Today Downing Street has announced that Bishop Ruth Worsley, currently Bishop of Taunton will act as interim Bishop of Liverpool. You can read the press notice on our website and in the Bulletin,
Ruth will be taking up her post with us as soon as feasible and we will have an installation service in the next few weeks. We will be letting you know when we have firmed up the date.
Bishop Ruth has been invited to this role by the Archbishop of York as an ideal person to lead our diocese for a period of two years by which time we expect the formal crown nominations commission process to have taken place to appoint a permanent Bishop of Liverpool.
In order to facilitate this according to the legal processes of the Church of England the Archbishop proposed a scheme to temporarily revive the dormant see of Wigan. Bishop Ruth will be able to act in certain respects immediately, but as soon as possible will be translated to the see of Wigan. A formal delegation of the authority of the Bishop of Liverpool will be made. This will enable Bishop Ruth to perform all the legal functions of the Bishop of Liverpool for this interim period.
We are extremely grateful to the Archbishop of York for pursuing an option to enable the episcopal office of the Bishop of Liverpool to function in this interim period. We give thanks to God for Bishop Ruth’s willingness to step forward and offer ministry here with us. Bishop Ruth comes to us having had experience as interim Bishop of Coventry which will be invaluable for us. We are also very thankful for the diocese of Bath and Wells as they release Ruth to serve God’s call in our diocese.
Bishop Bev remains as Bishop of Warrington but as she reflects on her future is not currently ministering in our diocese and is supportive of these arrangements. The Archbishop continues to give her space to decide her future ministry and when she is ready to announce her decision we will let people know.
We understand that many of you will have questions and we are happy to try and answer those that we can.
We thank you for your support and prayer over this time. We continue to pray for Bishop Bev, Bishop John and all those affected by recent events. We hope that this will be an important step forward for our diocese and look forward to Bishop Ruth joining us as we continue to pursue God’s mission.
We invite you to pray
Debra Walker, Chair of the House of Laity
Peter Dawkin, Chair of the House of Clergy
Sue Jones, Dean of Liverpool
Pete Spiers, Archdeacon of Knowsley & Sefton
Miranda Threlfall-Holmes, Archdeacon of Liverpool
Simon Fisher, Archdeacon of St Helens and Warrington
New Bishop of Wigan to be the Interim Bishop of Liverpool
Downing Street has announced today that the Rt Revd Ruth Worsley will become the new suffragan Bishop of Wigan in the Diocese of Liverpool. Bishop Ruth will also serve as the Interim Bishop of Liverpool.
As Interim Bishop of Liverpool, Bishop Ruth will work closely with the senior leadership team, the Bishop’s Council, and the Diocesan Synod to support the diocese’s vision and mission as it seeks to be God’s church in the world.
Bishop Ruth Worsley said: “The Diocese of Liverpool is a vibrant and faithful community, and I look forward to working alongside the leadership team, clergy, and laypeople as we navigate this season together. My prayer is that we will listen to God’s voice, find our hope renewed, and seek to live out his love for all by being a Church of welcome, care, and healing.”
About Bishop Ruth Worsley
The Rt Revd Ruth Worsley, Bishop of Taunton, studied English Literature, Theological Studies and Biblical Studies at the University of Manchester. After this, whilst training as a nurse at Tameside General Hospital in the 1980s and considering specialising in acute psychiatry, Ruth felt a calling to pastoral lay ministry and took on a voluntary role in pastoral care at her local church.
Following the family’s move to Nottingham in 1990, she began her MA in Mission and Ministry, later serving as Chaplain to spouses and families of students in training at St John’s Theological College. In 1995 she embarked on her own ordination training at St John’s.
After ordination in 1996, Ruth served for fourteen years as a parish priest in Nottingham. During this time, she also became Area Dean for one of the poorest areas in the Diocese of Southwell and Nottingham. Ruth joined the Bishop’s Staff in 2007 when she was made Dean of Women’s Ministry.
Ruth became an Honorary Chaplain to the Queen in 2009, a position she held until becoming a Bishop. In 2010 she took on the role of Parish Development Adviser in the Diocese of Southwark, based in Bermondsey. In 2013 Bishop Ruth swapped inner-city life for Wiltshire when appointed Archdeacon of Wilts. in the Diocese of Salisbury.
She was consecrated a bishop at St. Paul’s Cathedral, London, 19 years to the day after being ordained a deacon on 29th September 2015. She was formally installed as the Bishop of Taunton at Wells Cathedral in October 2015.
In August 2020 Ruth became Acting Diocesan Bishop of Bath and Wells when her colleague Bishop Peter became ill and subsequently retired. In November 2022 Bishop Michael was installed in his place with whom she shared the leadership of the diocese until she was seconded to become Acting Bishop of Coventry in November 2023 where she served until returning to Bath and Wells in February 2025.
Ruth’s personal ministry is driven by a care for the most vulnerable in our society and from that, striving to work with other faith groups and organisations to give them the right kind of support. In Nottingham this was demonstrated in her work as Trustee and Chair of a project to work with young families in a hugely disadvantaged area. It also led to her role as founding member of the Nottingham Arimathea Trust, a project which provides shelter for destitute Asylum Seekers. From her experience of urban parishes, Bishop Ruth has a keen interest in regeneration and what that means for local communities.
Ruth is married to Howard, who was ordained in 1993 and currently teaches missiology and practical theology at Trinity College Bristol. They have three adult sons: Nathanael, Jonathan and Benjamin and 5 grandchildren. She is beginning to find creative enjoyment in throwing a few pots… on a wheel, rather than in the kitchen!!
The invitation to become Interim Bishop of Liverpool followed consultation with the senior leadership team in Liverpool. Currently the Bishop of Taunton, she brings a wealth of experience, having previously served as Acting Bishop of Bath and Wells and Acting Bishop of Coventry.
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