Revd Preb Dr Jane Tillier was elected on 10thOctober to represent the West Midlands at the House of Bishops. The Diocesan Adviser for Women in Ministry, she is one of eight women nationwide who will attend the House of Bishops as Regional Representatives, a new role open only to female clergy.
Prebendary Tillier was elected by the West Midlands Regional Electoral College, comprising ten women from five dioceses: Worcester, Hereford, Birmingham, Coventry and Lichfield.
Our God is indeed a God of surprises! Tillier said. I am honoured and delighted to be entrusted with this regional role at such an exciting time in the history of the Church of England. My hope and prayer is that the presence of the eight women reps at meetings of the House of Bishops will be good news both for our senior male colleagues and for the world we serve in Jesus' name.
In a joint statement, the electoral college members said: We met in a spirit of prayerful discernment, and had an open conversation about our hopes for the life and wellbeing of the whole church, listening attentively to each other, and to the Spirit of God. It was a privilege and joy to be part of it, and the constructive and optimistic conversation demonstrated that we are in a very different position to where we were at the time of the General Synod vote last year. We are grateful for the Bishops decision to admit eight women to their meetings and we recognise the opportunity this gives to re-imagine the church.
Prebendary Tillier will attend her first meeting of the House of Bishops in December. The House of Bishops is one of the three Houses of the General Synod, the national assembly of the Church of England.