[Magdalen] Worship leader

[Roger Stokes]

On 07/09/2015 23:04, James Oppenheimer-Crawford wrote:
> The diocese has a policy that the former assistant is not to be called to be the rector.
> And one church. which shall remain anonymous, just went ahead and did it
> anyway. Twice.  Both made superb rectors  too.

I think there is wisdom in the principle of the policy in that raising 
up the assistant to be rector can be easy and unthreatening as the old 
order is continued.  Additionally you need extra gifts in the rector of 
a relatively large parish which are not necessarily found in the assistant.

That said there can be sound reasons for such a preferment to provide 
continuity in a specific situation.  It happened at Holy Trinity 
Brompton in this country when Nicky Gumble became the incumbent, and it 
has also happened at the episcopal level.  Richard Chartres went from 
being a suffragan in the Diocese of London to being the diocesan bishop 
specifically to help provide continuity in a diocesan development plan 
when +David Hope was elevated to York.

Roger