John Pritchard

Episcopal ministry In January 2002, Pritchard was consecrated as a bishop by David Hope, the Archbishop of York. In 2008, he supported the application by Muslims in Oxford to broadcast the adhan from the minaret of a mosque. As a result, he received hostile comments and letters of complaint.

John Pritchard retired as Bishop of Oxford on 31 October 2014. In 2015, he was appointed an honorary assistant bishop of the Diocese of Durham.

On 11 February 2017, Pritchard was one of 14 retired bishops to sign an open letter to the then-serving bishops of the Church of England. In an unprecedented move, they expressed their opposition to the House of Bishops' report to General Synod on sexuality, which recommended no change to the church's canons or practices around sexuality. By 13 February, a serving bishop (Alan Wilson, Bishop of Buckingham) and nine further retired bishops had added their signatures; on 15 February, the report was rejected by synod.

Personal life Pritchard married Wendy, a graduate of St Hugh's College, Oxford, in 1972. The couple have two daughters, Amanda, former Chief Executive of NHS England, and Nicola. Following retirement Pritchard and his wife live in Richmond, North Yorkshire.

Styles The Reverend John Pritchard (1972–1996) The Venerable John Pritchard (1996–2002) The Right Reverend John Pritchard (2002–present)

Writings Practical Theology in Action, SPCK (1996), The Intercessions Handbook, SPCK (1997), Beginning Again, SPCK (2000), Living the Gospel Stories Today, SPCK (2001), How to Pray, SPCK (2002), The Second Intercessions Handbook, SPCK (2004), Living Easter Through the Year, SPCK (2005), How to Explain Your Faith, SPCK (2006), The Life and Work of a Priest, SPCK (2007) Going to Church, SPCK (2009) God Lost and Found, SPCK (2011) Living Faithfully: Following Christ in Everyday Life (2013) Why Christianity Makes Sense, SPCK (2014) , eBook How Do I Pray?: A Little Book Of Guidance (SPCK, 2015) Something More: Encountering the Beyond in the Everyday (SPCK, 2016) Five Events that Made Christianity: Christmas, Good Friday, Easter, Ascension and Pentecost (SPCK, 2018) Why Go to Church?: A Little Book Of Guidance (SPCK, 2019) Twenty Questions Jesus Asked: And How They Speak To Us Today (SPCK, 2022)