The Rt Rev Michael Adie, bishop whose eloquence steered the Synod vote for women priests – obituary

The Right Reverend Michael Adie, who has died aged 94, was Bishop of Guildford from 1983 to 1994, having previously spent six years as Archdeacon of Lincoln.

A highly efficient administrator, Adie could appear formidable and his somewhat patrician style did not always make for easy pastoral relationships, but his decisions were always sound and the diocese was well led. His analytical gifts would have made him a good judge had he entered the legal profession.

It was no accident that he was chosen in 1992 to introduce in the General Synod the legislation which led to the controversial acceptance of women priests. He presented the case with the skill of an experienced advocate and the style of a middle-of-the-road Anglican who preferred reason to emotion. Low-key to the point of dullness, his opening speech and summing-up at the end of the debate played a vital part in the securing of the necessary majorities.

Adie argued that the ordination of women was “a reasoned development, consonant with Scripture and required by tradition”, adding: “We are not here today aggressively to drive our convictions through and to defeat opponents…

“As a steady Church of England man (to use Dr Johnson’s phrase), I, fellow bishops and many others will work strenuously to keep space and room in every ministry of the Church for those who for different reasons have difficulty with the ordination of women.”

Michael Edgar Adie was born on November 22 1929 in Essex, the son of Walter Adie, a market gardener, and his wife Kate (Kitty), née Parrish. Michael was educated at Westminster and St John’s College, Oxford, where he read theology. His National Service was served in the Royal Corps of Signals, after he had won the Sword of Honour for the best Sandhurst cadet.

Drawn to Holy Orders, he went to Westcott House, Cambridge, then spent three years as a curate at St Luke’s, Pallion, in Sunderland, a shipyard parish which provided tough training for several future bishops.

In 1957 he became resident chaplain to the Archbishop of Canterbury at Lambeth, and accompanied Archbishop Geoffrey Fisher on most of his overseas visits in the final years of his Primacy. Adie also met and married Anne Roynon – one of the Archbishop’s secretaries.

He then returned to the North – to Sheffield, where Bishop Leslie Hunter recruited many able young priests to tackle the seemingly intractable problems of inner-city, non-churchgoing parishes. There he spent nine strenuous years at St Mark’s church, developing community links and encouraging collaboration between the various denominations.

In 1966 he was appointed Rural Dean of Hallam, and in the following years was elected to the Church Assembly, joining a large contingent of young clergy who were bent on Church reform.

His next move took him from the drab streets of inner Sheffield to the broad acres of Lincolnshire, where from 1969 to 1976 he was Rector of Louth. The contrast could hardly have been greater, and he enjoyed caring for one of England’s finest churches as well as matching the Church’s reduced manpower resources to the changed circumstances of rural life.

In 1977 he was appointed Archdeacon of Lincoln and, while much involved in the amalgamation of parishes, demonstrated his commitment to the parochial system by accepting responsibility for the parishes of Morton and Hacconby, near Bourne.

It always seemed likely that Adie would become a bishop and his appointment to Guildford in 1983 was warmly welcomed. But the task before him in this relatively comfortable diocese was less easy than many supposed. For one thing, his predecessor – the godly scholar David Brown – had met an early death through overwork and the memory of his remarkable sacrificial ministry remained vivid for some years.

More importantly, Anne Adie was by this time showing signs of a disabling and distressing illness which, as it advanced, required increasing personal care. This undoubtedly restricted Adie’s work, but at the same time it offered a powerful example which was widely noted and admired.

In the central councils of the Church Adie was chairman of the General Synod Board of Education from 1989 until his retirement. During this time he led a strong defence of the Church’s part in education, especially in the House of Lords when a new Education Bill was being debated. His contribution to education was recognised by his appointment as CBE in 1994.

In the following year Adie’s involvement in the developing life of Surrey University led to the award of an honorary doctorate. A book, Held Together: an exploration of coherence (1997), written in retirement, was a defence of Anglican comprehensiveness.

Adie listed sneezing as one of his recreations. It was, he once said, “an enjoyable exercise” and “an occasional entertainment”.

Adie’s wife Anne died in 2013; he is survived by a son and three daughters.

The Right Reverend Michael Adie, born November 22 1929, died March 4 2024