A rural evangelist, educated in the county of Shropshire, has been named as the next Bishop of Shrewsbury, to succeed the Rt Revd Dr Alan Smith, who has become Bishop of St Albans.

The Revd Canon Mark Rylands, currently Canon Missioner of Exeter serving the county of Devon, will be consecrated at Westminster Abbey on 28 October and formally installed as Bishop of Shrewsbury at a special service in Lichfield Cathedral on Sunday 1 November.

Although Mark was schooled in Shropshire – first at Packwood Haugh, in Ruyton Xl Towns and then at Shrewsbury School – he was brought up in rural Cheshire, where is father was a clergyman.

He studied Anthropology and English at Durham University, and through his involvement with both the Anglo-Catholic chaplaincy and evangelical Christian Union, developed a broad churchmanship.

While at Durham he attended St Nicholas’ church, where his vicar was the future Archbishop of Canterbury, George Carey, who went on to become principal of Trinity Theological College, Bristol, where Mark trained for the priesthood.

It was at Trinity that Mark met his wife, Amanda, who was also studying for the ordained ministry. Amanda currently works as the director of ordinands and Bishop’s adviser for women’s ministry in the Exeter Diocese and serves as a Prebendary at Exeter Cathedral.

Mark’s appointment has been welcomed by the Archdeacon of Salop, the Ven John Hall, who said: ‘It’s good news that we have a new bishop who not only knows Shrophire, but who is also steeped in rural ministry. He certainly will not have a problem in finding his way around.