New Presidents for Churches Together in England

Churches Together in England has announced the appointment of two new Presidents.

• Archbishop Nikitas of the Ecumenical Patriarchate Archdiocese of Thyateira and the United Kingdom will be its new Orthodox President, in place of Archbishop Angaelos of the Coptic Orthodox Diocese of London.
• Bishop Tedroy Powell of the Church of God of Prophecy will be its new Pentecostal and Charismatic President, in succession to Pastor Agu Irukwu, who was until recently the leader of the Redeemed Christian Church of God in the UK.

They will take up office in September 2021, joining the Most Revd Dr Justin Welby (Anglican Archbishop of Canterbury), Cardinal Vincent Nichols (Roman Catholic Archbishop of Westminster) and Revd Dr Hugh Osgood (Moderator of the Free Churches Group). CTE’s Fourth Presidency is currently not enacted.

About the new appointments, CTE’s General Secretary, Rev Dr Paul Goodliff, says, ‘Following in the footsteps of Archbishop Angaelos and Pastor Agu is no small challenge! They have both served the Presidency wonderfully well, but I am convinced that Archbishop Nikitas and Bishop Tedroy will more than meet that challenge. Although Archbishop Nikitas is relatively new to his appointment as Archbishop, every time I have met him I have grown in my appreciation of his many gifts — his ecumenical commitment and his passion for the mission of the church. Similarly with Bishop Tedroy, whose recent promotion of vaccine uptake among his own Church of God of Prophecy has been inspirational. He has played a full part in CTE’s Pentecostal and Charismatic Forum and I know him to be a person of deep faith and generous ecumenical commitment.’

Bishop Tedroy Powell, a signatory to the Birmingham Churches’ Time4Change anti-racism charter, will represent the Pentecostal and Charismatic churches for Churches Together in England. He says, ‘It is an honour, great privilege and a truly humbling experience to be selected to serve as one of the six presidents of Churches Together in England. As the Pentecostal and Charismatic President-elect, I congratulate Pastor Agu Irukwu, current incumbent, who has built on the foundations of his predecessors. I also acknowledge the tremendous work and accomplishments of the five other presidents, some of whom, I personally know and who are leaders whose ministries and lives I have admired. It is my aspiration and prayer that I can contribute the gifts, leadership experience and collaborative graces that God has bestowed upon me to fruition, in this sphere, as we serve the ecclesia of God, and our country in these uncertain times and seasons. Although uncertainty abounds, locally, nationally and globally, we the ecclesia of God have great opportunities to become even more transformational, building strategic constructs under the canopy of God’s grace, as salt and light, bringing hope and reconciliation to our troubled seas of humanity.’

CTE Principal Officer for Pentecostal, Charismatic and Multi-cultural Relations, Shermara Fletcher congratulated Bishop Powell by saying, ‘As Secretary to the Forum, I look forward to working closely with and supporting Bishop Tedroy Powell in his role as President. I pray it will be a fruitful tenure that will provide great leadership to the Pentecostal and Charismatic Forum and will navigate the challenges and opportunities ahead. Bishop Tedroy Powell is a great addition to the Presidential team at Churches Together in England and I look forward to the great impact he will have.’

Archbishop Nikitas says about his new role, ‘I am delighted to inaugurate my presidential tenure of Churches Together in England. Throughout my clerical ministry, ecumenical engagement and inter-Christian cooperation were always a personal priority and a major part of my diakonia. Now more than ever before, our world is in need of faith in action, and only through our own example will society experience the power of the message of salvation. Our world desires a culture of solidarity among all people, and most especially, among Christian sisters and brothers. Representing our Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople, the entire Orthodox Family and the Eastern Churches, I am ready to engage on every level with the boldness of Christian love and truth to sustain, strengthen, and increase our collaboration, cooperation, and Christian solidarity in England.’

Read the full announcement of the appointment of the new CTE Presidents HERE. Find out more about the Ecumenical Patriarchate Archdiocese of Thyateira and the United Kingdom HERE and about the Church of God of Prophecy via THIS LINK. The website of Churches Together in England is HERE.