The See of Ebbsfleet - its history
The See of Ebbsfleet is named after Ebbsfleet in Thanet, Kent, and is referenced by Bede in his Ecclesiastical History as the landing place of St Augustine in 597AD in his mission from Pope Gregory 1st to convert the Anglo-Saxons of Kent to Christianity.
The See was initially erected on 8th Feb 1994 by an Order in Council under the Suffragans Nomination Act 1888, and licensed by the Archbishop of Canterbury, to provide provincial episcopal oversight of Traditionalist Anglo-Catholic parishes who do not receive the sacramental ministry of priests or bishops who are women. The role then served 13 dioceses in the West of the Province of Canterbury, but after the resignation of the 5th Bishop of Ebbsfleet in 2021, it was announced that oversight of those parishes would now be taken by a new Bishop of Oswestry, suffragan to the Bishop of Lichfield. It was also announced that churches formerly under the episcopal care of the Bishop of Maidstone would, from January 2023, now be placed under the care of a new Bishop of Ebbsfleet.
Since the consecration of Bishop Rob in February 2023, the See of Ebbsfleet now serves as the “Resolution Bishop” for conservative evangelical parishes who have requested provision for their biblical complementarian convictions about the distinctive roles of men and women in the family and in the Church. This role was formerly served by the Bishop of Maidstone, Rod Thomas, having been set up in 2015 following the House of Bishops Declaration in 2014 that recognised the need for at least one complementarian Conservative Evangelical bishop to ‘sustain the necessary climate of trust’ and ‘provide a voice’ for complementarian convictions in the Church.
The Bishop of Ebbsfleet now serves over 150 churches in 32 of the 42 dioceses across both provinces of the Church of England, holding an Honorary Assistant bishop in nearly half of them, to provide extended episcopal and sacramental care as requested by the relevant Diocesan bishops, and to be an advocate and voice for complementarian evangelical Christians in the episcopal ministry of the Church of England.
Details on the rationale for the role may be found HERE
A Brief Personal History
Born in Manchester, Rob Munro came to faith as an 18 year old, through the ministry of the Church he later went on to serve as Rector, St Mary’s Cheadle. After a degree in Maths at Bristol University, he moved to London for two years to study at All Souls College of Applied Theology, while working part-time as a teaching assistant at All Souls school.
He went on to train as a teacher at Manchester University before working as a Maths and PE teacher in Hazel Grove, Greater Manchester.
He later trained for the ministry at Oak Hill Theological College in London and was ordained priest in 1994, serving his title at St John the Baptist, Hartford, in the Diocese of Chester. In 1997, he was appointed Rector of St Wilfrid, Davenham, and in 2003, he followed a calling to his post as Rector of St Mary’s Cheadle with St Cuthbert’s, where he served as Rector for nearly 20 years. During his time there he completed his doctorate from Reformed Theological Seminary, USA.
He has served on the Church of England’s General Synod and was a member of the Dioceses’ Commission, as well as serving the maximum three terms as Chair of Clergy for Chester Diocese. He is a vice-president of CPAS, vice-chair of Church Society (being a former chair of the Fellowship of Word and Spirit), and is on the Council of the Latimer Trust.
He is married to Sarah. They have three adult children and a dog. He enjoys playing music, reading, playing computer games with the family and until recently wood-carving (sadly cut short by an accident with a circular saw blade).