Nicholas Chamberlain

Nicholas Alan "Nick" Chamberlain (born 25 November 1963) is a British Anglican bishop. On 19 November 2015, he became the suffragan Bishop of Grantham in the Diocese of Lincoln.[1] He had previously been vicar of the parish of St George and St Hilda, Jesmond, in the Diocese of Newcastle since 2006. Chamberlain was the first bishop in the Church of England to come out as gay on 2 September 2016.

The Right Reverend Nicholas Chamberlain
Bishop of Grantham
Church	Church of England
Diocese	Lincoln
In office	2015–present
Predecessor	Tim Ellis
Other posts	Vicar of St George and St Hilda, Jesmond (2006–2015)
Orders
Ordination	1991 (deacon) 1992 (priest)
Consecration	19 November 2015 by Justin Welby
Personal details
Born	25 November 1963 Staines, Middlesex, United Kingdom
Denomination	Anglicanism
Education	Christleton High School
Alma mater	St Chad's College, Durham Edinburgh Theological College New College, Edinburgh

Early life and education

Chamberlain was born in Staines and educated at Christleton High School.[2] He then studied English and American Literature at St Chad's College, Durham,[3] and graduated with a Bachelor of Arts (BA) degree in 1985.[4]

In 1988, Chamberlain entered Edinburgh Theological College, an Anglican theological college, to train for ordination.[4] During this time his also studied theology at New College, Edinburgh (graduating with a Bachelor of Divinity (BD) degree in 1991) and undertook postgraduate research in American Literature at St Chad's College (completing his Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) degree in 1991).[4]

Ordained ministry

He was ordained deacon at Durham Cathedral in 1991. He then served in the parish of St Mary, Cockerton, in the Diocese of Durham, where he was ordained priest in 1992. He served as curate of St Francis' Church, Newton Aycliffe, in 1994 before becoming team vicar there in 1995. The team became the Great Aycliffe Team Ministry when the parish of St Andrew, Great Aycliffe was added the following year.

In 1998, he became priest in charge of St Barnabas' Burnmoor, also taking up the post of officer for Continuing Ministerial Education and Post Ordination Training in the Diocese of Durham.

On 19 November 2015, Chamberlain was consecrated a bishop by Justin Welby, the Archbishop of Canterbury.[5]

In April 2019, he wrote an Easter devotional expressing thanks "that the silence over LGBT+ people has been broken."[6]

Personal life

Chamberlain was the first bishop in the Church of England to come out as gay on 2 September 2016, following threats of an outing from an unnamed Sunday newspaper. He said he was in a celibate same-sex relationship,[N 1] as required by the bishops' guidelines, under which gay clergy must assure bishops that they are celibate and may not marry.[7][8][9][10] Gay bishops are, however, permitted to enter into civil partnerships.[11] Chamberlain also described his relationship with his partner and their commitment. "Chamberlain said he had been with his partner for many years. 'It is faithful, loving, we are like-minded, we enjoy each other’s company and we share each other’s life,' he said."[12] Church of England Newspaper reported that he and his partner have been together for over 30 years.[13] An overwhelming proportion of approximately 500 letters and emails prompted by his coming out were supportive.[14]

His interests include music, reading, cycling and running; he runs in half-marathons to raise money for Christian Aid and other charities. As aforementioned, he has a partner with whom he shares his life.[6][15]

Styles

• The Reverend Doctor Nick Chamberlain (1991–2015)[16][17]
• The Right Reverend Doctor Nicholas Chamberlain (2015–present)[18]

Notes

1. The term "celibate relationship" is currently used in the Church of England to mean sexual abstinence; this usage is disputed. See celibacy and sexual abstinence.

References

1. Thinking Anglicans blog. Next Bishop of Grantham announced (Accessed 6 October 2015)
2. New Bishop of Grantham Announced, Diocese of Lincoln. 8 September 2015
3. Governors – Newcastle High School for Girls. Newcastlehigh.gdst.net. Retrieved on 19 November 2015.
4. "Nicholas Alan Chamberlain". Crockford's Clerical Directory (online ed.). Church House Publishing. Retrieved 5 September 2016.
5. Diocese of Lincoln — New Bishop of Grantham announced Archived 5 October 2015 at the Wayback Machine (Accessed 8 September 2015)
6. "Bishop grateful for end to silence on LGBT+". www.churchtimes.co.uk. Retrieved 23 April 2019.
7. Sherwood, Harriet (2 September 2016). "Bishop of Grantham first C of E bishop to declare he is in gay relationship". The Guardian. Retrieved 2 September 2016.
8. The Telegraph — Bishop of Grantham becomes first Church of England bishop to come out publicly as gay (Accessed 3 September 2016)
9. Press release — Changing Attitude England welcomes Bishop Nick Chamberlain’s openness Archived 3 September 2016 at the Wayback Machine (Accessed 3 September 2016)
10. Lesbian and Gay Christian Movement — The Bishop of Grantham Archived 11 August 2017 at the Wayback Machine (Accessed 3 September 2016)
11. Walker, Peter (4 January 2013). "Church of England rules gay men in civil partnerships can become bishops". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 16 September 2016.
12. correspondent, Harriet Sherwood Religion (2 September 2016). "Bishop of Grantham first C of E bishop to declare he is in gay relationship". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 28 October 2017.
13. "Gafcon says appointment of Bishop was a 'major error'". Church of England Newspaper. 8 September 2016.
14. Davie, Grace; Starkey, Caroline (2019). "The Lincoln letters: a study in institutional change". Ecclesial Practices. 6: 44–64. doi:10.1163/22144471-00601001. ISSN 2214-4463. Archived from the original on 22 December 2019. Alt URL
15. "Bishop of Grantham: I am gay and in a relationship - AOL". www.aol.co.uk. Retrieved 23 April 2019.
16. Contact | St Georges Church Jesmond. Stgeorgesjesmond.org. Retrieved on 19 November 2015.
17. The Mystery Worshipper. Ship of Fools (6 January 2008). Retrieved on 19 November 2015.
18. Diocese of Lincoln — Service of welcome for the new Bishop of Grantham (Accessed 7 December 2015)