The Rt Revd Sophie Jelley, Suffragan Bishop of Doncaster since 2020, will become the next Bishop of Coventry, the announcement was made in Downing Street on Monday.

She will be the tenth female diocesan bishop of the Church of England. The bishop of the diocese, Sheffield, is Dr. Pete Wilcox commented: “It was only a matter of time before such an appointment was made.”

Bishop Jelley grew up in Brighton and studied theology and religious studies at Leeds University. After studying at Wycliffe Hall, Oxford, he was ordained vicar at St Peter’s, Shipley, in the diocese of Bradford, in 1997 and vicar in 1998, before becoming a mission partner of the Church Mission Society in Uganda for three years. .

On his return to England in 2003 he became Resident Minister of Churt and Hindhead in the diocese of Guildford. In 2010 he moved to St Andrew’s Vicarage in Burgess Hill. In 2015 he moved to the diocese of Durham to become Canon Missionary and Diocesan Director of Mission, Discipleship and Ministry.

On Monday, he recalled starting his episcopal ministry “behind the scenes” during the Covid-19 pandemic and paid tribute to the support, warmth and generosity of the Sheffield diocese. Supporting lay leaders and youth has been “hugely rewarding.” In the short film, he talked about Coventry’s “unique ministry of reconciliation”.

It will join a diocese slightly larger than Sheffield but with a smaller and much less dense population: 895,000 versus 1.3 million. Two-thirds of the neighborhoods are designated as rural or semi-rural. Currently, 1.6 percent of the population attends a C of E church, and for children the rate drops to 0.8 percent. There is a total worship community of about 14,400 people, with an average weekly attendance of 10,600; this figure has fallen by a third (32 percent) in the last decade.

The diocese has been able to draw on historic unappropriated funds in recent years, and the number of salaried clergy has been kept at 106. In the episcopal office, a range of “facilitating” roles (healthy church; faith growth; evangelism and discipleship; cross-cultural mission). There is a goal of creating 150 new worship communities by the end of the decade.

The average age of the worshiping community is 54 and the Statement of Needs states that “of all the opportunities we have in the diocese, working with children, families and young people is considered the greatest.”

Bishop Jelley, who has three children, said he came to faith after being invited to a church youth group by a friend. He has an older brother with cerebral palsy and a learning disability, and he said he was proud of him and talked about the importance of funding social care.

Coventry’s statement of needs describes the diocese as a “diocese of reconciliation”. This includes “valuing the breadth of traditions within the Church of England” in a diocese with an evangelical tradition, he says. “He managed to combine being a diocese that championed women’s ministry and at the same time training priests and congregations who could not accept this ministry from the standpoint of theological conscience.” Members of the vacancies committee included the Rev. Simon Oakes, Vicar of the Society’s St Luke’s Holbrooks.

The diocese was looking for someone who could “support and serve both those who practice and those who do not use the Prayers of Love and Faith.” Bishop Jelley is a member of the Living with Love and Faith practice group and is tasked with considering “what will be necessary to ensure freedom of conscience for clergy,” including bishops (News, May 5, 2023).

Former Bishop of Coventry, Dr. Christopher Cocksworth has announced that he will leave the diocese after 15 years to become Dean of Windsor (News, 23 June 2023). The Rt Revd Ruth Worsley, Bishop of Taunton, serves as Deputy Bishop of Coventry. Warwick’s electorate has been vacant for over a year.

During his time in Sheffield, Bishop Jelley served as sponsoring bishop for assistant curates, chaired the Board of Education, the Diocesan Mission and Pastoral Committee, and convened the Diversity in Participation group working on racial justice and net zero. Dr Wilcox praised her “extraordinary judgement”. He is also the national diocesan leader of lay ministries.

His name was put forward by the Royal Nomination Commission following two failures for other candidates in recent years ( News , September 13). In February, the General Assembly will discuss proposed changes to the system. Two members of the vacancies committee in Coventry were members of the same congregation. Under the proposed changes, this will not be possible.

Since 2014, 20 male diocesan bishops have been appointed.