Nick Baines (bishop)

Nick Baines (bishop)

Nicholas "Nick" Baines (born 13 November 1957, Liverpool) has been the Bishop of Bradford, the diocesan Anglican bishop in the Diocese of Bradford, since 21 May 2011.

Baines was educated at Holt Comprehensive School, Liverpool, before gaining a BA(Hons) degree in German and French at the University of Bradford. He worked as a linguist at GCHQ for four years prior to training for ordination at Trinity College, Bristol, where he gained a BA(Hons) in theological studies.

Baines was ordained as a deacon in 1987 and a priest in 1988. His first appointments were as assistant curate at St Thomas' Kendal and St Catherine's Crook. He then moved to Leicester, becoming briefly associate minister of Holy Trinity, Leicester, and then Vicar of Rothley (1992-2000), during which time he was also chaplain to an adult mental health unit, before becoming Rural Dean of Goscote in 1995. In 2000, Baines became the Archdeacon of Lambeth in the Diocese of Southwark. He also oversaw the diocese's children and youth policies and was a member of the General Synod of the Church of England from 1995 until 2005. Baines was then appointed Bishop of Croydon in 2003, succeeding Wilfred Wood. He was consecrated by the Archbishop of Canterbury at St Paul's Cathedral and installed in Southwark Cathedral on 8 May 2003.

Baines is an experienced broadcaster, regularly appearing on Pause for Thought on BBC Radio 2. While in Leicester he used to broadcast regularly on BBC Radio Leicester and Leicester Sound and twice received a commendation in the Andrew Cross Awards for religious broadcasting.

He has written six books: Hungry for Hope (1991, DLT), Speedbumps & Potholes (2004, St Andrew Press), Jesus & People Like Us (2004, St Andrew Press, later revised and republished in 2008 as Scandal of Grace), Marking Time (2005, St Andrew Press), Finding Faith (2008, St Andrew Press), Why Wish You a Merry Christmas (Church House Publishing 2009). Speedbumps & Potholes and Finding Faith have been translated into German (Am Rande bemerkt and In hoechsten Toenen, respectively).

In 1980, Baines married Linda. They have three children: Richard (1981), Melanie (1984) and Andrew (1988).