Bishop of Blackburn's job advertised with £40K salary

2:00pm Friday 11th January 2013 in News Photograph of the Author By Bill Jacobs, Local government reporter

STEPPING DOWN The Rev Nicolas Reade STEPPING DOWN The Rev Nicolas Reade

A NEW job has been advertised in Blackburn with a salary twice the East Lancashire average, your own country house and car, good promotion opportunities and a personal set of work clothes.

The downsides include compulsory Sunday working, no Christmas or Easter holidays, early morning starts, and having to wear flowing vestments.

Next month the Queen and Prime Minister David Cameron will be appointing a new a new leader of Lancashire’s 975,000 Anglican worshippers and ninth Bishop of Blackburn.

The ideal candidate will be a middle aged male (the Church having just ruled women out of the running) with a settled family life, grown-up children, a taste for extravagant, highly-coloured clothing, as well as a deeply religious Christian with a sense of humility.

The process to appoint a successor to the Rt Rev Nicolas Reade is well under way with the committee to advise Her Majesty and Mr Cameron now set up and a job specification published.

The job brings particular challenges in a multi-faith town with many ethnic groups and as well as a history of speaking out on problems of wealth, greed, crime and deprivation and a requirement to have views on issues as controversial as gay marriage, gay priests, women Bishops and faith-based education.

The £40,000 annual salary is more than double the county average of £19,500 and carries with a spacious country residence (or ‘Palace’) in the Ribble Valley, a car (currently a VW Passat), several sets of vestments (including one specially tailored for you alone) and the chance to design and commission your own Shepherds Crook (or ‘Crozier’) to guide your steadily decreasing flock to church.

There is also the chance to sit in the House of Lords or be promoted to a posher Diocese elsewhere in the UK.

Weekend, Christmas and Easter working is compulsory but job security is good.

Comments (8)

2:58pm Fri 11 Jan 13

BRFCs says...

What a self-indulgent article. You seem like a very sad person Mr. Bill Jacobs. I'm not a church-goer, the church has huge problems and yes the wage is pretty high for a person in this position but to write an article on a job description that smacks of your own desperate opinions, is something called a 'blog'.

This is not an article and should therefore not be placed in 'news'.

If you had written it without all the smug sarcasm, perhaps we could have focused more on the actual issue and possibly debate it?

Very poor journalism.
What a self-indulgent article. You seem like a very sad person Mr. Bill Jacobs. I'm not a church-goer, the church has huge problems and yes the wage is pretty high for a person in this position but to write an article on a job description that smacks of your own desperate opinions, is something called a 'blog'. This is not an article and should therefore not be placed in 'news'. If you had written it without all the smug sarcasm, perhaps we could have focused more on the actual issue and possibly debate it? Very poor journalism. BRFCs

5:22pm Fri 11 Jan 13

amazed says...

I wonder what inflated salary Bill Jacobs gets - he certainly does not "earn" it writing such piffling sarcasm. I AM a regular churchgoer and was privileged to know our previous Bishop. One thing that Jacobs failed to mention (among other requirements) was patience to deal with the very many problems being experienced by the church today. There are many company representaives that will be earning far more then 40K with a car and expenses-some no doubt get a clothing allowance too.
.signed "Disgusted"!!!
I wonder what inflated salary Bill Jacobs gets - he certainly does not "earn" it writing such piffling sarcasm. I AM a regular churchgoer and was privileged to know our previous Bishop. One thing that Jacobs failed to mention (among other requirements) was patience to deal with the very many problems being experienced by the church today. There are many company representaives that will be earning far more then 40K with a car and expenses-some no doubt get a clothing allowance too. .signed "Disgusted"!!! amazed

12:03am Sat 12 Jan 13

jellybiff says...

975,000 Anglican where does he get this figure i doubt it's that many
975,000 Anglican where does he get this figure i doubt it's that many jellybiff

12:48am Sat 12 Jan 13

noddy57 says...

may l apply?, lm a roman catholic my parents took me to church every sunday, untill l was of an age to find other interests,at the moment lm on the dole so the job would be perfect,,l do hope you will consider my plea,
may l apply?, lm a roman catholic my parents took me to church every sunday, untill l was of an age to find other interests,at the moment lm on the dole so the job would be perfect,,l do hope you will consider my plea, noddy57

12:56am Sat 12 Jan 13

noddy57 says...

may l apply?, lm a roman catholic my parents took me to church every sunday, untill l was of an age to find other interests,at the moment lm on the dole so the job would be perfect,,l do hope you will consider my plea,
may l apply?, lm a roman catholic my parents took me to church every sunday, untill l was of an age to find other interests,at the moment lm on the dole so the job would be perfect,,l do hope you will consider my plea, noddy57

2:04pm Sat 12 Jan 13

Oxy Moron says...

The Archbishop will ask ‘Do you believe, so far as you know your own heart, that God has called you to the office and work of a bishop in his Church?’ The bishop-elect answers ‘I believe that God has called me.’

That's all. God's choice which He reveals by calling a man to His service will not be opposed by another man or any collection of men, will it?
The Archbishop will ask ‘Do you believe, so far as you know your own heart, that God has called you to the office and work of a bishop in his Church?’ The bishop-elect answers ‘I believe that God has called me.’ That's all. God's choice which He reveals by calling a man to His service will not be opposed by another man or any collection of men, will it? Oxy Moron

12:41pm Sun 13 Jan 13

Yankee Clipper says...

Is this an unbiased news article, or (more accurately) an opinion commentary attempting to pass itself off as one? I do not know who to be more upset with; Mr Jacobs for his non-journalistic anti-religion and class warfare drivel, or news editor Francesca Winrow for approving its publication.
Is this an unbiased news article, or (more accurately) an opinion commentary attempting to pass itself off as one? I do not know who to be more upset with; Mr Jacobs for his non-journalistic anti-religion and class warfare drivel, or news editor Francesca Winrow for approving its publication. Yankee Clipper

8:31am Mon 14 Jan 13

ladysal says...

And this is supposed to be a news website? There is a time and a place Mr Jacobs, but this is neither. Either write a news article (and I'm not sure this story was, regardless of the tone of the prose) or write a "spoof article" and publish accordingly. Don't try to do both and then publish it on a website with pretensions of providing news to the locality.
Whatever you feel about religion, this is not how to portray it. You have probably just alienated a large percentage of your readship.
And this is supposed to be a news website? There is a time and a place Mr Jacobs, but this is neither. Either write a news article (and I'm not sure this story was, regardless of the tone of the prose) or write a "spoof article" and publish accordingly. Don't try to do both and then publish it on a website with pretensions of providing news to the locality. Whatever you feel about religion, this is not how to portray it. You have probably just alienated a large percentage of your readship. ladysal

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