THE new Bishop of Shrewsbury, Mark Rylands (48), has identified the ‘urgent task of making new disciples’ as the number one priority for churches, and has urged all Christians to get involved.

‘One of the things which excites me most about moving to the Lichfield Diocese is its emphasis and strategy on ‘Growing the Kingdom’ and growing the church,’ said Mark. ‘This task isn’t restricted to the clergy – we need to continually encourage lay ministers, youth workers, church wardens and the whole people of God to set about this task.

‘The role of a bishop seems to have got a bit more complicated with the extra red tape that has come in, but I hope to keep it simple and concentrate on the basics.

‘It seems that where the parish clergy are having to become more episcopal in overseeing more churches and helping people to discover their gifts, bishops need to become more apostolic, helping to share the faith, and make and grow new disciples. So I hope to be able to bring that to Shropshire, particularly with my passion for rural mission – seeing small churches grow and make a difference; and working together in mission with our partners in other churches.’

However, Mark, who is a Chelsea supporter, also has another mission in mind – to be on the winning side in a Church Times Cricket Cup Final.

‘I have now played in the final with three different dioceses – Chester, Bath and Wells and Exeter – and have lost in all three,’ said Mark, who reached his highest score ever – 158 not out – against Lichfield in the quarter finals in 2001.

‘It has been fascinating to watch the terrific progress of the Lichfield clergy team to this year’s semi-final. I look forward to playing for Lichfield next summer if selected, and one of the missionary aims will be to get to the final…and WIN.’

Coinciding with the announcement of Mark’s appointment, he and his wife Amanda, made a whistle-stop tour of the county, where they met scientists and technicians at Smartwater in Telford; inspected a new robotic milking parlour at a beef and dairy farm in Market Drayton run by Mrs Julie Anandale and her son Stephen; and ending with a nostalgic return visit to Shrewsbury School to meet Slovenian artist Maja Subic, who is painting a new permanent fresco of Charles Darwin in the school’s biology department.