Following his ordination in 1985, Richard was a curate in Abingdon. After this he held incumbencies in Sheffield and Rotherham and later served as the Archdeacon of Leicester between 2002 and 2012. In the 2012 Queen’s Birthday Honours, he was appointed an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) “for services to unemployed people in Rotherham, South Yorkshire”. In 2012, Richard became the Bishop of Bedford, a suffragan bishop in the Diocese of St Albans.
A calling that never went away
We began by asking what first drew him to ministry.
“At 16 on a school Christian summer camp when a vicar was speaking about vocation, he threw out ‘and it could be you.’ I heard this very personally. This was a call that didn’t go away and, from the start, I felt this was what I was meant to be in life.”
He was influenced by a context where at least one school contemporary went forward for ordination each year, and by the example of many good people who showed him the joy of following Christ.
And what if ministry hadn’t been his path?
“I would probably have gone into industry or business. At my selection conference, the Church said they would ordain me, but asked me to ‘do something different for two years.’ I spent those two years living on a council estate, leading youth work and working in a cutlery factory. It was a great insight into the working world.”
Championing inclusion
“Listen, listen, listen. Take time to listen to people to hear what the issues and barriers are and be ready to see things from a different perspective.”
Bishop Richard is the Church of England’s lead bishop for the ministry of and amongst Deaf and disabled people. We asked what inspired his commitment to disability inclusion.
“My commitment to disability was initially simply an opportunity to extend my commitment to social justice. Over the years I had been deeply involved in urban regeneration and the inclusion of the poor, interfaith work and issues of community cohesion, and championing racial justice in our diocese. When my interfaith roles came to an end, I asked what I could do next. ‘We need a bishop to chair the Committee for Ministry with and among Deaf and Disabled People’ was the response. The last six years have been a wonderful journey of both learning and discovery.”
Bishop Richard describes disability as “a Cinderella issue for the Church,” and explains why this matters so deeply:
“There is much to do in enabling our church to be fully inclusive where all can belong and participate. Against that background there is progress. Top-level issues of access are being addressed, although finance often inhibits building works. DACs now have to have someone with lived experience of disability.
“Neurodiversity training is being rolled out in some dioceses. We are about to welcome the third cohort on ‘Enabling Leaders,’ a leadership programme for disabled laity and clergy. Our own diocese has just appointed two disability advisers and will soon have a disability officer as well.”
How can parishes think creatively about inclusion beyond physical access?
“Listen, listen, listen. Take time to listen to people to hear what the issues and barriers are and be ready to see things from a different perspective. As with any area of inclusion, look at the statistics, do an audit, ask who is missing? And then humbly and prayerfully ask: what do we need to find out? What does this mean for us as a church? What does inclusion really look like?”
What has he learned from listening to disabled people?
“So much! Read something like At The Gates to hear the voices of disabled people. ‘Ableism’ is everywhere. In so many places people can’t get into the building and if they can they are limited to the margins. Disabled toilets so often become storage spaces.
“Too often, able people decide what is best for disabled people, even praying uninvited for ‘healing.’ Too often assumptions are falsely made about capacity. An over-focus on visible disability. And much more.”
What would a truly inclusive church look like?
“Church as God intends it to be. A church that is that ‘Body’ where all belong, participate, have voice and are honoured. A church that reflects to the world God’s wonderful diverse humanity, and thus can speak and act powerfully and prophetically with justice.”
Education and church schools
“The nurture of the young is one of the most precious opportunities that we have as a diocese.”
Bishop Richard also chairs the Diocesan Board of Education. We asked why education has been such an important part of his ministry.
“The nurture of the young is one of the most precious opportunities that we have as a diocese. Over the years I have always had some involvement with education and, on coming to St Albans, I was asked to chair the Board of Education. It has been a privilege to work with excellent staff and board colleagues to support and enhance our 136 schools and their Christian identity, to see the creation of our Diocesan Multi-Academy Trust and to take forward our parish and school partnerships. Together we touch the lives of 29,000 young people.”
What role do church schools play today in shaping young lives today?
“Jesus says in John 10, ‘I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly.’ At their best, church schools, which are maintained schools with a Christian ethos and identity rather than ‘faith schools’, give young people the experience of inspiring collective worship, excellent religious education, openness to a compassionate outlook on the world, and a community that reflects the priorities of Christian love.
“Combined with strong partnership with the parish church and, where possible, family encouragement, it opens the door to the potential of living faith.”
Change and continuity
He continues:
“The biggest change has been a recognition that the old model is broken and that we need to be a missional church, even if we are still working that through. This has been accompanied by a reduction in numbers, but a growth in spiritual depth. We lost contact with whole generations and saw our children’s work collapse. Thankfully we are beginning to rebuild.”
Alongside this, the wider context has shifted dramatically:
“The assumptions I grew up with about the privileged place of the Church of England in society are no longer there (with a few exceptions), not least as we have become more diverse and more secular. Much of this is welcome. This has not been helped by a loss of confidence by many (but not all) clergy and congregations about our ministry and contribution to community and society. There is still opportunity and role, but not one to be assumed but earnt through loving relationship and shared engagement on justice.
“An outward-looking church will be a healthy church.”
He also points to structural changes:
“We are a church with many fewer stipendiary clergy and with a further significant reduction to come. In part there has been a growth in lay ministries. Gone are the days when I could lead an Anglican Team of six (along with two ecumenical colleagues) serving four or so large Sheffield estates.”
Yet, despite these changes, his conviction remains clear:
“We remain a church that is at heart rooted in flourishing local congregations. We are a community of communities of inspiration and virtue, not management and top-down vision.”
Hope and advice
“Ministry, lay or ordained, is always an adventure rooted in God’s call on your life.“
After outlining the challenges and changes facing the Church, we asked Bishop Richard what gives him hope, and the advice he would offer to those starting ministry today.
“My hope as always lies in the transforming power of God. I am hopeful because I see God changing lives, not least through testimonies at Confirmation, and in some growing congregations. I am hopeful because of those called by God to ministry, lay and ordained. I am hopeful because the love of God remains, despite everything, the hope in which we can all trust.”
And his advice to people exploring ministry is both practical and deeply rooted in faith:
“Ministry, lay or ordained, is always an adventure rooted in God’s call on your life. Nourish your vocation, trust in God and believe that God can always transform things. Years ago for the 10th Anniversary of Faith in the City I did a TV interview from the tough Sheffield estate where I was Vicar. I said that ‘every day I wake believing that all things are possible in God, although they may not happen today.’ Sin, human nature and much more gets in the way, but each day start with that expectation. And if things get tough, ask for help!”
Memorable moments
After forty years in ministry, it’s inevitable that Bishop Richard has experienced some memorable moments—memorable for a variety of reasons. When asked what comes to mind, he recalls a mix of the humorous, the unexpected, and the extraordinary.
“When I was a Curate, I encouraged fifty teenagers to come to Midnight Mass, and then watched one of them offer a plastic inflatable leg at the Peace. My Training Incumbent didn’t see the funny side!
“Later, when I was working in Sheffield, I visited a member of my congregation and discovered my car had been broken into – by her son.
“For my work with unemployed people in Rotherham, I was awarded an OBE, which was a complete surprise and a humbling moment.
“And then there was the time I was invited to a personal audience with the Dalai Lama, alongside a Hindu friend. That was extraordinary, and one of those experiences you never forget.”
And some personal trivia:
Away from the demands of ministry, Bishop Richard has his own lighter passions and surprising experiences, including a unique musical moment:
“I’ve listened to The Archers for nearly sixty years and seen almost every episode of Casualty.
“I was at the first-ever performance of Joseph and His Amazing Technicolour Dreamcoat. It was commissioned by my school and took place in the school hall.”
And then there’s the international dimension:
“For ten years I travelled to Kazakhstan to represent the Church of England in an Interfaith Congress. Those visits were extraordinary opportunities to build bridges and learn from other faith traditions.”
Still learning
Finally, we asked what he is still learning.
“The longer you serve, the older you get, the more you realise you don’t know. I am still learning what the cost of discipleship truly is.
“I am still learning what it is to experience exclusion from church and society, whether it is because of disability, race, gender or because you are Roma.*
“I am still learning about the wonders of science, our global history and the mysteries of AI!
“I am still learning how to witness to, and speak of Christ, in an ever-complex world. ”
*Bishop Richard also chairs the Luton Roma Trust.