Rod Thomas (bishop)

{{short description|Church of England bishop}} {{Use dmy dates|date=April 2022}} {{Infobox Christian leader | type = bishop | honorific-prefix = The Right Reverend | name = Rod Thomas | title = Bishop of Maidstone (PEV) | church = Church of England | province = | diocese = Diocese of Canterbury | see = | term = 2015–2022 | term_start = | quashed = | term_end = | predecessor = | opposed = | successor = Rob Munro (as Bishop of Ebbsfleet) | other_post = Vicar of Elburton, Diocese of Exeter (1999–2015)  | ordination = 1993 (deacon) <br /> 1994 (priest) | ordained_by = | consecration = 23 September 2015 | consecrated_by = Justin Welby  | birth_name = Roderick Charles Howell Thomas | birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1954|8|7|df=y}} | birth_place =  | death_date =  | death_place =  | buried = | nationality = British | religion = Anglicanism | residence = | parents = | spouse = Lesley | children = 3 | occupation = | profession = | previous_post = | education = | alma_mater = London School of Economics<br />Wycliffe Hall, Oxford }} '''Roderick Charles Howell Thomas''' (born 7 August 1954) is a retired Church of England bishop. He was the Bishop of Maidstone, a provincial episcopal visitor for conservative evangelical members and parishes of the church, from 2015 until his retirement in 2022.

==Early life== Thomas was born on 7 August 1954 in London, England.<ref>{{Who's Who | title=Thomas, Roderick Charles Howell | id = U283991 | volume = 2016 | edition = November 2015 online | access-date = 24 July 2016 }}</ref><ref name="Crockford entry">{{Crockford| surname = Thomas | forenames = Roderick Charles Howell | id =30977 | accessed = 23 June 2018}}</ref><ref name="Consecration Order of Service">{{cite web|title=Order of Service: Ordination and Consecration of the new Bishops of Maidstone, Kensington and Edmonton|url=http://www.canterbury-cathedral.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/150923-Consecration-Maidstone-Kensington-Edmonton-new.pdf|website=Canterbury Cathedral|accessdate=23 September 2015|date=23 September 2015|archive-date=25 September 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150925125446/http://www.canterbury-cathedral.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/150923-Consecration-Maidstone-Kensington-Edmonton-new.pdf|url-status=dead}}</ref> He was educated in Ealing, West London.<ref name="Consecration Order of Service" /> He studied economics at the London School of Economics,<ref name="GOV - Suffragan Bishop of Maidstone: Roderick Charles Howell Thomas" /> and graduated in 1975 with a Bachelor of Science (BSc) degree.<ref name="Crockford entry" />

Having completed his degree, Thomas joined the Civil Service. He left the Civil Service to become a researcher for the Institute of Directors.<ref name="Consecration Order of Service" /> He ended his business career as Director of Employment and Environmental Affairs at the Confederation of British Industry, before leaving in 1991 to train for ordained ministry.<ref name="A of C - Suffragan Bishop of Maidstone announced">{{cite web|title=Suffragan Bishop of Maidstone announced|url=http://www.archbishopofcanterbury.org/articles.php/5545/suffragan-bishop-of-maidstone-announced|website=Articles|publisher=Archbishop of Canterbury|accessdate=5 May 2015|date=5 May 2015}}</ref>

His early years were spent as a member of the Exclusive Plymouth Brethren.<ref>{{cite news|last1=Handley MacMath|first1=Terence|title=Interview: Rod Thomas chairman of Reform|url=http://www.churchtimes.co.uk/articles/2009/2-january/features/interview-rod-thomas-chairman-of-reform|accessdate=2 November 2015|work=Church Times|date=24 December 2008}}</ref> At the age of 12, under the influence of Billy Graham, John Stott and Maurice Wood, and having attended Emmanuel Church, Wimbledon, he became an Anglican.<ref name="Consecration Order of Service" /> In 1991, he entered Wycliffe Hall, Oxford, a Church of England theological college, to train for ordained ministry.<ref name="Crockford entry" />

==Ordained ministry== Having completed his training, Thomas was ordained in the Church of England as a deacon in 1993 and as a priest in 1994.<ref name="Crockford entry" /> He served his curacy at St Andrew's Church, Plymouth. He remained at St Andrew's Church as a curate from 1995 to 1999.<ref name="GOV - Suffragan Bishop of Maidstone: Roderick Charles Howell Thomas" /> From 1999 to 2005, he was priest-in-charge of St Matthew's Church, Elburton.<ref name="Crockford entry" /> From 2005 to 2015, he was vicar of Elburton.<ref name="GOV - Suffragan Bishop of Maidstone: Roderick Charles Howell Thomas" /> In 2012, he was additionally appointed a Prebendary of Exeter Cathedral.<ref name="Diocese of Exeter - Rod Thomas announced Bishop of Maidstone">{{cite web|title=Rod Thomas announced Bishop of Maidstone|url=http://www.exeter.anglican.org/rod-thomas-announced-bishop-maidstone/|website=Latest Diocesan News|publisher=Diocese of Exeter|accessdate=5 May 2015|date=5 May 2015|archive-date=18 May 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150518015121/http://www.exeter.anglican.org/rod-thomas-announced-bishop-maidstone/|url-status=dead}}</ref>

Outside his parish ministry, Thomas held a number of appointments. He was a member of the General Synod of the Church of England from 2000 to 2015.<ref name="Diocese of Exeter - Rod Thomas announced Bishop of Maidstone" /><ref name="WW 21" /> He has been a member of the Reform organisation for nearly two decades, and its chairman from 2007 to 2015:<ref name="WW 21">{{cite web |title=Maidstone, Bishop Suffragan of, (Rt Rev. Roderick Charles Howell Thomas) (born 7 Aug. 1954) |url=http://www.ukwhoswho.com/view/article/oupww/whoswho/U283991 |website=Who's Who 2021 |publisher=Oxford University Press |access-date=8 May 2021 |language=en |date=1 December 2020}}</ref><ref name="Diocese of Exeter - Rod Thomas announced Bishop of Maidstone" /> Reform is a conservative evangelical Anglican organisation that opposes the ordination of women to the priesthood and promotes conservative attitudes to homosexuality.<ref name="Reform - Reform Chairman made Bishop of Maidstone">{{cite web|title=Reform Chairman made Bishop of Maidstone|url=http://reform.org.uk/news/src/archive/05-2015/title/reform-media-statement-may-5th-2015-reform-chairman-made-bishop-of-maidstone|website=Media statement|publisher=Reform|accessdate=5 May 2015|date=5 May 2015}}</ref> Up to 2015, he was a member of the executive committee of the Anglican Mission in England (AMiE), a missionary society set up by the Fellowship of Confessing Anglicans operating outside the Church of England.<ref>{{cite web |title=About: Executive Committee |url=https://anglicanmissioninengland.org/about/executive-committee |website=AMiE |publisher=Anglican Mission in England |accessdate=5 May 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150317041607/http://www.anglicanmissioninengland.org/about/executive-committee |archive-date=17 March 2015 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

===Episcopal ministry=== On 5 May 2015, Thomas was announced as the next Bishop of Maidstone, a provincial episcopal visitor for conservative evangelical members and parishes of the church.<ref name="GOV - Suffragan Bishop of Maidstone: Roderick Charles Howell Thomas">{{cite web|title=Suffragan Bishop of Maidstone: Roderick Charles Howell Thomas|url=https://www.gov.uk/government/news/suffragan-bishop-of-maidstone-roderick-charles-howell-thomas|website=Press release|publisher=Prime Minister's Office|accessdate=5 May 2015|date=5 May 2015}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Suffragan See of Maidstone|url=https://www.churchofengland.org/media-centre/news/2014/12/suffragan-see-of-maidstone.aspx|website=News releases|publisher=Church of England|accessdate=5 May 2015|date=4 December 2014}}</ref> On 23 September 2015, he was consecrated a bishop at Canterbury Cathedral by Justin Welby, the Archbishop of Canterbury.<ref>{{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=10 July 2015|date=9 July 2015}}</ref><ref name="Canterbury Cathedral - Consecration">{{cite web|title=Ordination and Consecration of the new Bishops of Maidstone, Kensington and Edmonton|url=http://www.canterbury-cathedral.org/2015/09/23/28711/|website=Canterbury Cathedral|accessdate=23 September 2015|date=23 September 2015|archive-date=29 March 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160329095510/http://www.canterbury-cathedral.org/2015/09/23/28711/|url-status=dead}}</ref>

By 19 December 2016, 71 parishes had passed resolutions for conservative evangelical reasons, of which 31 had requested Alternative Episcopal Oversight (AEO) from the Bishop of Maidstone.<ref name="auto">{{cite web|title=Christmas 2016 Newsletter|url=http://www.bishopofmaidstone.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/Christmas-2016-Newsletter.pdf|website=bishopofmaidstone.org|accessdate=31 December 2016|date=December 2016|archive-date=31 December 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161231170612/http://www.bishopofmaidstone.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/Christmas-2016-Newsletter.pdf|url-status=dead}}</ref> By January 2018 there were 114 parishes with 53 receiving AEO,<ref name="bishopofmaidstone.org">{{Cite web | url=http://www.bishopofmaidstone.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/Christmas-2017-Newsletter.pdf | title=Christmas Newsletter | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180108233520/http://www.bishopofmaidstone.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/Christmas-2017-Newsletter.pdf | archive-date=2018-01-08}}</ref> and by January 2019 there were 133 parishes with 63 receiving AEO.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web|url=https://www.bishopofmaidstone.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/Newsletter-Advent-2018-final-version.pdf |title=Bishop of Maidstone's Newsletter |website=www.bishopofmaidstone.org|access-date=2019-01-12}}</ref>

Thomas is additionally an honorary assistant bishop in the dioceses of Birmingham, Bristol, Canterbury, Chelmsford, Chester, Ely, Exeter, Lichfield, London, Manchester, Norwich, Oxford, Rochester, Sheffield and Southwark.<ref name=":0" /><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.churchtimes.co.uk/articles/2017/4-august/gazette/appointments/appointments|title=Appointments|website=www.churchtimes.co.uk|access-date=2018-01-10}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.dioceseofnorwich.org/article?id=2449 |title=Bishop of Maidstone becomes an Assistant Bishop in the Diocese (Diocese of Norwich) |access-date=2018-01-10 |archive-date=2018-01-11 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180111052729/https://www.dioceseofnorwich.org/article?id=2449 |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.bishopofmaidstone.org/licensing-assistant-bishop-rochester-diocese/|title=Licensing as Assistant Bishop in Rochester Diocese - The Bishop of Maidstone|website=www.bishopofmaidstone.org|language=en-GB|access-date=2018-01-10}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.bishopofmaidstone.org/bishop-rod-to-be-assistant-bishop-in-growing-number-of-dioceses/|title=Bishop Rod to be Assistant Bishop in Growing Number of Dioceses - The Bishop of Maidstone|website=www.bishopofmaidstone.org|language=en-GB|access-date=2018-01-10}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.crockford.org.uk/people/30977/the-rt-revd-rod-(roderick-charles-howell)-thomas|title=The Rt Revd Roderick Charles Howell THOMAS|website=www.crockford.org.uk|access-date=2019-01-12}}</ref> Thomas additionally is recorded as exercising AEO in the dioceses of Carlisle, Derby and Portsmouth, but is not listed by Crockford's as exercising AEO in those dioceses.<ref name=":0" />

In January 2022, it was announced that Thomas would retire as Bishop of Maidstone on 2 October 2022.<ref>{{cite web |title=The Bishop of Maidstone – Welcome |url=https://bishopofmaidstone.org/ |website=bishopofmaidstone.org |access-date=15 January 2022 |quote=The Bishop of Maidstone, the Rt Rev’d Rod Thomas, has announced his intention to retire on 2nd October 2022.}}</ref>

In July 2024, he was commissioned by the Church of England Evangelical Council as an "overseer" to provided alternative spiritual oversight (not to be confused with the Church of England's official alternative episcopal oversight) to evangelical clergy and parishes in the Church of England who maintain traditional teaching on the doctrine of marriage and sexual ethics, following the General Synod's support for the introduction of a service of blessing for same sex couples.<ref>{{cite web |title=CEEC commissions first set of overseers |url=https://ceec.info/ceec-commissions-first-set-of-overseers/ |website=ceec.info |publisher=The Church of England Evangelical Council |access-date=13 July 2024 |date=12 July 2024}}</ref>

==Views== Thomas has been described as a complementarian evangelical and as a conservative evangelical.<ref>{{cite web|last1=Gatiss|first1=Lee|title=Topical Tuesday: Bishop Rod Thomas|url=http://churchsociety.org/blog/entry/topical_tuesday_bishop_rod_thomas|website=Church Society|accessdate=10 July 2015|date=5 May 2015|archive-date=11 July 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150711090155/http://churchsociety.org/blog/entry/topical_tuesday_bishop_rod_thomas|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|last1=Gledhill|first1=Ruth|title='Male headship' campaigner appointed as CofE bishop|url=http://www.christiantoday.com/article/male.headship.campaigner.appointed.as.cofe.bishop/53349.htm|website=Christian Today|accessdate=31 December 2016|date=5 May 2015}}</ref> He has expressed his support for the Nashville Statement, describing it as a "wonderfully clear statement about God's design for His creation insofar as it relates to marriage, sexual relationships and gender identity".<ref name="Sept 2017 Newsletter">{{cite web|url=http://www.bishopofmaidstone.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/Newsletter-Sep-2017.pdf|title=September 2017 Newsletter|date=September 2017|website=bishopofmaidstone.org|accessdate=27 September 2017}}</ref>

In 2006, it was announced that Jeffrey John (Dean of St Albans) had entered into a civil partnership with his male partner. Thomas replied to this news: "It is something that will only serve to deepen the crisis that the Church of England faces over the whole issue of human sexuality."<ref>{{cite web|title=Gay cleric's 'wedding' to partner|url=https://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/england/beds/bucks/herts/5236132.stm|website=BBC News|access-date=2 November 2015|date=1 August 2006}}</ref> He stated in December 2016: "I continue to believe that God's Word is clear that sexual intimacy should be experienced only within heterosexual marriage and not otherwise".<ref name="auto"/>

==Personal life== In 1981, Thomas married Lesley Easton.<ref name="Who's Who 2017">{{cite web|title=MAIDSTONE, Bishop Suffragan of|url=http://www.ukwhoswho.com/view/article/oupww/whoswho/U283991|website=Who's Who 2017|publisher=Oxford University Press|accessdate=10 January 2017|date=November 2016}}</ref> They have three children: two sons and one daughter.<ref name="GOV - Suffragan Bishop of Maidstone: Roderick Charles Howell Thomas" />

==References== {{Reflist|30em}}

==External links== * {{official website|http://www.bishopofmaidstone.org}}

{{s-start}} {{s-rel|en}} {{s-bef|before=Graham Cray<br/>as Bishop of Maidstone}} {{s-ttl|title=Bishop of Maidstone|years=2015–2022}} {{s-aft|after=Rob Munro<br/>as PEV for complementarian parishes}} {{s-end}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Thomas, Roderick Charles Howell}} Category:1954 births Category:Living people Category:20th-century evangelicals Category:21st-century Church of England bishops Category:21st-century evangelicals Category:Alumni of the London School of Economics Category:Alumni of Wycliffe Hall, Oxford Category:Anglican realignment people Category:Bishops of Maidstone Category:British evangelicals Category:British Plymouth Brethren Category:Converts to Anglicanism Category:Evangelical Anglican bishops Category:Former Plymouth Brethren Category:People from the London Borough of Ealing