What sort of cleric is likely to get promoted in the Church of England with Sarah Mullally as Archbishop of Canterbury? Almost certainly a very different sort of cleric from the ones her predecessor, Justin Welby, was prone to promote.

The Bishop of Leicester, Martyn Snow, 58, who became a diocesan bishop under Archbishop Welby in 2016, would be in the running to be Archbishop of York in 2028 after the retirement of the current incumbent, Stephen Cottrell, at the mandatory age of 70. But not under Sarah Mullally. Welby-style managerialists with evangelical backgrounds like Bishop Snow are very unlikely to be promoted under her. 

With her academic credentials, the Archdeacon of Liverpool, Miranda Threlfall-Holmes, a capable female with a revisionist outlook, is a strong contender to become Bishop of Oxford after the retirement of Steven Croft this summer. Bishop Croft, another managerialist with an evangelical background, got promoted to Oxford under Archbishop Welby in 2016. He had previously been Bishop of Sheffield where he made Martyn Snow his Archdeacon.

Save the Parish founder, the Revd Marcus Walker, 45, could well be promoted to a bishopric under Archbishop Mullally. The Rector of St Bartholomew the Great in the City of London would not have stood a chance under Archbishop Welby. But when Sarah Mullally’s appointment as Archbishop of Canterbury was announced last October, he wrote warmly in The Spectator magazine about his experience of her episcopate in London:

‘…She is pastoral. On this I speak with experience: she has been my bishop directly for seven years. I have never known her not be at the other end of a phone if needed, or able to arrange a meeting with one of her clergy if requested. She was very kind when my father was dying, which is something you remember.

‘What stands out the most, though, was when I caught Covid just towards the end of lockdown, and found out on a Saturday afternoon. I sent out a frantic tweet asking if anyone was free to take the service the next day and, within 30 minutes, she had sent me a direct message on twitter offering her services – despite being on holiday at the time. She said that the theology that the bishop shares the “cure of souls” with the rector of the parish was one that she took seriously.’

Though Marcus Walker is politically conservative and a High Churchman, he has joined Sarah Mullally in backing services of same-sex blessing during successive votes at General Synod since February 2023, which makes him acceptable to the revisionist establishment in the C of E.

Joanne Grenfell, 53, who became Bishop of St Edmundsbury and Ipswich last year, is likely to get promoted to a more senior bishopric under Archbishop Mullally, who as Bishop of London appointed her suffragan Bishop of Stepney in 2019. Like Miranda Threlfall-Holmes she is a capable female with a revisionist outlook.

Sarah Mullally had a successful first General Synod as Archbishop of Canterbury in February 2026. Writing in the Church Times, General Synod member and journalist, Rebecca Chapman, explained why she played well at Synod and is set to consolidate her position in the C of E:

‘They say that a change is as good as a rest, but, after an archiepiscopal interregnum, there could be no doubting the breath of fresh air in the chamber as Archbishop Mullally addressed the Synod – our first female archbishop. She promised “calm, consistency, and compassion” as we seek to together be a stable presence in an unstable world.

‘A careful checklist for various themes and groups was worked through, and boxes were ticked. Despite this, her words remained heartfelt: she spoke warmly of “the pearl of great price — glimpsed in faithful, local, sensitive, intelligent ministry”. There was talk of hope, of love and service, rather than of developing “new programmes and initiatives”. A tired Synod was refreshingly proffered compliments rather than criticism: “I see the personal sacrifices you make to be here” and the “love you pour into this task”. The Archbishop made time to have the odd chat with members in the tea-room. A quiet presence for a quiet revival?’

While the next Archbishop of York and future diocesan promotions are not in the personal gift of the Archbishop of Canterbury, she is likely to be able to exercise a strong influence in decisions taken by the Crown Nominations Commission, which makes those appointments, because she is an effective committee operator.