The Reverend Tom Mumford has been appointed Chaplain to support the Bishop of Selby in her role as Lead Bishop for the Diocese of York. In this new role, Tom will be responsible for providing the Bishop with spiritual, liturgical, administrative, strategic and practical support, and sharing in pastoral oversight.
Welcoming Tom to the role, the Bishop of Selby, the Rt Revd Flora Winfield, said: “Tom brings to this new role a strong commitment to the parochial ministry of the Church of England, a profound sense of God’s work in his own life and a prayerful approach to the Church’s pastoral mission and theological vocation. I am looking forward very much to working with Tom, and to the rich contribution he will make to our ministry together in the diocese, in support of parishes and deaneries.”
The Revd Tom Mumford is currently the Vicar of Ipswich Minster and Assistant Area Dean of Ipswich in Suffolk. He also serves the wider diocese as Diocesan Interfaith Advisor, leads on the Suffolk Ministry Development Programme, and is a member of the Bishop’s Council and the DBF finance committee. As well as serving as a parish priest for the last seven years, Tom is also a Non-Executive Director of the University of Suffolk, a fellow of the Westminster Abbey Institute, and holds other church and charity roles both locally and nationally.
Based at Bishopthorpe, Tom will join the team there and in the Diocese of York in mid-March. This role, in common with the bishops and their support staff, is funded nationally by the Church Commissioners.
Tom said: “York was the place I first explored the Christian faith in my early 20s and discovered not only the love of God in Jesus Christ, but also a sense of call to be a priest. It will be a wrench to leave Ipswich and parish ministry where I have enjoyed some extraordinary years, but I feel as if I am being called to return to my spiritual home, both to support the mission and ministry of the diocese, and also of my wife as she explores her own call to be a parish priest. I am excited to see what God has in store for us all in the coming years, and I look forward to meeting the bishops, clergy, staff and people, and serving you all, so that together we may know more fully what it means for us to live Christ’s story.”
