Diocese of Aberdeen and Orkney


The Diocese of Aberdeen and Orkney is one of the seven dioceses of the Scottish Episcopal Church. Created in 1865, the diocese covers the historic county of Aberdeenshire, and the Orkney and Shetland island groups. It shares with the Roman Catholic Diocese of Aberdeen a Christian heritage that can be traced back to Norman times, and incorporates the ancient Diocese of Orkney, founded in 1035.
The diocese is considered the most conservative of the dioceses of the Scottish Episcopal Church, and was the only diocese to reject a change in the church's teaching to allow same-sex marriage in 2017.
The first female bishop of the SEC, Anne Dyer, was appointed to the diocese in November 2017 and consecrated and enthroned on 3 March 2018. Her gender, support of same-sex marriage, and the fact that she was not elected by the diocese itself, caused some controversy, and two senior clergy, the Dean and another member of the Cathedral Chapter, resigned their diocesan roles in protest. After further resignations by other clergy, the Westhill Community Church voted to leave the SEC in January 2019. Bishop Dyer was suspended from office on 10 August 2022 after allegations of misconduct were made but reinstated on 8 October 2024.
The diocese has a strong companion link with the Episcopal Diocese of Connecticut and the Episcopal Church in the United States of America. Samuel Seabury, the first Episcopal bishop outside the British Isles, was consecrated in 1784 by Robert Kilgour, Bishop of Aberdeen, and John Skinner, coadjutor bishop. Clarence Coleridge, suffragan bishop of Connecticut, was consecrated by a Bishop of Aberdeen in 1981; he was elected 13th diocesan bishop of Connecticut in 1993.
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Area and population

The diocese covers the historic counties of Orkney, Zetland, Aberdeenshire except the Huntly area, the Banff, Buckie and Cullen areas of Banffshire, and the Banchory and Lower Deeside areas of Kincardineshire.

List of deans

The following served as Dean of Aberdeen diocese:
The following have served as Dean of Aberdeen and Orkney:1865 to 1880: David Wilson

Churches and clergy

The diocese currently has 23 stipendiary clergy and 37 churches.

Membership

Between 2013 and 2023 church membership in the Diocese decreased from 4,214 to 2,419 a fall of 42.6%. According to the Scottish Episcopal Church 42nd Annual Report, there are 1,577 communicants in the Diocese.