THE next Bishop of St Edmundsbury & Ipswich is to be the Area Bishop of Stepney, in London diocese, Dr Joanne Grenfell, Downing Street announced on Friday.

She will be the first woman to serve as Bishop of St Edmundsbury & Ipswich.

Dr Grenfell succeeds the Rt Revd Martin Seeley, who retired on 1 March after ten years in the post (News, 14 March). The Rt Revd Graeme Knowles has been the Acting Bishop since then.

Dr Grenfell has been the Bishop of Stepney since 2019, and has served as the Church of England’s lead bishop for safeguarding since 2023.

Dr Grenfell, a former Church Times diarist, trained for the ministry at Westcott House, Cambridge, and was ordained deacon in 2000, and priest in 2001. She began her ministerial life in Liverpool diocese, before spending ten years in Sheffield diocese, from 2003 until 2013. Here, she held posts including diocesan director of ordinands and dean of women’s ministry. In 2013, she was appointed Archdeacon of Portsdown, in Portsmouth diocese. Before ordination, she was a lecturer in English at Oriel College, Oxford.

Describing the people of Suffolk as “warm and welcoming”, Dr Grenfell said in a statement announcing her appointment on Friday: “I enjoy building diverse teams full of people who have much better ideas than I would ever have on my own. I hope to develop a culture where we can challenge and support each other to do the best we can to live out the good news of Jesus Christ in this place.”

She continued: “I’ve had to do some creative strategic work in areas where I’ve served previously, including developing a vision, putting together funding applications, and overseeing the implementation of mission projects to help the church reach new people, young people, and people from lower income communities.

“God has shown us how the Church can grow, across different traditions and contexts. I’m keen to join in with what [the diocese is] already doing here, with Growing in God, Lightwave, and Inspiring Ipswich, and to work out together what God is calling us to next.’’

She also spoke about the importance of safeguarding. “We can all contribute to a culture where victims and survivors are seen, heard, cared for, and learned from,’’ she said. “I am looking forward to working with safeguarding professionals and volunteers across the diocese.’’

Speaking to the Church Times on Friday, Dr Grenfell elaborated on safeguarding, explaining that her term of office as lead safeguarding Bishop will come to an end next April. “I deeply care about the work, and, in particular, the work we’ve started around future safeguarding structures,” she said. “I’m really committed to seeing that through, beyond next spring — we need to work out the details of doing that.”

She continued: “There’s a team of new safeguarding bishops, so it’s something that we share. But I also think that safeguarding is a thread that runs through all ministry; it’s about a healthy church and a healthy culture, so that commitment is not going to go away. And I know that there are really excellent safeguarding professionals already in this diocese. I’m keen to get to know them and work with them.”

Speaking about Living in Love and Faith (LLF) process, she said: “I recognise that this is a really difficult and challenging issue for the Church, and that actually we’ve come a long way in terms of listening to each other better and learning different perspectives.

“Personally, I welcome the Prayers of Love and Faith. I want gay and lesbian people to be able to express their deep love and commitment, to be able to come to church and to seek God’s blessing for that, and to find a welcoming community.

“I’m really committed to working with people who have got different views and to making space for that, but I’m also really clear that I want every church to be a place where LGBTQI+ people are seen, safe, heard, and respected.”

Looking ahead to her move to the diocese of St Edmundsbury & Ipswich, she said that she looked forward to getting to know its people and to discovering their different gifts. “My aim, my attitude, is to be really conscious of the gifts of people in the community and to try to draw those out as much as possible,” she said.

Bishop Knowles said that Dr Grenfell would “bring with her a rich mixture of experience in the Church. This includes her invaluable insight into safeguarding.”

Dr Grenfell is married to the Revd Dr James Grenfell, who is the Chaplain to the University of East London; he will remain in his current post. They have three children.

The date of her installation is yet to be confirmed, but she is expected to take up the post in the autumn.