If you watched the installation of Sarah Mullally you’d have noticed a couple of occasions when the magnitude of what she was taking on almost overcame her. Not so much that she was the first woman to be Archbishop of Canterbury, but more that she had been called to be shepherd to an huge broken and divided family. I suspect, like many leaders in the Bible, she felt, “Who am I to be entrusted with this?” She made her commitment to Christ aged 16. She’s dyslexic, went to comprehensive school, Sixth Form college and polytechnic, and then began a career in nursing, specialising in cancer care – not your classic archbishop CV!
But maybe even then God was preparing her for this time, as she was spotted by the government in 1999 and appointed as the country’s Chief Nursing Officer. She was 37, married, mother of two and training for ordination in the evenings. In 2004 she resigned her well-paid post, and went through the normal curate, vicar/rector route. From there she went to a cathedral job, and then became an area bishop in Devon. Next she was appointed Bishop of London. And there she might have remained until retirement in six years’ time. However, she was called to be the Archbishop not only of the Church of England but first among Anglican churches worldwide. That calling is more than daunting – nearly 600 churches in England do not accept women in leadership; 12 archbishops from other countries boycotted her installation. Her predecessor, Justin Welby, resigned for the sake of the Church.
Last October after she’d been announced as the new Archbishop, she visited a local church and helped pack food parcels. She then addressed Canterbury Cathedral staff:
“Today as I respond to the call of Christ in this new ministry, I remain rooted in my first calling, to follow Christ, to know him and to make him known in the world. In the apparent chaos which surrounds us, in the midst of such profound global uncertainty, the possibility of healing lies in acts of kindness and love. With humility and grace we uphold and support those in need of our help. We do this to the best of our ability, in small ways and big, according to our own very particular gifts. That too is the service which I offer the church today.”
Not a bad mission statement at such a time as this!
Michael Wenham
This article originally appeared in the St John’s Messenger. If you would like to discuss contributing a future article please contact news@valebenefice.org.uk.
