After eight years as Bishop of St Andrews, Dunkeld and Dunblane, the Rt Rev Ian Paton is to stand down later this year as he retires from full-time ministry.
The news of Bishop Ian’s departure from the College of Bishops was announced at General Synod this month, when the Primus, Bishop Mark Strange, confirmed that he had received Bishop Ian’s letter of intention to stand down on All Saints’ Day, and paid brief tribute to his fellow Bishop in the first ‘farewell’ of the coming months.
Marking Bishop Ian’s final attendance as a member of General Synod, the Primus highlighted the Bishop’s role as a member of the College of Bishops, his work with the Liturgy Committee, and his ministry at Old St Paul’s in Edinburgh, where he was Rector for 21 years.
“Ian, you have worked tirelessly for this Church and we want to honour you for that and to thank you.
“There will be many other opportunities [ahead of retirement on 1 November] and you will become thoroughly fed up with this, but I had to say something today!”
In response, Bishop Ian thanked the Primus for his kind words and added: “Thank you everyone for your good wishes. I can hardly believe I have just attended my last Synod.
“I wish this Church every blessing that God can send it because this Church is a blessing to this land and its people. It has been a joy and a privilege to serve it and to serve you and to serve the people we serve together.
“If I would say one thing as I begin to approach stepping down from active ministry in this format, it is ‘be true to God and be true to one another’. Don’t conceal things that we have difficulty over but resolve them, and resolve them before God.
“May God bless you for many years to come.”
Bishop Ian, who was ordained in 1982 and priested the following year, started his ministry in Reading and became Chaplain to the Bishop of Oxford in 1984. Returning to the land of his ancestors, he moved north of the border to the Scottish Episcopal Church in 1990 as Vice-Provost of St Mary’s Cathedral in Edinburgh, then from 1994 he spent three years as Rector of Holy Trinity Haddington and St Anne’s Dunbar, before moving to Old St Paul’s on Jeffery Street in Edinburgh in 1997. During his time at Old St Paul’s he also spent years as Honorary Anglican Chaplain at the University of Edinburgh. He was consecrated Bishop of St Andrews, Dunkeld and Dunblane on 20 October 2018.
He is currently Convener of the Provincial Environment Committee and a member of the Institute Council, Faith & Order Board and Liturgy Committee.
(Picture courtesy of Diocese of St Andrews, Dunkeld & Dunblane)
