New Bishop of Aston

Birmingham Churches Together is celebrating with the Church of England Birmingham, which has announced the appointment of the Revd Canon Esther Prior as next Bishop of Aston. Esther will be consecrated as Bishop in the early months of 2025 before commencing her ministry with the Church of England Birmingham. Born in Malawi, Esther will come to this diocese from the Anglican Diocese of Guildford, where she is currently serving as the Vicar of St John’s, Egham. Further information about Esther’s ministry to date can be found HERE.

Bishop of Birmingham, the Right Revd Michael Volland writes, ‘I am delighted to announce Esther’s appointment and I thank God for sending her to be among us as the next Bishop of Aston. Esther is a person of lively faith in Jesus Christ and comes to us with a breadth and depth of ministerial experience. Her gifts will be a great blessing to the people of Birmingham and the wider region. Esther shares my vision for abiding in Christ, understanding that it is only as we do this that we can bear fruit in our parishes and oversight areas. I look forward to serving alongside Esther and I am confident she will be a wise and encouraging senior colleague to our clergy and congregations. Please do join me in praying that God will bless and strengthen her and the family, as they prepare to join us in the new year.’

Esther expressed her enthusiasm about joining the CofE Birmingham, saying, ‘I thank God for the opportunity to serve as the Bishop of Aston. Faith in Jesus Christ — especially in this Advent season — motivates me to look forward with hope and joy. I look forward to getting to know and love the communities of the Church of England Birmingham in the months to come.’

Read the announcement on the Church of England Birmingham’s website HERE.