Bishop of Lincoln Stephen Conway resigns; see vacant Oct. 1
The Church of England announced on Sept. 21, 2026, that the Right Reverend Stephen Conway has resigned as Bishop of Lincoln. The see becomes vacant on Oct. 1. The Diocese of Lincoln issued a matching statement. He was suspended from ministry in February 2026 while a complaint to the National Safeguarding Team was handled under the House of Bishops Code of Practice, including referral of the complaint to the police. The complaint process is ongoing. Clergy remain subject to church disciplinary procedures after resignation or retirement. Bishop Nick Chamberlain continues as Acting Bishop of Lincoln.
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The Right Reverend Stephen Conway has resigned as Bishop of Lincoln, the Church of England said in a media statement dated Sept. 21, 2026. The see will become vacant on Oct. 1. The Diocese of Lincoln published the same national announcement the same day.
According to the Church of England statement, Bishop Nick Chamberlain will continue as Acting Bishop of Lincoln. A Crown Nominations Commission will be convened in due course to discern the next Bishop of Lincoln.
The statement says Bishop Stephen Conway was suspended from ministry in February 2026 while a complaint made to the National Safeguarding Team was responded to according to the House of Bishops Code of Practice. This included referring the complaint to the police. The complaint process is ongoing. Clergy remain subject to church disciplinary procedures following resignation or retirement.
The national and diocesan pages also point to independent Safe Spaces support — helpline 0300 303 1056 and safespacesenglandandwales.org.uk — and to diocesan and National Safeguarding Team contacts for those distressed by the announcement.
No further particulars of the complaint appear in the official statements. None are added here.
Sources
The Church of England: Bishop of Lincoln resigns (Sep 21, 2026)
https://www.churchofengland.org/media/news-and-press-releases/bishop-lincoln-resignsDiocese of Lincoln: Announcement regarding the resignation of the Bishop of Lincoln, the Rt Revd Stephen Conway (Sep 21, 2026)
https://www.lincoln.anglican.org/news/announcement-regarding-the-resignation-of-the-bishop-of-lincoln-the-rt-revd-stephen-conway/
Corrections and updates
- Update, September 21, 2026: Wording from the Church of England media statement of Sept. 21 and the Diocese of Lincoln page carrying the same national announcement the same day. No allegation details beyond those pages. Live national page was opened. The diocesan page returned 403 to a browser-like request and opened under a crawler user agent. No Wayback snapshots were found. Save Page Now required a login. No photo.