The Very Revd Tim Barker has served with “great distinction”
The Dean of Guernsey, the Very Revd Tim Barker, is to retire on 31 July 2026.
The Dean has written to the Lieutenant-Governor of Guernsey, His Excellency Lieutenant General Sir Richard Cripwell, and the Bishop of Salisbury, the Rt Revd Stephen Lake, as Bishop for the Channel Islands, to confirm his decision to retire shortly before his 70th birthday in August 2026.
Bishop Stephen said: “Tim has been an impressive leader of the Church of England in Guernsey as Dean for over a decade. There is much to thank him for when the time comes but I know it is business as usual until Tim and Judy take their leave of the Bailiwick.”
The Lieutenant-Governor said: “The Dean has served the Bailiwick with great distinction over the last ten years, and I am grateful for his service in its fullest sense. I wish him and Judy every happiness in the future.”
The Dean said: “It has been a great privilege to live and work in Guernsey for the past ten years. Ministry here, and especially at St Andrew’s church, where I have served as Rector, as well as in Alderney and Sark, has been richly rewarding. There have been many high points, such as visits by members of the Royal Family; marking Liberation Day in Guernsey and Homecoming in Alderney; as well as visits to Biberach, and to Masnières, with the Royal Guernsey Light Infantry Trust. I have enjoyed chairing the boards of directors of Elizabeth College and the Social Investment Fund. But equally important to me have been the opportunities to minister to individuals, and to support families in times of joy and times of grief, at baptisms, marriages and funerals.”
The process for appointing the next Dean will begin in due course. The office of Dean of Guernsey is a Crown appointment, with the Dean holding the Bishop’s Commission.
The Deanery of Guernsey has a thriving Christian presence with 16 Anglican churches and 20 clergy.
The Dean and Mrs Barker will be returning to England in the summer of 2026, and details of farewell services will be announced at a later date.