New Forest district of Hampshire, England. In 2021 it had a population of 28,094. History The name "Totton" means 'Tot(r)ingtun' farm of 'Tot(t)a', "Totton was "Totinctone" in 98 ...
for nine years (1995–2004). While he was at Totton, Bayes was also the Area Dean of Lyndhurst from 2000. Upon leaving Totton, he joined the Archbishops' Council staff team as National Mission and Evangelism Adviser until his ordination to the episcopacy. He was also an honorary canon at
Worcester Cathedral Worcester Cathedral, formally the Cathedral Church of Christ and Blessed Mary the Virgin, is a Church of England cathedral in Worcester, England, Worcester, England. The cathedral is the seat of the bishop of Worcester and is the Mother Church# ...
from 2007 until his consecration.


Episcopal ministry

On 7 July 2010 it was announced that Bayes would succeed Christopher Foster as Bishop of Hertford upon Foster's translation to
Portsmouth Portsmouth ( ) is a port city status in the United Kingdom, city and unitary authority in Hampshire, England. Most of Portsmouth is located on Portsea Island, off the south coast of England in the Solent, making Portsmouth the only city in En ...
. Bayes was duly consecrated a
Church of England The Church of England (C of E) is the State religion#State churches, established List of Christian denominations, Christian church in England and the Crown Dependencies. It is the mother church of the Anglicanism, Anglican Christian tradition, ...
bishop on 21 September 2010 at
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 ...
and installed at
St Albans Cathedral St Albans Cathedral, officially the Cathedral and Abbey Church of St Alban, also known as "the Abbey", is a Church of England cathedral in St Albans, England. Much of its architecture dates from Normans, Norman times. It ceased to be an abb ...
on 25 September 2010. On 7 May 2014 it was announced that Bayes was to become the next (8th) Bishop of Liverpool; his
canonical election A canonical election, in the canon law of the Latin Church of the Catholic Church, is the designation of a suitable candidate to a vacant ecclesiastical office by a vote of a collegial body.Fernando della Rocca, "Manual of Canon Law", pg. 170 (§7 ...
was confirmed on 23 July 2014. Bayes was installed at
Liverpool Cathedral Liverpool Cathedral is a Church of England cathedral in the city of Liverpool, England. It is the seat of the bishop of Liverpool and is the mother church of the Anglican Diocese of Liverpool, diocese of Liverpool. The church may be formally re ...
on 15 November 2014. Bayes is the
Visitor A visitor, in English and Welsh law and history, is an overseer of an autonomous ecclesiastical or eleemosynary institution, often a charitable institution set up for the perpetual distribution of the founder's alms and bounty, who can interve ...
of St Peter's College, Oxford; he was chosen from among the Church's diocesan bishops, and may serve until he ceases to be one. He was for a short time a member of House of Lords from 15 November 2021 until his retirement. He retired and resigned the See of Liverpool effective 1 March 2022. He was succeeded as Bishop of Liverpool by
John Perumbalath John Perumbalath (born 23 May 1966) is a British retired Anglican bishop. He became Bishop of Liverpool in the Church of England Anglican Diocese of Liverpool, Diocese of Liverpool in January 2023. He had previously been Archdeacon of Barking (2 ...
.


Views

In June 2016 Bayes "called for far-reaching change in the church's attitudes to lesbian and gay people and a meaningful welcome to Christians in same-sex relationships". He supports dropping the requirement for gay Christians to be
celibate Celibacy (from Latin ''caelibatus'') is the state of voluntarily being unmarried, sexually abstinent, or both. It is often in association with the role of a religious official or devotee. In its narrow sense, the term ''celibacy'' is applied on ...
, saying "I've learned to respect the experiences of people who want to celebrate and express their sexuality, and be within the church". He contributed a chapter to the book ''Journeys in Grace and Truth: Revisiting Scripture and Sexuality'' (2016), which aims to show how it is "possible to hold a positive view of same-sex relationships while being a biblically rooted evangelical". Since 2020, Bayes has been a patron of the Open Table Network, an ecumenical Christian charity for
LGBT LGBTQ people are individuals who are lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, or questioning. Many variants of the initialism are used; LGBTQIA+ people incorporates intersex, asexual, aromantic, agender, and other individuals. The gro ...
people and their allies. In a speech at the MOSAIC (Movement of Supporting Anglicans for an Inclusive Church) national conference, he called for the Church of England to adopt a "gender-neutral marriage canon" and "to honour, recognise and, yes indeed, bless same-sex unions". Bayes said, “I want to see a church where, if a congregation and its ministers want to bless and marry same-sex people or trans people, then they should be free to do so without stigma. And those who don’t want to do so should be given freedom of conscience not to do so. I want to see gender-neutral marriage canons, that simply say marriage is between two people.”Boris Johnson should be ashamed of Savile slur, says bishop
''
The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in Manchester in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'' and changed its name in 1959, followed by a move to London. Along with its sister paper, ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardi ...
''
Bayes maintains there is too much divisiveness in UK society and in the west generally. Bayes said there is a, “struggle between those in whose interest it is to fragment society and those who want to sustain the common good. (...) It’s not about individual
bad apples The bad apples metaphor originated as a warning of the corrupting influence of one corrupt or sinful person on a group: that "one bad apple can spoil the barrel". Over time the concept has been used to describe the opposite situation, where "a ...
. It’s about the culture. he political culture wasadversarial, scratchy, exhausted (...) You see clear illiberalism in eastern Europe, you see the rise of the extreme right in France, and you see what you see in the United States … Basic decencies have been lost.” In the Diocese of Liverpool, Bayes has sought to galvanise all members of the churches, younger and older, around a vision named "Bigger Church, Bigger Difference", with the stated theme "Making a Bigger Difference — More people knowing Jesus, more justice in the world" This has been further embedded through the call to a Rule of Life within the diocese.


Personal life

Bayes married Kate Kate in 1976; she died in March 2024. He and his wife, have three adult children.


Styles

*''
The Reverend The Reverend (abbreviated as The Revd, The Rev'd or The Rev) is an honorific style (form of address), style given to certain (primarily Western Christian, Western) Christian clergy and Christian minister, ministers. There are sometimes differen ...
'' Paul Bayes (1979–2007) *''The Reverend''
Canon Canon or Canons may refer to: Arts and entertainment * Canon (fiction), the material accepted as officially written by an author or an ascribed author * Literary canon, an accepted body of works considered as high culture ** Western canon, th ...
Paul Bayes (2007–2010) *''The
Right Reverend The Right Reverend (abbreviated as The Rt Revd or The Rt Rev) is an honorific style (form of address), style given to certain (primarily Western Christian, Western) Christian ministers and members of clergy. It is a variant of the more common st ...
'' Paul Bayes (2010–present)


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bayes, Paul 1953 births Living people 20th-century British poets 20th-century Church of England bishops 20th-century evangelicals 21st-century Church of England bishops 21st-century evangelicals Alumni of the Queen's Foundation Alumni of the University of Birmingham Anglican bishops of Liverpool Bishops of Hertford British evangelicals Evangelical Anglican bishops Lords Spiritual