The Episcopal Synod of the Scottish Episcopal Church today elected the Rev Canon Anne Dyer as the new Bishop of Aberdeen & Orkney.
Canon Dyer has been Rector of Holy Trinity church, Haddington, since 2011. Her wider church involvement includes being a member of the Scottish Episcopal Institute Council and a member of General Synod.
Being in the first group of women for each of these Orders, Canon Dyer was ordained Deacon in 1987 and Priest in 1994 in Rochester. She served as Warden of Cranmer Hall, Durham and before that was Ministry Development Officer in the Diocese of Rochester. Prior to ordination Anne Dyer read chemistry at St Anne’s College, Oxford and was a business systems analyst with Unilever before training for ordained ministry at Wycliffe Hall, Oxford and studying theology at King’s College London.
Canon Dyer is the first woman to be elected Bishop in the Scottish Episcopal Church. The General Synod of the Scottish Episcopal Church voted to allow the election of female bishops in 2003. The See of Aberdeen & Orkney became vacant last November when the Rt Rev Dr Robert Gillies retired as Bishop of the Diocese.
• Full story at the Scottish Episcopal Church.
Background
Before the General Synod’s approval of same-sex marriage in June 2017, six of the SEC’s seven dioceses, including Glasgow & Galloway, also voted in favour at their own Synods.
The exception was Aberdeen & Orkney, whose Bishop, Bob Gillies, also voted against same-sex marriage at the 2016 General Synod. When Bishop Gillies retired, the Diocese was unable to agree a short-leet of candidates to replace him. The succession was remitted to the College of Bishops. In November 2017 it elected Canon Dyer, who had campaigned for the introduction of same-sex marriage.