{{Short description|British bishop and expert in church planting}} {{Use dmy dates|date=February 2020}} {{EngvarB|date=February 2020}} {{Infobox Christian leader | type = Bishop | honorific-prefix = The Most Reverend | name = Ric Thorpe | honorific-suffix = | title = Archbishop of Melbourne | church = Anglican Church of Australia | archdiocese = | province = Victoria | metropolis = | diocese = Diocese of Melbourne | see = | elected = | appointed = | term = | term_start = 30 November 2025 | term_end = | predecessor = Philip Freier | successor = | other_post = Metropolitan of the Province of Victoria (2025) | previous_post = Bishop of Islington (2015-2025) <br /> Bishop of London's Adviser for Church Planting (2012–2015) <br /> Rector of St Paul's Church, Shadwell (2005–2015) <!---------- Orders ----------> | ordination = 1996 (deacon)<br />1997 (priest) | ordained_by = | consecration = 29 September 2015 | consecrated_by = Justin Welby <!---------- Personal details ----------> | birth_name = Richard Charles Thorpe | birth_date = {{Birth date and age|df=y|1965|2|3}} | birth_place = <!-- City, administrative region, sovereign state (per Template:Infobox person) --> | death_date = <!-- {{Death date and age|df=y|YYYY|MM|DD|YYYY|MM|DD}} (death date then birth date) --> | death_place = <!-- as birth_place --> | buried = | nationality = | religion = | residence = | parents = | spouse = Louie Thorpe | children = 3 | occupation = | profession = | education = | alma_mater = University of Birmingham<br />Wycliffe Hall, Oxford }} '''Richard Charles "Ric" Thorpe''' (born 3 February 1965) is a British Anglican bishop and church planter. Since November 2025 he has been Archbishop of Melbourne, Australia; previously he was the Bishop of Islington in the Diocese of London and the Church of England's "bishop for church plants".
==Early life== Thorpe was born on 3 February 1965.<ref name="WW 2017">{{Who's Who | title=Thorpe, Richard Charles | id = U284820 | volume = 2017 | edition = November 2016 online | access-date = 21 December 2016 }}</ref><ref name="crockford">{{Crockford| surname = Thorpe | forenames = Richard Charles | id = 14630 | accessed = 5 December 2015}}</ref> He was educated at Stowe School, a private school in Stowe, Buckinghamshire.<ref name="bio - LinkedIn" /> He studied chemical engineering at the University of Birmingham and graduated with a Bachelor of Science (BSc) degree in 1987<ref name="crockford" /><ref name="bio - St Mellitus College" /> and began working as a marketing manager with Unilever.<ref name="bio - St Mellitus College" />
From 1990 to 1992, Thorpe was a lay worship leader at Holy Trinity Brompton (HTB) in the Diocese of London.<ref name="bio - LinkedIn">{{cite web|title=Ric Thorpe|url=https://uk.linkedin.com/in/ricthorpe|publisher=LinkedIn|accessdate=8 September 2015}}</ref> In 1993, he entered Wycliffe Hall, an Evangelical Anglican theological college, to study theology and train for ordained ministry.<ref name="Wycliffe Hall">{{cite web|title=New Bishop of Islington Appointed|url=http://www.wycliffehall.org.uk/news/bishop-islington-ric-thorpe|website=Wycliffe Hall, Oxford|accessdate=6 September 2015|date=9 July 2015|archive-date=1 October 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151001193658/http://www.wycliffehall.org.uk/news/bishop-islington-ric-thorpe|url-status=dead}}</ref> He graduated from the University of Oxford with a Bachelor of Theology (BTh) degree in 1996.<ref name="Crockford 25">{{Crockford| surname = Thorpe | forenames = Richard Charles | id = 14630 | accessed = 8 December 2025}}</ref>
==Ordained ministry== Thorpe was ordained in the Church of England: deaconed at Petertide 1996 (30 June) by Richard Chartres, Bishop of London at St Paul's Cathedral<ref>{{Church Times | title = Ordinations | archive = 1996_07_05_018 | issue = 6960 | date = 5 July 1996 | page = 18 | accessed = 7 May 2019 }}</ref> and priested the Petertide following (29 June 1997) by Michael Colclough, Bishop of Kensington at Holy Trinity Church, Hounslow.<ref>{{Church Times | title = Ordinations | archive = 1997_07_11_006 | issue = 7013 | date = 11 July 1997 | page = 6 | accessed = 7 May 2019 }}</ref> He began his ministry as a curate at Holy Trinity Brompton (HTB) in the Diocese of London.<ref name="GOV - new Bishop of Islington">{{cite web|title=Suffragan Bishop of Islington: Reverend Ric Thorpe|url=https://www.gov.uk/government/news/suffragan-bishop-of-islington-reverend-ric-thorpe|website=Prime Minister's Office, 10 Downing Street|publisher=Government of the United Kingdom|accessdate=6 September 2015|date=9 July 2015}}</ref> After almost 10 years of ordained ministry, he was chosen to lead a church plant from HTB to St Paul's Church, Shadwell. This involved moving 100 parishioners and a number of clergy from HTB to St Paul's to revitalise the church.<ref name="Christian Today - New church plant bishop" /> He was appointed priest in charge of St Paul's with St James, Ratcliffe in 2005 and rector in 2010. From 2010 to 2014 he was also priest in charge of All Hallows, Bow.<ref name="crockford" /> Thorpe was involved with a further four church plants.<ref name="Christian Today - New church plant bishop" />
From 2012 to 2015, he was the Bishop of London's Adviser for Church Planting.<ref name="GOV - new Bishop of Islington" /> He was a tutor in church planting at St Mellitus College, an Anglican theological college, and leader of its church planting course.<ref name="bio - St Mellitus College">{{cite web|title=Associate Tutors|url=http://www.stmellitus.org/associate-tutors|publisher=St Mellitus College|accessdate=8 September 2015|archive-date=31 August 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150831201550/http://www.stmellitus.org/associate-tutors|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Church Planting Course|url=http://www.stmellitus.org/church-planting-course|publisher=St Mellitus College|accessdate=8 September 2015}}{{Dead link|date=November 2025 |bot=InternetArchiveBot }}</ref> From 2015 until 2025, he led the Gregory Centre for Church Multiplication.<ref>{{Cite web|title=New website for Church Planting centre as six new worshipping communities set to open|url=https://www.london.anglican.org/articles/new-church-planting-growth-website-six-new-worshipping-communities-open/|date=2017-01-26|website=Diocese of London|language=en-US|access-date=2020-05-24}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|title=The faithful borrow ideas from business to create start-up churches|url=https://www.ft.com/content/db766d82-41ef-11ea-bdb5-169ba7be433d|last=|first=|date=9 February 2020|newspaper=Financial Times|archive-url=|archive-date=|access-date=2020-05-24}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|title=Centre for Church Multiplication|url=https://www.ccx.org.uk/|website=CCX|language=en-US|access-date=2020-05-24}}</ref>
===Episcopal ministry=== In May 2015, it was announced that the See of Islington would be brought out of abeyance to create a "bishop for church plants". The bishop would be a suffragan bishop in the Diocese of London but would be free from territorial responsibilities and work with the whole Church of England.<ref name="Diocese of London - revival of the See of Islington">{{cite web|title=The revival of the See of Islington|url=http://www.london.anglican.org/articles/the-revival-of-the-see-of-islington/|website=Diocese of London|accessdate=8 September 2015|date=1 May 2015}}</ref><ref name="Christian Today - New church plant bishop">{{cite news|last1=Gledhill|first1=Ruth|title=New church plant bishop will be Rev Ric Thorpe|url=http://www.christiantoday.com/article/new.church.plant.bishop.will.be.rev.ric.thorpe/58520.htm|accessdate=6 September 2015|work=Christian Today|date=9 July 2015}}</ref> Thorpe was appointed to this role on 9 July 2015<ref name="GOV - new Bishop of Islington" /> and on 29 September was consecrated by Justin Welby, Archbishop of Canterbury, at St Paul's Cathedral.<ref name="Diocese of London - Two new bishops">{{cite web|title=Two new bishops and new archdeacon for London announced|url=http://www.london.anglican.org/articles/bishops-edmonton-islington-archdeacon-hampstead-wickham-thorpe-hawkins/|website=Diocese of London|accessdate=6 September 2015|date=9 July 2015}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=New women bishops ordained at St Paul's Cathedral|url=https://www.stpauls.co.uk/news-press/latest-news/new-women-bishops-ordained-at-st-pauls-cathedral|website=St Paul's Cathedral|accessdate=30 September 2015|date=29 September 2015}}</ref>
On 24 May 2025, it was announced that Thorpe had been elected as the next Archbishop of Melbourne, Australia.<ref name="elected">{{cite web |last1=Taylor |first1=Jenan |title=New Anglican Archbishop of Melbourne elected |url=https://tma.melbourneanglican.org.au/2025/05/new-anglican-archbishop-of-melbourne-elected/ |website=The Melbourne Anglican |access-date=24 May 2025 |language=en-AU |date=24 May 2025}}</ref> His election was confirmed<ref>{{Cite web |date=30 November 2025 |title=The Installation and Recognition of The Right Reverend Dr Ric Thorpe BSc, BTh, DMin as Archbishop of Melbourne and Metropolitan of Victoria at Choral Evening Prayer on Advent Sunday |url=https://cathedral.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/The-Installation-of-Bishop-Ric-Thorpe-as-Archbishop-Service-of-the-Word-CORRECTED-FINAL-PRINT.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20251130050726/https://cathedral.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/The-Installation-of-Bishop-Ric-Thorpe-as-Archbishop-Service-of-the-Word-CORRECTED-FINAL-PRINT.pdf |archive-date=30 November 2025 |access-date=22 February 2026 |website=St Paul's Cathedral (Melbourne)}}</ref> and he was installed on 30 November 2025 at St Paul's Cathedral, Melbourne.<ref name="good news">{{cite web |title=‘I will proclaim the good news,’ says the new Archbishop of Melbourne, Ric Thorpe |url=https://anglicannews.org/news/2025/12/%E2%80%98i-will-proclaim-the-good-news,%E2%80%99-says-the-new-archbishop-of-melbourne,-ric-thorpe.aspx |website=anglicannews.org |publisher=Anglican Communion Office |access-date=8 December 2025 |language=en-gb |date=2 December 2025}}</ref>
===Views=== In 2023, following the news that the House of Bishops of the Church of England was to introduce proposals for blessing same-sex relationships, he signed an open letter which stated:<ref name="Doctrine of Marriage">{{cite web |title=LLF: a paper on the Doctrine of Marriage |url=https://www.thinkinganglicans.org.uk/llf-a-paper-on-the-doctrine-of-marriage |website=Thinking Anglicans |access-date=31 January 2023 |language=en |date=31 January 2023}}</ref> {{blockquote| many Christians in the Church of England and the Anglican Communion, together with Christians from across the churches of world Christianity, continue to believe that marriage is given by God for the union of a man and woman and that it cannot be extended to those who are of the same sex. [...] Without seeking to diminish the value of many committed same-sex relationships, for which there is much to give thanks, we find ourselves constrained by what we sincerely believe the Scriptures teach which cannot be set aside.<ref name="Doctrine of Marriage" />}}
During the Church of England's February 2023 General Synod meeting, Thorpe was one of four bishops to vote against the successful proposal to introduce blessings and prayers for same-sex relationships.<ref name="gs-2023-llf-vote">{{cite web |title=General Synod 9 TH February 2023 – Item 11 |date=30 January 2023 |url=https://www.churchofengland.org/sites/default/files/2023-02/Item%2011%20by%20House.pdf |publisher=Church of England |access-date=10 May 2023}}</ref> He also voted against introducing "standalone services for same-sex couples" on a trial basis during a General Synod meeting in November 2023; the motion passed.<ref>{{cite web |title=GENERAL SYNOD NOVEMBER 2023 GROUP OF SESSIONS BUSINESS DONE AT 5 P.M. |url=https://www.churchofengland.org/sites/default/files/2023-11/consolidated-business-done.pdf |website=churchofengland.org |publisher=The Church of England |access-date=23 November 2023 |date=13 November 2023 |quote=7. The motion (as amended) ‘That this Synod, conscious that the Church is not of one mind on the issues raised by Living in Love and Faith, that we are in a period of uncertainty, and that many in the Church on all sides are being deeply hurt at this time, recognise the progress made by the House of Bishops towards implementing the motion on Living in Love and Faith passed by this Synod in February 2023, as reported in GS 2328, encourage the House to continue its work of implementation, and ask the House to consider whether some standalone services for same-sex couples could be made available for use, possibly on a trial basis, on the timescale envisaged by the motion passed by the Synod in February 2023.’ was carried following a counted vote by Houses.}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=General Synod 15th November 2023 – Item 007 |url=https://www.churchofengland.org/sites/default/files/2023-11/item-7.pdf |website=churchofengland.org |publisher=The Church of England |access-date=23 November 2023 |date=15 November 2023}}</ref>
==References== {{reflist}} {{S-start}} {{S-rel|en}} {{s-break}} {{S-vac|abeyance|last=Charles Turner}} {{S-ttl|title= Bishop of Islington| years= 2015–present}} {{S-inc}} {{S-end}} {{Bishops of Islington}}
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Thorpe, Ric}} Category:1965 births Category:Living people Category:People educated at Stowe School Category:Alumni of the University of Birmingham Category:Alumni of Wycliffe Hall, Oxford Category:Staff of St Mellitus College Category:Holy Trinity Brompton people Category:British evangelicals Category:20th-century evangelicals Category:21st-century British Anglican priests Category:21st-century evangelicals Category:21st-century Church of England bishops Category:Bishops of Islington Category:Anglican archbishops of Melbourne Category:Evangelical Anglican bishops