by George Conger, Anglican Ink
The Rt. Rev. Philip North, Bishop of Blackburn has used his Diocesan Synod presidential address to reject narratives of managed decline and to call Lancashire’s churches to prayerful, confident evangelism. His address frames the Diocese’s forthcoming ‘Joyful Followers of Jesus’ vision as a summons to proclaim Christ, strengthen parish life, and expect spiritual renewal.
Speaking on 10 Oct 2026, Bishop North pointed to signs of renewal in France and within his own diocese: young adults exploring Christianity online, new families appearing in churches, and unusually large numbers of adult confirmation candidates. He argued that churches must not allow a “mindset of scarcity and anxiety” to prevent them from imagining thriving congregations and renewed Christian witness.
The Bishop linked this confidence to the diocese’s new vision, which will be launched next month. Its aims include helping people “know Jesus,” loving neighbours, sharing the faith, reaching children and young people, and forming Christ-like leaders. North stressed that support for parish ministry and clergy numbers is not simply institutional maintenance, but serves the Church’s central responsibility: proclaiming the Gospel.
Bishop North’s address is significant because it supplies a distinctly traditional and evangelical-catholic note amid the continuing turmoil of the Church of England. Rather than treating the Church principally as a body needing bureaucratic reform, political accommodation, or managed contraction, he presents it as a missionary people whose confidence rests in the risen Christ and the power of the Holy Spirit.
Read also: https://www.blackburn.anglican.org/news/1162/bishop-philip-calls-for-ever-greater from the Diocese of Blackburn