Picture: The newly appointed Chancellor for Rochester Diocese is David Willink (Photo courtesy of Lamb Chambers)
Bishop Jonathan Gibbs, the Bishop of Rochester, has appointed David Willink as the new Chancellor of Rochester. The Chancellor is the judge of the Consistory Court of the Diocese and determines matters of church law.
David has been Deputy, and then Acting, Chancellor of the Diocese of Rochester since 2022. He succeeds John Gallagher who retired as a Chancellor in September 2023.
The consistory courts are Courts of HM The King whose orders and judgments are enforceable in the High Court.
They deal mainly with the faculty jurisdiction – in essence a kind of ecclesiastical planning permission - relating to consecrated land and buildings, including Church of England churches and churchyards and the consecrated parts of local authority cemeteries, but also regarding memorials and valuable items belonging to churches.
A Chancellor is appointed so that the bishop is independent from the legal business of the Consistory Court. In all legal proceedings of the Consistory Court the Chancellor works with the Diocesan Registrar – a solicitor who acts as the Bishop’s legal officer - through whom all contact about legal matters should be made.
Bishop Jonathan says:
“I am delighted that David Willink has accepted my invitation to become Chancellor of the Diocese of Rochester. He has already served the Diocese for some time as Deputy Chancellor and has demonstrated both wisdom and efficiency in all that he has done on our behalf.
“David was appointed after a competitive search process, and by no means as a matter of course, despite having worked with us previously. He brings a wealth of legal expertise as well as a deep commitment to the Church of England.
“I and all my colleagues look forward very much to working with David in the years ahead and would like to assure him of our prayers and best wishes as he takes up this very significant appointment.”
Reflecting on his appointment, David says:
“It is a humbling honour to be asked to serve the Church, and the Diocese of Rochester, as Chancellor.
“As a barrister and a judge in the civil courts and the church’s courts, I do understand the mistrust that some people feel towards anything to do with the law. Decisions affecting the important buildings at the heart of our communities are legal decisions; but they should reflect the pastoral and missional concerns of the community as much as possible.
“That's why the consistory court of the diocese plays a vital role in ensuring that the church is in control of its own heritage, buildings and land, free from many secular constraints such as listed building controls.
“It is part of my personal ministry as the judge of that court, with the advice of the skilled and experienced members of the Diocesan Advisory Committee and the support of the Diocesan Registry, to help parishes to benefit from that freedom. In this way, communities can seek to adapt their churches and the ways they are used, so they might flourish in these changing times.
“As I answer my call and embark upon this office, I pray for the grace to fulfil it faithfully and diligently. I ask those who may be so inclined to pray for me as well.”
More about David
David Willink is a barrister in Lamb Chambers, practising and writing in the fields of civil and ecclesiastical law. He sits regularly in the County Court and Family Court as a Deputy District Judge.
He is the Deputy Chancellor of the Dioceses of Salisbury and St Albans, and has been the Deputy, and then Acting, Chancellor of the Diocese of Rochester since 2022.
Away from the law, he enjoys singing in church and chamber choirs.