Downing Street has today announced that the Rt Revd Dr Joanne Grenfell, Bishop of Stepney, is to be the next Diocesan Bishop of Edmundsbury and Ipswich. She will take up the role in the Autumn.
Bishop Joanne commented:
I am glad to have this opportunity, but of course it comes with mixed feelings too. I have loved being Bishop of Stepney and I am so very grateful for all that we have shared over the last six years. I feel that God has shown us new possibilities in ministry as well as guiding us through the tough pandemic years; I am full of joy to see the many faithful ministries that are developing and emerging in the Stepney Area, and across the Diocese of London.
The Bishop of London, Dame Sarah Mullally, welcomed the announcement:
Joanne has remarked how much she has loved being Bishop of Stepney for the past six years. That love has shone through in her care of her clergy, the church communities of the Stepney Area, and of this diocese and beyond in her wider roles.
On a personal note, I am hugely grateful for the support and wise counsel Joanne has provided as part of the London College of Bishops. While I am naturally sorry to see her leave us here, I am grateful that she and I will continue to work together on a national level. She and James will leave for Suffolk with our prayers, and with our love.
Bishop Joanne has served as Bishop of Stepney since July 2019. She previously served as Archdeacon of Portsdown in the Diocese of Portsmouth, Residentiary Canon and Director of Ordinands in the Diocese of Sheffield, and as an inner-city parish priest in Sheffield and Liverpool.
In London, her diocesan responsibilities have included being Bishop Sarah’s lead bishop for safeguarding, and chairing the London Diocesan Board of Schools. In the Church of England, she is the national lead bishop for safeguarding. Joanne is married to the Revd Canon Dr James Grenfell, Chaplain to the University of East London, and they have three children.
There will be a chance to say a formal goodbye to Bishop Joanne at a service of thanksgiving in September. The process for selecting the next Bishop of Stepney will also be outlined in the coming weeks.