Rob Munro (bishop)

Munro was born on 8 May 1963 in Manchester, England.{{cite web |title=The Rev Rob Munro named as next Bishop of Ebbsfleet |url=https://www.churchofengland.org/media-and-news/press-releases/rev-rob-munro-named-next-bishop-ebbsfleet |publisher=Church of England |access-date=7 February 2023 |date=12 September 2022}} He was raised as an atheist{{cite web |title=Rev Dr Rob Munro General Synod Election Address |url=https://d3hgrlq6yacptf.cloudfront.net/5f20800211eb6/content/pages/documents/rob-munro.pdf |access-date=7 February 2023 |date=2021}} and converted to Christianity through the youth ministry of St Mary's Cheadle. Munro received a degree in maths at the University of Bristol. After university, he moved to London to study in the ministry training scheme at All Souls Langham Place, then known as All Souls College of Applied Theology. While at All Souls, Munro taught part-time at All Souls School. He returned to Manchester for teacher training at the University of Manchester and taught maths and physical education in Hazel Grove.

After a call to ordained ministry, Munro trained for ordination at Oak Hill College, a conservative evangelical theological college.{{Crockford| surname = Munro | forenames = Robert Speight | id =14199 | accessed = 7 February 2023}} He graduated with a Bachelor of Arts (BA) degree in theology and pastoral studies in 1993.{{cite web |title=Ebbsfleet, Bishop Suffragan of, (Rt Rev. Dr Robert Speight Munro) (born 8 May 1963) |url=http://www.ukwhoswho.com/view/article/oupww/whoswho/U297973 |website=Who's Who 2024 |publisher=Oxford University Press |access-date=14 December 2023 |language=en |date=1 December 2023}} He later studied for a doctorate from the Reformed Theological Seminary in the United States, graduating with a Doctor of Ministry (DMin) degree in 2008.

Munro was ordained in the Church of England as a deacon in 1993 and as a priest in 1994. He first served his curacy at St John's Church, Hartford, in the Diocese of Chester. In 1997, he became rector of St Wilfrid's Church, Davenham, and in 2003 he returned to St Mary's Cheadle with St Cuthbert's as rector.{{cite news |last1=Thornton |first1=Ed |title=Rob Munro, next Bishop of Ebbsfleet, appointed to serve conservative Evangelicals in the C of E |url=https://www.churchtimes.co.uk/articles/2022/16-december/news/uk/rob-munro-new-bishop-of-ebbsfleet-appointed-to-serve-conservative-evangelicals-in-the-c-of-e |access-date=7 February 2023 |work=Church Times |date=9 December 2022}} He was additionally rural dean for Cheadle from 2016 to 2023.

In addition to his service in parish ministry, Munro held several positions in church leadership, including: chairman of the House of Clergy in the Diocese of Chester; an elected member of the General Synod of the Church of England from 2005 to 2022; a member of the Dioceses' Commission; and a council member of the Latimer Trust, the Church of England Evangelical Council and the Church Society. As a leader of the Fellowship of Word and Spirit (FWS), Munro supported the 2018 merger of FWS and Reform into the Church Society to unite English conservative evangelicals.{{cite news |last1=Wyatt |first1=Tim |title=Three of the largest Evangelical groups in the Church of England merge |url=https://www.churchtimes.co.uk/articles/2018/23-february/news/uk/three-largest-evangelical-groups-church-of-england-merge |work=Church Times |date=23 February 2018}}

In September 2022, Munro was announced as the next Bishop of Ebbsfleet, taking over the portfolio of alternative episcopal oversight held by the retired Bishop of Maidstone, Rod Thomas. On 2 February 2023, Munro was consecrated a bishop by Justin Welby at Canterbury Cathedral during the same service as Jane Mainwaring and Martin Gainsborough. The women bishops present did not take part in the laying on of hands for Munro,{{cite news |last1=Martin |first1=Francis |title=Canterbury Cathedral U-turn over livestreaming 'particular' consecrations |url=https://www.churchtimes.co.uk/articles/2023/3-february/news/uk/canterbury-cathedral-u-turn-over-livestreaming-particular-consecrations |access-date=7 February 2023 |work=Church Times |date=31 January 2023}} and Welby was only assisted by two other male bishops as co-consecrators (Mark Tanner, Bishop of Chester, and Jonathan Gibbs, Bishop of Rochester).

At the time of Munro's consecration, 148 resolution churches had passed resolutions requesting alternative episcopal oversight from the Bishop of Maidstone or his successor.

As of October 2024, Munro is an honorary assistant bishop in 10 dioceses: Blackburn, Sheffield, London, Oxford, Chelmsford, Chester, Durham, Southwark, Peterborough and Bath and Wells.{{Crockford| surname = Munro | forenames = Robert Speight | id = 14199 | accessed = 13 October 2024}}

Munro came into office as the General Synod was discussing Anglican bishops' approval (through the Living in Love and Faith process) of same-sex blessings in the Church of England and revisiting the restrictions imposed on gay clergy in same-sex marriages or civil partnerships.{{cite news |title=Anglican Head Opens Church Meeting With Call For Unity |url=https://www.barrons.com/news/anglican-head-opens-church-meeting-with-call-for-unity-01675698910?refsec=topics_afp-news |access-date=7 February 2023 |work=Barron's |agency=Agence France Presse |date=6 February 2023}} Munro commented that the General Synod debate:

{{blockquote|"could threaten to break our unity on the doctrine of marriage, redefine our sanctity with respect to holiness and sexual activity, undermine our catholicity having little obvious regard for the wider Anglican Communion or beyond, and jeopardis[e] our apostolicity with respect to the clear teaching of Scripture. [...] Our received doctrine of marriage, in accordance with Scripture, is that '[...] the union of one man and one woman marriage is in its nature a union permanent and lifelong, for better for worse, till death them do part, of one man with one woman, to the exclusion of all others on either side" (Canon B30), and that includes understanding that 'sexual intercourse, as an expression of faithful intimacy, properly belongs within marriage exclusively' (1999 House of Bishops teaching document Marriage: A Teaching Document). Any move away from this understanding will have serious consequences for our Anglican communion and our mission. It is a serious concern that some recent public pronouncements appear to be at variance with this."{{cite web |title=Ebbsfleet Newsletter |url=https://www.bishopofebbsfleet.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/Ebbsfleet-Newsletter-5-Feb-2023.pdf |publisher=Bishop of Ebbsfleet |access-date=7 February 2023 |pages=2, 4 |date=February 2023}}}}

In December 2023, following the General Synod vote to commend and the subsequent introduction of prayers and blessings for same-sex relationships, he expressed his "great sorrow" and stated that it was a "serious error" that risks "misleading them about issues of sin and salvation".{{cite web |title=Bishop's Statement and Ad Clerum: Guidance on Prayers of Love and Faith |url=https://www.bishopofebbsfleet.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/Ebbsfleet-Ad-Clerum-Dec-2023.pdf |website=bishopofebbsfleet.org |access-date=14 December 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231214133519/https://www.bishopofebbsfleet.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/Ebbsfleet-Ad-Clerum-Dec-2023.pdf |archive-date=14 December 2023 |date=12 December 2023}} In a letter to the clergy under his supervision, Munro strongly recommended against the use of the new prayers, arguing that they have questionable legal status, are a potential confusion of Biblical teachings, and lack clear guidance for conscience; however, he also invited the clergy not to leave the Church of England and offered spiritual advice to those who may need it following the decision.{{Cite web |last=Conger |first=George |date=2023-12-13 |title=Three no's from Ebbsfleet on PLF |url=https://anglican.ink/2023/12/13/three-nos-from-ebbsfleet-on-plf/ |access-date=2024-06-27 |website=Anglican Ink © 2024 |language=en-US}}

Munro is married to Sarah; they have three adult children.

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Category:Living people

Category:Bishops of Ebbsfleet

Category:British evangelicals

Category:Alumni of Oak Hill College

Category:Alumni of the University of Bristol

Category:Alumni of the University of Manchester

Category:Reformed Theological Seminary alumni

Category:21st-century Church of England bishops

Category:Evangelical Anglican bishops

Category:1963 births