Croft was born on 29 May 1957.[2] He attended Heath Grammar School in Halifax and studied classics and theology at Worcester College, Oxford, graduating in 1980.[3] From 1980 to 1983, he trained for ordination at Cranmer Hall, Durham.[4] The University of Durham awarded him a Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) degree in 1984 for a thesis titled "The identity of the individual in the Book of Psalms".[5]
2004–2008: Archbishops' Missioner and first Team Leader of Fresh Expressions
Croft was appointed by the archbishops of Canterbury and York to help found Fresh Expressions, a joint Church of England and Methodist initiative "to help Christians of any denomination think about ways of starting and growing fresh expressions of church in their area" where a fresh expression is defined as "a form of church for our changing culture, established primarily for the benefit of people who are not yet members of any church".[8] In recognition of this work he was awarded the silver Cross of St Augustine by the Archbishop of Canterbury.[9]
Episcopal ministry
Croft was nominated as the next bishop of Sheffield, succeeding Jack Nicholls who retired in July 2008,[10] and formally elected by the chapter of Sheffield Cathedral in November 2008[11] (and that election having been confirmed in the interim), he was consecrated as a bishop by John Sentamu, Archbishop of York, on 25 January 2009,[12] at York Minster;[13] and started in the diocese following his formal enthronement on 9 May 2009.[14] This was followed by three welcome Eucharists celebrated in various locations around the diocese to allow more people to meet the new bishop.[14]
Croft became a member of the House of Lords on 15 July 2013.[16] On 12 April 2016, it was announced that he was to be translated to become Bishop of Oxford in "autumn" 2016;[17] he was duly elected to that see and that election was confirmed at Lambeth Palace on 6 July 2016, at which point Croft legally became Bishop of Oxford.[1] He was reintroduced to the Upper House as Bishop of Oxford on 19 July 2016.[18] Croft is the first bishop of Oxford to reside at the new Bishop's Lodge, Kidlington; "for decades" previously, bishops had resided at Linton Road in North Oxford.[19]
Views
In November 2022, he became the most senior Church of England figure to back same-sex marriage, saying clergy should be free to bless or marry same-sex partners and to enter into a same-sex marriage themselves, in contrast to the church's official position.[20][21][22][23] As a result of this, some evangelicals within his diocese may seek alternative oversight.[24]
In November 2023, he was one of 44 Church of England bishops who signed an open letter supporting the use of the Prayers of Love and Faith (i.e. blessings for same-sex couples) and called for "Guidance being issued without delay that includes the removal of all restrictions on clergy entering same-sex civil marriages, and on bishops ordaining and licensing such clergy".[25]
Two survivors of clerical child sexual abuse staged a peaceful protest outside Croft's inauguration as Bishop of Oxford on 30 September 2016.[26] One of them said that he had told Croft three times in 2012 and 2013, when Croft was Bishop of Sheffield, of his rape by a serving priest, but the bishop and other senior figures had failed to respond or take action despite the abuser still being alive. The cover of the protest brochure handed out to the public pictured all six bishops who the survivor alleged had failed to respond, including John Sentamu, Archbishop of York.[27][28][29] The survivor commented to the Church Times that he was angry that the church had the "nerve" to enthrone bishops after safeguarding complaints had been made against them. He went on to say
This is absolute proof that the Church of England does not truly recognise the profound and long-lasting impact such abuse has on survivors at all.[30]
The protest was shown on ITV[31] and the BBC.[32] Croft met with one of the survivors in front of the news cameras.
Police investigation
In 2018 it was reported in the media that Croft was being investigated by South Yorkshire Police, alongside Archbishop Sentamu, Bishop Martyn Snow and Bishop Peter Burrows, for failure to respond properly to a report of clerical child abuse. The priest against whom the allegation was made committed suicide the day before he was due in court in June 2017.[33][34][35] The archbishop of York's office said:
The diocese of York insists that Sentamu did not fail to act on any disclosures because that responsibility lay with Ineson's local bishop, Steven Croft, who was at the time bishop of Sheffield.[36]
It is not an acceptable human response, let alone a leadership response to say "I have heard about a problem, but … it was someone else's job to report it."[37]
Matt Ineson, the victim of the alleged abuse, called for the resignations of Sentamu and Croft.[38] In May 2018, Archbishop Welby declined to discipline Croft,
and said he "will take no further action" other than ensuring that Croft received further safeguarding training and understood his responsibilities as a diocesan bishop.[39]
Emmaus: the Way of Faith (with Stephen Cottrell, John Finney, Felicity Lawson and Robert Warren), NS/CHP, six volumes, 1996; two volumes, 1998; second edition 200–2003.
^"Information for same sex couples". The Church of England. Retrieved 5 November 2022. Church of England ministers can not carry out or bless same-sex marriages
^"Statement on the Bishop of Oxford's "Together in Love and Faith"". Oxford Diocesan Evangelical Fellowship. Retrieved 8 November 2022. We also appreciate his recognition that a change in the Church's position will require, not only the protection of conscience of those who could not support this, but also a differentiation of ministry and oversight. There are those in the Diocese who have already felt the need for this, believing these matters to be first-order issues and, very sadly, as a result of this publication, that number is bound to increase.
