Bishop Nick is the Diocesan Bishop of Leeds.
The Right Reverend Nick Baines became the first Bishop of Leeds, an area covering West Yorkshire & the Dales in 2014. Bishop Nick was previously Bishop of Bradford (2011-14), and before that was Bishop of Croydon (in the Diocese of Southwark). He read German and French at Bradford University and, before ordination, worked for four years as a Russian linguist at GCHQ.
Bishop Nick has a particular expertise and passion for communication and is known for his engagement with the media. He has 10,000 followers on Twitter and his blog – ‘Musings of a restless bishop’ – attracts between 500 and 2000 views every day – pulling in over 1.7 million views in the first five years. He’s frequently asked to comment nationally on topical issues and is regularly heard on the Chris Evans Show on Radio 2 and Thought for the Day on Radio 4. The extent of his writing includes comment pieces for broadsheet newspapers, popular books on Christian faith (he’s written six) and contributions to academic journals. He chairs the Sandford St Martin Trust which promotes excellence in religious broadcasting through the presentation of annual awards. Bishop Nick represented the Archbishop of Canterbury at international faith conferences and is the English Co-chair of the Meissen Commission which develops relationships between the Church of England and the Evangelical Church in Germany. He also preaches regularly at conferences in Germany – in German.
Bishop Nick is represented at meetings by the Venerable Jonathan Gough.