Michael Perham (bishop)

The Rt Revd
Michael Perham
MA(Oxon)[1] Hon PhD (Glos)
Bishop of Gloucester
Diocese Diocese of Gloucester
Installed 29 May 2004[2]
Term ended 21 November 2014
Predecessor David Bentley
Successor Rachel Treweek
Other posts Dean of Derby (17 March 2000–2004)
Orders
Ordination 1976[1]
Consecration 2004
Personal details
Born (1947-11-08) 8 November 1947[3]
Dorchester, Dorset
Nationality British
Denomination Anglican
Spouse Alison[4]
Children Rachel, Anna, Sarah and Mary[4]
Profession Retired bishop
Alma mater Keble College, Oxford

Michael Francis Perham (born 8 November 1947[3]) is a retired Church of England bishop. He was the Bishop of Gloucester from 2004 to 2014.

Education

Perham was born and raised in Dorset.[5] He attended Hardye's School, Dorchester before going to Keble College, Oxford in 1971 to study theology.[6][7] He also studied theology at Cuddesdon College (now Ripon College Cuddesdon) where he later served as chair of the board of governors.[6]

Personal life

Perham is married to Alison Grove, a palliative care consultant. They have four adult daughters: Rachel, Anna, Sarah and Mary. He lists one of his hobbies as writing liturgical texts.[5]

Ordained ministry

Perham was a curate of St Mary's Addington (Diocese of Canterbury) from 1976 to 1981, before becoming chaplain to the Bishop of Winchester, John Taylor, from 1981 to 1984. He was also Secretary to the Church of England Doctrine Commission from 1979 to 1984.

Perham became the team rector of the Oakdale Team Ministry in Poole in 1984, a position he relinquished in 1992 to become the precentor and a residential canon at Norwich Cathedral. He was instituted as Provost of Derby on 21 March 1998[5] (retitled as the Dean of Derby on 17 March 2000 with the general deprecation of provosts by the Church of England).

Perham was a member of the Church of England Liturgical Commission from 1986 to 2001 and had a significant role in the production of the Common Worship service book.

Perham was announced by 10 Downing Street as the next Bishop of Gloucester on 20 January 2004.[8]

Alongside these ministries, he has filled many roles in the Church of England nationally. He was for a time secretary of its doctrine commission. He served on the Archbishops’ Commission on Church Music that produced a key report, "In Tune with Heaven", in 1992. He has been a member of the General Synod since 1989 and was a member of the Archbishops’ Council and Chair of the General Synod Business Committee until he became a bishop. He also served as Chair of the Hospital Chaplaincies’ Council. He was Chair of the Society for the Promoting of Christian Knowledge (SPCK) from 2007 to 2011. He was a member of the Crown Nominations Commission which chose the new Archbishop of Canterbury in 2012. He was a leading bishop in the campaign for women to be permitted to be bishops and had the satisfaction of seeing the first woman diocesan bishop appointed to succeed him in Gloucester.

Perham is known for his work on church worship. He served on the Church of England Liturgical Commission from 1982 to 2001, being one of the principal architects of its Common Worship services. He has lectured and written about worship consistently throughout his ministry.

Perham was a member of the House of Lords and of the House of Bishops’ Standing Committee. He served on the working party reviewing the Church of England’s teaching on human sexuality. He has been a strong advocate of the role of women in the church as priests and bishops. He was Bishop Protector of the European Province of the Society of St Francis between 2005 and 2014, Chair of the Governing Body of Ripon College, Cuddesdon and of the Retired Clergy Association. He was President of Affirming Catholicism from 2001 to 2014.

Within the Diocese of Gloucester, Perham was the president or patron of a number of local organisations, including GARAS, GEAR, Cheltenham YMCA, the Star College and Emmaus Gloucester. He hosted the quarterly “Bishop’s Breakfast”, which brought together many of the civic and community leaders in the county. He was Pro-Chancellor and Vice-Chair of the Council of the University of Gloucestershire until December 2015. He was made a Freeman of the City of Gloucester on 27 March 2014 at a Special Meeting of the City Council.

Perham was made an Honorary Fellow of the Royal School of Church Music in 2002 and an Honorary Doctor of Philosophy of the University of Gloucestershire in 2007.

On 1 February 2014, Michael Perham announced that he would be retiring on 21 November 2014, after 10 years as Bishop of Gloucester. In August 2014, he stepped aside as Bishop of Gloucester while allegations of sex abuse in the 1980s were investigated.[9][10]

In October 2014, the Metropolitan Police concluded there were no grounds for action [11] and, in May 2015, the Church of England safeguarding committee announced Perham had been approved to continue ministry in retirement. On 11 May 2015, after the Church of England undertook a risk assessment and safeguarding investigation, he was approved to continue ministry in retirement.[12] Perham had received widespread support and affirmation throughout this time from people inside and outside the church.[13]

A farewell service of thanksgiving and celebration to mark Perham’s time as Bishop of Gloucester took place at Gloucester Cathedral on 13 June 2015 having been postponed because of the allegations. Over 1,000 people attended.[14] He discussed his long ministry, and the effects of the false allegations, in an interview with the BBC’s Richard Atkins in June 2015.[15]

In the General Synod that July the Archbishop of Canterbury delivered a generous tribute to Perham’s ministry; it received a prolonged standing ovation.[16] The Church Times reported, on 17 July 2015, that the Archbishop was “glad to thank Bishop Perham wholeheartedly for his ministry after all the investigations and inquiries had cleared him”.

Perham continues as President of the Alcuin Club and as Vice President of WATCH (Women and the Church).[17] He is a Visiting Scholar of Sarum College and an Honorary Fellow of Ripon College Cuddesdon. In January 2016 he became Chair of the Board of Governors of the University of St Mark & St John (Marjon) in Plymouth. In March 2016 he was appointed to the Fabric Advisory Committee of York Minster (responsible for the care, conservation, repair and development of this 800 year old gothic cathedral). Also in 2016, he was appointed an Honorary Assistant Bishop in four dioceses: Bath & Wells, Carlisle, Portsmouth and Salisbury.

Selected publications

Styles

References

  1. 1 2 Church of England – Bishop of Gloucester
  2. ↑ BBC News – Enthronement ceremony for bishop (Accessed 31 December2014)
  3. 1 2 Democracy Live – Michael Perham
  4. 1 2 Diocese of Gloucester – Bishop Michael
  5. 1 2 3 Pat Ashworth (March 1998), "Canon Michael Perham", Derbyshire Life 63 3 p54
  6. 1 2 Church Times 7350 23 Jan 2004
  7. ↑ The Brick, 44, p8, Michaelmas 2008, Issue 44 Retrieved 27 August 2009
  8. ↑ See of Gloucester (2004), 10 Downing Street, London, viewed 26 April 2008, http://www.pm.gov.uk/output/Page5177.asp
  9. ↑ Twitter – Gloucester Diocese press release (Accessed 2 August 2014)
  10. ↑ "Bishop of Gloucester Michael Perham faces sex assault allegations". BBC News. 5 August 2014. Retrieved 5 August 2014.
  11. ↑ "Bishop of Gloucester sex offences inquiry dropped". BBC News. 14 October 2014. Retrieved 14 February 2016.
  12. ↑ "Statement on retired Bishop of Gloucester". Lambeth Palace. 11 May 2015. Retrieved 11 May 2015.
  13. ↑ http://www.thinkinganglicans.org.uk/archives/006957.html
  14. ↑ "Crowds rise to their feet in Gloucester Cathedral to celebrate Bishop Michael Perham". The Gloucester Citizen. 13 June 2015. Retrieved 16 June 2015.
  15. ↑ "Former Bishop of Gloucester "lost confidence" after sex claims". BBC News. Retrieved 16 June 2015.
  16. ↑ "Archbishop praises Bishop Michael". Retrieved 3 April 2016.
  17. ↑ "About Women and the Church".

External links

Church of England titles
Preceded by
David Bentley		 Bishop of Gloucester
2004–2014 		Succeeded by
Rachel Treweek
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