Anne Dyer

The Right Reverend Anne Dyer
Bishop of Aberdeen and Orkney
Church	Scottish Episcopal Church
Diocese	Aberdeen and Orkney
Elected	9 November 2017
Installed	1 March 2018
Predecessor	Bob Gillies
Previous post(s)	Warden of Cranmer Hall, Durham (2005–2011)
Orders
Ordination	1987 (deacon) 1994 (priest)
Consecration	1 March 2018 by Mark Strange
Personal details
Born	February 1957 (age 67) Yorkshire, England
Denomination	Anglicanism
Spouse	Roger
Children	One daughter
Alma mater	St Anne's College, Oxford Wycliffe Hall, Oxford King's College, London

Anne Catherine Dyer (born February 1957) is a British Anglican bishop, previously an academic administrator.

In 2018, she became Bishop of Aberdeen and Orkney in the Scottish Episcopal Church. Subject to a report process, with a recommendation that she step aside permanently, then mediation, she was suspended from office on 10 August 2022 after allegations of misconduct were made against her. She was reinstated as Bishop of Aberdeen and Orkney 8 October 2024 after Clergy Disciplinary Tribunal was dismissed and her suspension ended.

Previously, from 2005 to 2011, she was the Warden of Cranmer Hall, Durham, a theological college of the Church of England. Thereafter, she was Rector of Holy Trinity Church, Haddington, East Lothian in the Diocese of Edinburgh (in the Scottish Episcopal Church) between 2011 and 2018.

Early life and education

Dyer was born in February 1957 in Bradford, Yorkshire, England. She was educated at Bradford Girls' Grammar School, an all-girls private school. She studied chemistry at St Anne's College, Oxford, graduating with a Bachelor of Arts (BA) degree: as per tradition, her BA was later promoted to a Master of Arts (MA Oxon) degree. She then worked as a business analyst/systems analyst at Unilever.

In 1984, Dyer entered Wycliffe Hall, Oxford, an Evangelical Anglican theological college, to train for ordained ministry. During this time, she also studied theology. She left theological college in 1987 to be ordained in the Church of England. She continued her theological studies, and completed a Master of Theology (MTh) degree at King's College, London in 1989.

Ordained ministry

Dyer was ordained in the Church of England as a deacon in 1987 and as a priest in 1994. All Dyer's parish ministry in the Church of England was spent in the Diocese of Rochester. While she continued her studies, she held two non-stipendiary minister (NSM) appointments: at St John's Church, Eden Park (1987 to 1988), and at St George's Church, Beckenham (1988 to 1989). From 1989 to 1994, she was parish deacon of Christ Church, Luton. In 1993, she was appointed an associate adviser in evangelism for the diocese. From 1994 to 1998, she was also an NSM of St Barnabas' Church, Istead Rise. Then, from 1998 to 2004, she was the Ministry Development Officer for the Diocese of Rochester. In 2000, she was appointed an Honorary Canon of Rochester Cathedral.

In August 2004, Dyer was announced as the next Warden of Cranmer Hall, Durham. Cranmer Hall is an evangelical Anglican theological college that forms part of St John's College, Durham University. In January 2005, she took up the appointment following her licensing by the Bishop of Durham (Tom Wright). In 2008, she was appointed an honorary canon of Durham Cathedral. She stepped down as warden in 2011, and was succeeded by Mark Tanner.

In 2011, Dyer moved to the Scottish Episcopal Church, having been appointed rector of Holy Trinity Church, Haddington, East Lothian in the Diocese of Edinburgh. Since 2015, she has also been a member of the council of the Scottish Episcopal Institute, the Scottish Episcopal Church's theological college.

Episcopal ministry

On 9 November 2017, Dyer was selected as the next Bishop of Aberdeen and Orkney, making her the first woman to have become a bishop in the Scottish Episcopal Church. Her selection caused controversy due to her gender, support of same-sex marriage, and that she was not elected by the diocese itself (she was appointed by the house of Bishops after the diocese failed to choose its own bishop). Two senior clergy in the diocese resigned their diocesan roles in protest, including Emsley Nimmo, the dean of the Diocese of Aberdeen and Orkney. She was consecrated a bishop on 1 March 2018 during a service at St Andrew's Cathedral, Aberdeen.

Allegations of bullying and investigation

In February 2021, Dyer was accused of bullying by a number of clergy, laypeople and church employees in The Times. Amongst the issues reported in The Times article was that an independent investigation had been commissioned after Dyer dismissed the musical director at her cathedral. The investigation report was highly critical of Dyer, and found that there were “insufficient grounds” for the dismissal. In March 2021, the College of Bishops commissioned Iain Torrance to lead an Independent Review into "difficulties" in the Diocese following a series of allegations regarding the Bishop. In August 2021 the College of Bishops announced their intention to defer publication of the report and move to a second stage of reviewing.

A few days later The Times reported Torrance's findings which had taken evidence from over 100 people. His report, which Dyer tried to have changed after completion, found that there was a culture of bullying and "systematic dysfunction in the diocese", and that there were previous similar problems in Dyer's time at Durham. Professor Torrance stated that: "Without colluding in what I much fear is a repetition of the past, I cannot recommend the continuation of a tenure in which I fear that more people will be made to feel diminished and discouraged." He recommended that Dyer be immediately sent on sabbatical and that she should step down from her position permanently.

However, the bishops decided, instead, to establish a mediation process. Dyer has stated that she herself had been a victim of bullying, that the diocese was "not well", and that "The mediation process being offered to our diocese is our treatment".

On 10 August 2022, Dyer was suspended as bishop after the SEC announced they had received two complaints of bullying. An Episcopal Synod (meeting of bishops) met on 30 September, voting 3 to 2 to refuse the appeal and continue Dyer's suspension from office. The church stated that "The suspension does not constitute disciplinary action and does not imply any assumption that misconduct has been committed".

On 8 November 2023, the church announced that the case had been referred to the church's Procurator to decide if the case should be referred to their Clergy Disciplinary Tribunal. Subsequently, the Procurator resigned "to allow the appointment of a replacement who has no pre-existing connection of any nature to any of the parties or witnesses potentially involved, so as to avoid any suggestion that the process was not being conducted in an independent and impartial manner", to be replaced by a new procurator on 23 January 2024. A tribunal hearing on three complaints will be held in Edinburgh in September 2024.

From September 2022, John Armes was the acting Bishop of Aberdeen and Orkney, while Dyer remains suspended. Dorsey McConnell, former Bishop of Pittsburgh, took on the role on 1 November 2023.

In April 2024, it was reported that Dyer was still under suspension and must to face a Clergy Discipline Tribunal over allegations of conduct unbecoming of a cleric.

However, on 8 October the church dropped all charges against Dyer even though the prosecutor stated that “there is sufficient evidence to provide a realistic prospect of conviction in respect of each allegation.” He said that the decision was due to some complainants having misgivings about giving testimony and being cross-examined. The dropping of charges meant that Dyer's suspension immediately ended and she could return as Bishop on 24 October. The dropping of charges caused shock amongst parishioners, one telling the BBC that the decision “is profoundly concerning and makes a mockery of the Church's disciplinary process.” Another commented that the decision “sets a dangerous precedent that, in this case, has had the effect of shielding one of its own senior leaders from further scrutiny at a tribunal.”

Following the protests, four of the six Bishops (who include Dyer) of the Scottish Episcopal Church wrote a letter and also released a statement to the Church Times calling on Dyer to resign.

Additional allegations

In 2024 allegations were submitted to the Scottish Charity Regulator charging that Dyer oversaw submission of incorrect accounts for the Episcopal Diocese of Aberdeen and Orkney.

A dossier of allegations was submitted to the regulator by Simon Mark Arthur, 4th Baron Glenarthur in 2022 Simon Arthur, 4th Baron Glenarthur. Charity watchdog looks at ‘bullying’ scandal diocese and again in 2024 Scotland’s first female bishop faces fresh allegations over church accounting.

A spokesman for Bishop Anne Dyer said she “emphatically denies these false and malicious allegations”.

He added: “They appear to be merely the latest salvo in a relentless campaign by a small handful of individuals seeking to force Bishop Anne from office due to their beliefs on issues such as female bishops and same-sex marriage.

“Bishop Anne was unaware of this complaint to OSCR until she was contacted by The Sunday Times and is confident that the facts, once established, will bear out her innocence and that of the professional advisers to the diocese. She shares the same view of the previous complaint to OSCR, which remains outstanding.

“It's important to note that several of the allegations pre-date Bishop Anne's appointment to the diocese and that during her tenure the assets of the diocese increased considerably. Accounts for the diocese were prepared by professional accountants following detailed audits, and claims of ‘fabricated’ meetings are beyond parody. Lastly, trustees can only serve two consecutive four-year terms, meaning new trustees require to be elected at regular intervals.”

OSCR said: “We are continuing to engage with this charity about the matters raised with us.”

Views

Dyer identifies with the Open Evangelical tradition of Anglicanism.

In December 2014, Dyer signed an open letter to the bishops of the Scottish Episcopal Church that was supportive of same-sex marriage: it concluded with a "wish to make clear our continuing commitment to affirm and support all people in our church, and to recognise and rejoice in all marriages, of whatever sexual orientation, as true signs of the love of God in Christ." With the SEC voting to allow same-sex marriages, she conducted her first such marriage in October 2017.

Personal life

Dyer is married to Roger. Together they had one child, a daughter, who died, aged 30, in 2021.