Three candidates have been short-listed for election to the office of Bishop of Argyll & The Isles, following the translation of the Rt Rev Kevin Pearson to be Bishop of Glasgow & Galloway in July 2020, having served the Diocese of Argyll & The Isles as Bishop since 2011.

The three candidates have been selected by a Preparatory Committee consisting of clergy and lay church members from the Diocese of Argyll & The Isles and across the wider Scottish Episcopal Church. The next stage in the election process is an online meeting of each of the candidates with an Electoral Synod (representatives of clergy and lay church members from the Diocese of Argyll & The Isles only).  That meeting will take place on Saturday 23 January 2021 with the election of the new Bishop on 30 January 2021.

The candidates are:

The Very Rev Canon Margaret (Margi) Campbell, Provost of St John’s Cathedral, Oban, Rector of St James, Ardbrecknish, and Canon of the Cathedral of the Isles, Cumbrae, all since 2018, and Dean of the Diocese of Argyll & The Isles since 2020.

The Rev David Railton, Rector of the linked charge of Holy Trinity, Dunoon and St Paul, Rothesay, Diocese of Argyll & The Isles, since 2019.

The Rev Canon Dr Keith Riglin, Vice Dean since 2020 and Chaplain since 2012 of King’s College, London, with Permission to Officiate in the Diocese of Argyll & The Isles since 2012.

Commenting on this stage of the process, the Most Rev Mark Strange, Bishop of Moray, Ross & Caithness and Primus of the Scottish Episcopal Church, said: “I am delighted that the Preparatory Committee has completed its task and can now present these three names to the Electoral Synod of Argyll and The Isles. I want to thank the members of the committee for the work they put in to achieve this short list, and I especially want to thank them as we were working under the very different Covid conditions.

“I ask the church to pray for David, Keith and Margi as they continue on this path of discernment and also for the electors of Argyll and The Isles as they prepare to meet digitally in January 2021.”

Pictured above are, from left to right, The Very Rev Canon Margi Campbell, The Rev David Railton, and The Rev Canon Dr Keith Riglin.