The Rev Canon Tim Dakin currently heads the Church Mission Society

THE new Bishop of Winchester is to be the Rev Canon Tim Dakin, who currently leads the Church Mission Society, Downing Street announced today.

He pledged to bring with him to the role a passion for mission and a longing to see the church grow and have an impact in daily life.
‘As Christians, our greatest communication challenge is to show, by what we do and who we are, that our faith is not primarily about what we do in church buildings but about how we live day by day,’ he said.

Canon Dakin, who is 53, will replace the Right Rev Michael Scott-Joynt, who retired in May after 16 years in the post.
Due to be consecrated as the 97th Bishop of Winchester in January, he will take up the role in the spring of 2012.

As the Channel Islands are part of the Church of England’s Diocese of Winchester, Canon Dakin will become the Bishop of this area. Currently living in Berkshire with his wife, Sally, who is a midwife and an associate priest, and their two children, Canon Dakin said today that the appointment had been a great surprise and he was both humbled and delighted.

Full story in Wednesday’s JEP