The Revd Stephen Tranter has been announced as the new Diocesan Director of Ordinands and Vocations in the Diocese of Newcastle.
Stephen, who originally carried out his missionary training in Berwick-upon-Tweed when his family worshipped at Holy Trinity Parish Church, is currently Team Rector of a five church benefice in Bolton, Greater Manchester. His team have a full range of ministries from ‘ALM’ to ‘Reader’ and ‘Ordained Local Minister’, and their support and development has been a key part of his role. Alongside this, he has served as Archdeaconry Chaplain of Readers, involved in the selection and support of Licensed Readers
Since ordination in 1999, Stephen has served in various roles in Blackburn and Manchester Dioceses and in 2016 took over his current role in Bolton. His incumbencies have been in inner urban, suburban and rural contexts.
Stephen has a passion for the discernment, encouragement, equipping and empowerment of Christian ministries both lay and ordained and ‘inside and outside of the church walls’, and he will bring a wealth of experience and prayerful wisdom to the Diocese’s lay and ordained vocations work.
Stephen’s role will be to build and develop a team of Assistant Diocesan Director of Ordinands to encourage and support people through discernment and training for ordained ministry, and to establish a Vocations Team which will support local churches and their leaders in raising awareness of the full range of ministry roles within Newcastle Diocese, and support people in their exploration of God’s call to ministry, lay and ordained.