Nick Mercer

British Anglican priest (born 1949)

  • Selwyn College, Cambridge
  • Spurgeon's College
  • London Bible College
  • Cranmer Hall, Durham

Nicholas Stanley Mercer (born 25 December 1949) is a British Anglican priest who was the Vicar general for the Diocese of London from 2007 to 2017;[1] he was additionally Archdeacon of London from 2014 until 2016.[2]

Early life and education

Mercer was born on Christmas Day 1949 and raised at Shoreham-by-Sea, one of seven children in a family living in a small three-bedroom home, and was a member of the town's local Baptist church.[3] He was named Nicholas after Saint Nicholas of Myra, Santa Claus.[3] He was educated at primary school in his home town, Worthing High School,[3] and Selwyn College, Cambridge, graduating Bachelor of Arts in 1972 (and Master of Arts in 1976).[4] Remaining at Selwyn College, he studied for, and was awarded, the Postgraduate Certificate in Education as a qualified teacher in 1973.[4]

Early career

Following a short spell of teaching at Lancing College,[3] an independent boarding school located close to his family home, he enrolled at Spurgeon's College, graduating with a second BA degree in 1978.[4] He entered the ministry of the Baptist denomination,[3] beginning as a student minister at a large Baptist church in Enfield, north London,[5] and subsequently as Assistant Minister at Upton Vale Baptist Church, Torquay; later studying at London Bible College (where he was the Laing Scholar), obtaining a Master of Philosophy degree in 1986.[4][3]

Church of England

Mercer's theological studies eventually led him from the Baptist Union into the Church of England, where he self-identified as an anglo-catholic, later stating that he had been a "closet anglo-catholic" since his university days at Selwyn College.[3] Following training at Cranmer Hall, Durham, he was ordained as a deacon in 1995, and as a priest shortly afterwards, in the same year.[4] In his autobiography, published in the anthology "The post-evangelical debate" (1997), Mercer speaks of a growing realisation that he was no longer a conservative evangelical, despite his continued deep Biblical faith.[3] After curacies in Northwood Hills and Pimlico he was Director of Ministry for the Diocese of London from 2003 to 2007. He was Diocesan Director of Ordinands (overseeing a team of Directors) from 2007 to 2017. He was a Prebendary of St Paul's Cathedral from 2008 (around the time of his appointment as Vicar general) to 2017. He was also honorary priest in charge of St Botolph-without-Bishopsgate in the City of London from 2015 to 2016.[6]

He retired in 2017, on reaching the customary Church of England retirement age of 68 years.[4] He was appointed an emeritus Prebendary of St Paul's cathedral, and an emeritus Archdeacon of London, on his retirement.[7]

References

  • iconChristianity portal
  1. ^ called "Vicar General to the London College of Bishops" > Diocese of London – Vicar General to the London College of Bishops, the Revd Preb Nick Mercer (Archive accessed 10 April 2016)
  2. ^ London Anglican
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h Cray, Graham (1997). The post-evangelical debate (First ed.). Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge. ISBN 0281051089.
  4. ^ a b c d e f "The Ven Nicholas Stanley MERCER". Crockford's Clerical Directory. Retrieved 18 April 2018.
  5. ^ "History". Suffolks Baptist Church. Retrieved 18 April 2018.
  6. ^ "Nicholas Stanley Mercer". Crockford's Clerical Directory (online ed.). Church House Publishing. Retrieved 10 April 2016.
  7. ^ Mercer, Nicholas. "Words in a particular order". Nick Mercer. Retrieved 18 April 2018.
Church of England titles
Preceded by Archdeacon of London
2014–2015 		Succeeded by
  • v
  • t
  • e
Archdeacons of London and of Charing Cross
High Medieval
Late Medieval
Early modern
Late modern
Charing Cross
  • v
  • t
  • e
Office holders
Diocesan bishop
Area bishops
Other suffragan bishops
Deans and senior priests
Archdeacons
Historic offices
Historic residences