Nicholas Baines (born 13 November 1957) is a British

Anglican Anglicanism is a Western Christian tradition that has developed from the practices, liturgy, and identity of the Church of England following the English Reformation, in the context of the Protestant Reformation in Europe. It is one of t ...

bishop. He has served as Bishop of Leeds since 2014,Number 10 – Diocese of Leeds: the Right Reverend Nicholas Baines approved
(Accessed 4 February 2014) having previously been Bishop of Bradford from 2011 to 2014 and

Bishop of Croydon The Bishop of Croydon is an episcopal title used by an area bishop of the Church of England Diocese of Southwark, in the Province of Canterbury, England. The Croydon Archdeaconry was transferred from Canterbury Diocese to Southwark in 1984. ...

from 2003 to 2011.

Early life

Baines was educated at Holt Comprehensive School in

Liverpool Liverpool is a City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. With a population of in 2019, it is the List of English districts by population, 10th largest English district by population and its E ...

from 1969 to 1976 before studying at the

University of Bradford The University of Bradford is a public research university located in the city of Bradford, West Yorkshire, England. A plate glass university, it received its royal charter in 1966, making it the 40th university to be created in Britain, but ...

, where he obtained a

Bachelor of Arts Bachelor of arts (BA or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts degree course is generally completed in three or four yea ...

degree in German and French in 1980. He then worked as a linguist at

GCHQ Government Communications Headquarters, commonly known as GCHQ, is an intelligence and security organisation responsible for providing signals intelligence (SIGINT) and information assurance (IA) to the government and armed forces of the Uni ...

for four years, where he also learned Russian.John Worne, "John Worne Meets Bishop Nick Baines", ''

The Linguist ''The Linguist'' (formerly ''The Incorporated Linguist'') is the bimonthly journal of the UK's Chartered Institute of Linguists. The headquarters is in London. History and profile The journal was established in 1962. ''The Linguist'' includes ...

'', issue 61/3 (June–July 2022), pp. 26–27. He trained for ordination at

Trinity College, Bristol Trinity College, Bristol is an evangelical Anglican theological college located in Stoke Bishop, Bristol, England. It offers a range of full-time and part-time taught undergraduate and postgraduate courses which are validated by the University o ...

, where he gained a

degree in theological studies.

Ordained ministry

Baines was ordained a deacon at

Petertide Petertide (also known as St Peter's Tide) refers to the Sunday nearest to St Peter's Day on 29 June and to the period around that day. In Anglicanism, Petertide is the major one of two traditional periods for the ordination of new priests (the ot ...

on 5 July 1987 by George Hacker,

Bishop of Penrith The Bishop of Penrith is an episcopal title which takes its name after the town of Penrith in Cumbria. The title was first mentioned (as Pereth) in the Suffragan Bishops Act 1534 (alongside a see for Penreth – now called Penrydd – in Pembro ...

, and was ordained a priest the following Petertide, on 3 July 1988, by

David Halsey Henry David Halsey (27 January 1919 – 16 May 2009) was an Anglican bishop. During his tenure, Bishop Halsey’s focus was as a pastoral bishop, and the care of the clergy and their wives was his first priority. By supporting the clergy, he was ...

Bishop of Carlisle The Bishop of Carlisle is the Ordinary of the Church of England Diocese of Carlisle in the Province of York. The diocese covers the county of Cumbria except for Alston Moor and the former Sedbergh Rural District. The see is in the city of ...

, both times at

Carlisle Cathedral Carlisle Cathedral is a grade-I listed Anglican cathedral in the city of Carlisle, Cumbria, England. It was founded as an Augustinian priory and became a cathedral in 1133. It is also the seat of the Bishop of Carlisle.Tim Tatton-Brown and John ...

. His first appointments were as assistant curate at St Thomas' Church, Kendal, and St Catherine's, Crook. He then moved to

Leicester Leicester ( ) is a city status in the United Kingdom, city, Unitary authorities of England, unitary authority and the county town of Leicestershire in the East Midlands of England. It is the largest settlement in the East Midlands. The city l ...

, serving briefly as associate minister of Holy Trinity Church before becoming vicar of

Rothley Rothley ( ) is a village and civil parish within the Borough of Charnwood in Leicestershire, England. Situated around west of the River Soar and north of Leicester, it had a population of 3,612 inhabitants . The population measured at the 201 ...

(1992–2000), during which time he was also chaplain to an adult mental health unit. In 1995 he was appointed rural dean of

Goscote Goscote was a wapentake in the county of Leicestershire, England; consisting of the north and north-west of the county. It was recorded in the Domesday Book, but as the wapentakes evolved to form hundreds, was split into East Goscote Hundred ...

. In 2000 Baines became

Archdeacon of Lambeth The Archdeacons in the Diocese of Southwark are senior clergy in the Church of England in South London and Surrey. They currently include: the archdeacons of Southwark, of Reigate (formerly of Kingston-on-Thames) and of Lewisham & Greenwich ( ...

in the Diocese of Southwark, where he oversaw the diocese's children and youth policies. He was a member of the

General Synod of the Church of England The General Synod is the tricameral deliberative and legislative organ of the Church of England. The synod was instituted in 1970, replacing the Church Assembly, and is the culmination of a process of rediscovering self-government for the Church ...

from 1995 to 2005.

Episcopal ministry

Baines was appointed

in 2003, succeeding Wilfred Wood. He was

consecrated Consecration is the solemn dedication to a special purpose or service. The word ''consecration'' literally means "association with the sacred". Persons, places, or things can be consecrated, and the term is used in various ways by different gro ...

Rowan Williams Rowan Douglas Williams, Baron Williams of Oystermouth, (born 14 June 1950) is a Welsh Anglican bishop, theologian and poet. He was the 104th Archbishop of Canterbury, a position he held from December 2002 to December 2012. Previously the Bish ...

Archbishop of Canterbury The archbishop of Canterbury is the senior bishop and a principal leader of the Church of England, the ceremonial head of the worldwide Anglican Communion and the diocesan bishop of the Diocese of Canterbury. The current archbishop is Just ...

, at

St Paul's Cathedral St Paul's Cathedral is an Anglicanism, Anglican cathedral in London and is the seat of the Bishop of London. The cathedral serves as the mother church of the Diocese of London. It is on Ludgate Hill at the highest point of the City of London ...

and installed in

Southwark Cathedral Southwark Cathedral ( ) or The Cathedral and Collegiate Church of St Saviour and St Mary Overie, Southwark, London, lies on the south bank of the River Thames close to London Bridge. It is the mother church of the Anglican Diocese of Southwark ...

on 8 May 2003. The

confirmation In Christian denominations that practice infant baptism, confirmation is seen as the sealing of the covenant created in baptism. Those being confirmed are known as confirmands. For adults, it is an affirmation of belief. It involves laying on ...

of Baines's election to the see of Bradford was on 1 April 2011 and he was enthroned at

Bradford Cathedral Bradford Cathedral, or the Cathedral Church of St Peter, is an Anglican cathedral in Bradford, West Yorkshire, England, one of three co-equal cathedrals in the Diocese of Leeds alongside Ripon and Wakefield. Its site has been used for Chr ...

on 21 May 2011. In 2011 Baines said that "Christians should learn from Muslims how to exist as a 'minority' culture in British cities that are increasingly dominated by immigrant communities". On 29 May 2013 he consecrated

Nick Dill Nicholas Dill (born 1963) is a Bermudian Anglican bishop. Background Dill, one of three siblings, was born in 1963 to Nicholas Bayard Dill Jr. and his wife, Bitten ( Birgitte Brodtkorb). His mother is of Norwegian ancestry. The Dill family ha ...

Bishop of Bermuda The Bishop of Bermuda is an episcopal title given to the ordinary of the Anglican Church of Bermuda, one of six extra-provincial Anglican churches within the Church of England overseen by the Archbishop of Canterbury. The present Bishop is Nick ...

on behalf of

Justin Welby Justin Portal Welby (born 6 January 1956) is a British bishop who is the 105th Archbishop of Canterbury. He has served in that role since 2013. Welby was previously the vicar of Southam, Warwickshire, and then Bishop of Durham, serving for ...

, Archbishop of Canterbury. On 4 February 2014 it was announced that Baines would become the diocesan and area Bishop of Leeds upon the confirmation of his election on 8 June; he was acting diocesan and area bishop from 22 April 2014 (he was licensed as an

honorary assistant bishop An assistant bishop in the Anglican Communion is a bishop appointed to assist a diocesan bishop. Church of England In the established Church of England, assistant bishops are usually retired (diocesan or suffragan) bishops – in which case they ...

of the

Diocese of York The Diocese of York is an administrative division of the Church of England, part of the Province of York. It covers the city of York, the eastern part of North Yorkshire, and most of the East Riding of Yorkshire. The diocese is headed by the ...

to facilitate the acting role). On 2014 he took his seat in the

House of Lords The House of Lords, also known as the House of Peers, is the upper house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Membership is by appointment, heredity or official function. Like the House of Commons, it meets in the Palace of Westminst ...

as one of the

Lords Spiritual The Lords Spiritual are the bishops of the Church of England who serve in the House of Lords of the United Kingdom. 26 out of the 42 diocesan bishops and archbishops of the Church of England serve as Lords Spiritual (not counting retired archbi ...

. Baines is an experienced broadcaster, regularly appearing on ''Pause for Thought'' on

BBC Radio 2 BBC Radio 2 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC. It is the most popular station in the United Kingdom with over 15 million weekly listeners. Since launching in 1967, the station broadcasts a wide range of content. ...

. While in Leicester he broadcast regularly on

BBC Radio Leicester BBC Radio Leicester is the BBC's local radio station serving the counties of Leicestershire and Rutland. It broadcasts on FM, DAB, digital TV and via BBC Sounds from studios at St Nicholas Place in Leicester. According to RAJAR, the station ...

and Leicester Sound and twice received a commendation in the Andrew Cross Awards for religious broadcasting. In 2022, in the wake of the

Russian invasion of Ukraine On 24 February 2022, in a major escalation of the Russo-Ukrainian War, which began in 2014. The invasion has resulted in tens of thousands of deaths on both sides. It has caused Europe's largest refugee crisis since World War II. An ...

, Baines suggested that the Ukrainian military should cease fighting and entertain the prospect of the

Crimea Crimea, crh, Къырым, Qırım, grc, Κιμμερία / Ταυρική, translit=Kimmería / Taurikḗ ( ) is a peninsula in Ukraine, on the northern coast of the Black Sea, that has been occupied by Russia since 2014. It has a p ...

and the eastern

Donbas The Donbas or Donbass (, ; uk, Донба́с ; russian: Донба́сс ) is a historical, cultural, and economic region in eastern Ukraine. Parts of the Donbas are controlled by Russian separatist groups as a result of the Russo-Ukrai ...

region being annexed by Russia in order to achieve peace. While conceding that the long-term goal should be for Ukraine to control all its territory, Baines suggested that this might be achieved through diplomacy and easing sanctions.

Personal life

Baines married his wife, Linda, in 1980, and they have three children. An accomplished linguist, he has preached and presented academic papers in German and in 2022 was awarded the

Chartered Institute of Linguists Founded as the Institute of Linguists in 1910, the Chartered Institute of Linguists (CIOL) received its Royal Charter in 2005, and is a professional association for language professionals. CIOL supports linguists throughout their careers, and p ...

David Crystal David Crystal, (born 6 July 1941) is a British linguist, academic, and prolific author best known for his works on linguistics and the English language. Family Crystal was born in Lisburn, Northern Ireland, on 6 July 1941 after his mother had ...

Award.

Selected works

* * ** ''Am Rande bemerkt'' (German edition) * * * * ** ''In hoechsten Toenen'' (German edition) * *

Styles

*''

The Reverend The Reverend is an honorific style most often placed before the names of Christian clergy and ministers. There are sometimes differences in the way the style is used in different countries and church traditions. ''The Reverend'' is correctl ...

'' Nick Baines (1987–2000) *''The

Venerable The Venerable (''venerabilis'' in Latin) is a style, a title, or an epithet which is used in some Western Christian churches, or it is a translation of similar terms for clerics in Eastern Orthodoxy and monastics in Buddhism. Christianity Cat ...

'' Nick Baines (2000–2003) *''The

Right Reverend The Right Reverend (abbreviated The Rt Revd, The Rt Rev'd, The Rt Rev.) is a style applied to certain religious figures. Overview *In the Anglican Communion and the Catholic Church in Great Britain, it applies to bishops, except that ''The ...

'' Nick Baines (2003–present)

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Baines, Nicholas 1957 births Living people 21st-century Church of England bishops Alumni of the University of Bradford Anglican bishops of Leeds Anglican Diocese of Leeds Archdeacons of Lambeth Bishops of Bradford (diocese) Bishops of Croydon GCHQ people Lords Spiritual