Since 2001, the average Sunday attendance in the Diocese of Huron has been declining at a rate of 3.13% per year, so the new bishop has an interesting time ahead of him.

It will come as no surprise that his sympathies align with his predecessor, Linda Nicholls. On his Facebook page we find this:

You can read all about his views and vision for the future here. Those with the stamina to wade through the clichés and boilerplate will discover that Townshend thinks he has too many white English-speaking people among his parishioners. Imagine the outrage if he had said “black” instead of “white”.  He is himself white and speaks English – well, Canadian, at least so unless his first act is to resign, it seems to be a case of the pot calling the kettle white.

I would go so far as to say that the “flock that is Huron” suffers from a painful lack of diversity when compared to the Anglican Communion world-wide. In terms of language and ethnicity, most churches in our diocese are more “white” and “english” than the Church of England! We can cherish parts of that heritage but we’ll be much better off if we can insist on transforming our communities, wherever possible, so that the proportion of “white” and “english” is better balanced by a more prominent place for the presence of our indigenous sisters and brothers and, generally, if we make a strong move towards a rainbow of colours and the sound of many languages (and music!) in our churches. This would better reflect the genius of God’s human population and the creative potential of “difference” in the Christian body.