The appointment of the new Archbishop of Canterbury shows a new departure not only in the skills required of the church leader but also in how he was appointed; though perhaps things have not changed in their media department.
It’s always been a joke that there's nothing that leaks like the CofE! Justin Welby is the name that was reported after the last meeting of the Crown Nominations Commission and they should have managed the story better in the last 48 hours. I do wonder who the other short-listed name was that the panel could agree on, thus delaying the announcement; we may find out – I gather there’s a role in Durham which needs filling (!) and the Archbishop of York (now 63) may not wait too much longer before retiring. But here we are with a new ABC in the wings and a rather welcome appointment
I knew Welby when I was at Coventry Cathedral. He was intelligent, witty and an impressive negotiator. He seemed wise beyond his years. I think it a brave choice to pick a relatively unknown man but his stance on Women Bishops and commitment to listen to, if not agree with, the gay lobby is encouraging. I think he may surprise us and be more liberal than billed.
The media has been emphasising his time in business but I wonder if they have missed something. He's now spent twice as long in the God trade as in the oil one. And business has changes a huge amount in the 20 years since he was involved in it. What’s more significant and more of a hint of his “business-mind” is his church background.
Welby was an early member of Holy Trinity Brompton (HTB) which has successfully designed a more family-friendly, evangelical style of church. It’s become particularly known for the Alpha course which aims to convert or grow people in the faith. Alpha is a world-wide brand and HTB has “planted” 20 churches when it has sent staff and members to grow other failing congregations. A true CofE success. This model of church has been about getting the message out there and encouraging people to invest their time and money in the church. The churches staff have already had a bishop and dean amongst its famous alumni and now has a former member in the highest role in anglicanism.
I don’t mean for a second to suggest that it is all about the money but, rather, that there is a professionalism behind this listening exterior. This is a man who knows the church needs to improve its image if its message is to be heard: he’s done it before at local and regional level. Now he has to do it at a national one.
I think the appointment proves the new system with a revised panel and no government choice has worked. They've come up with a strong, slightly less known candidate as any good recruitment process should. He's going to be more media-savy than Rowan and I think a good choice for the next decade.
