The Ven. Christopher Wagstaff writes:
IN HIS 1991 visitation charge “Treasure in Earthen Vessels: Proclaiming the unchanging gospel in a changing world”, Bishop John Yates, in calling for a Church that served the whole community, said: “Let us aim at dignity with simplicity in our worship, high standards of performance, but with a minimum of fuss.”
These were ideals that he exemplified in his daily life, and that made him a much loved parish priest and theological colleague, and a greatly respected, wise, and approachable bishop in the wider Church.
Born in 1925, he served in the RAF during the Second World War, and later went to Cambridge, where he obtained a first-class degree in history. He trained for ordination at Lincoln Theological College, where he returned as tutor after a curacy in Southgate, north London. It was in Southgate that a noted training vicar, Charles Plummer, helped to develop his pastoral gifts, and there that he met his future wife, Jean; both were indispensable in his future ministry.
After three years on the staff at Lincoln, he went as Vicar to the large suburban parish of Bottesford with Ashby on the outskirts of Scunthorpe. His curates remember his fairness in dealing with pastoral situations, as well as his advocacy of regular visiting.
In 1966, he went to be Principal of Lichfield Theological College, given a specific brief to develop a less narrowly academic style of ordination training, with the study more rooted in practical experience of Christian ministry in parishes and other settings. His particular gift of being able to tease out theological truths and to express them in plain, untechnical language was ideally suited to the training of future priests.
In 1971, Donald Coggan called him to be Bishop of Whitby; and, in 1975, he was called to Gloucester.
In Gloucester, he found that the diocese was already pioneering a course to train men in non-stipendiary ministry, which he wholeheartedly endorsed, along with the greater involvement of men and women in all forms of ministry and theological instruction.
He was a great teacher and communicator. His addresses to the diocesan synod and his monthly articles in the Diocesan Gazette were widely appreciated. The rural deans and Bishop’s Council, in their annual residential meetings, were privileged to hear him develop a theological theme after supper; and he encouraged questioning and discussion on all aspects of the Christian faith.
He always strove for consensus, and, although this made some meetings extremely long, it meant that all points of view were heard and respected, and that eventually the diocese moved forward together, as it did in its almost unanimous support of the ordination of women.
In an interview, he was once asked if he ever felt uncomfortable living in a large neo-Georgian house, to which he replied: “Nearly all the time.” It embarrassed him, and made it harder for him to relate to ordinary people. Nevertheless, his unaffected friendliness broke down the barrier, and he and Jean daily served huge mugs of tea to the homeless who called at Bishopscourt.
They were wonderfully hospitable both to those associated with the Church and those outside its membership, and all found a warm and generous welcome. In their home was friendship and fun and a genuine concern for all.
In 1974, John was asked to chair a General Synod Board of Social Responsibility working party on homosexual relationships. After five years of study, listening, and discussion, the 12 members produced a unanimous report. Its careful discussion of biblical texts and psychological insights led, however, to conclusions that the General Synod was not able to accept.
The hostile letters John received took him by surprise and greatly saddened him. He commented: “One is bound to wonder how many people who have so robustly condemned the report have actually read it, let alone studied it carefully. Even more specifically, how many have attempted to read it with open rather than closed minds. I am not trying to argue that the report must be right and its critics therefore wrong. What I am saying is that it is a distasteful and ominous sign of the times that so many of us, even in the Church, seem to have lost faith in the patient, collaborative, yet fearless search for the truth within the Christian family.”
In 1988, John went on an ecumenical peace mission to Central America, and there experienced the effects of guerrilla raids and the appalling poverty of ordinary people. It was typical, however, of his ability always to find good even in adverse conditions that, observing cheerfulness and people relaxing in the sun in a market square, after days of seeing grim incidents, he could write: “It is perhaps a timely reminder that life is good, a reminder, too, that the poor have so much to teach the rest of us about enjoying the simplicities of life, like children and laughter, and sunshine and colour.”
The chairmanship of the General Synod Board of Social Responsibility is always a hot potato, but Bishop John’s concern for social justice, along with his fairness, made him an excellent chairman, and made him many friends at Synod. His even-handedness and long experience as a diocesan bishop made him an ideal person to work with the newly appointed Archbishop, George Carey. Bishop John was appointed Bishop at Lambeth (the Archbishop’s chief of staff) in 1991, and his wisdom and tact were an asset to the bishops and the wider Church. He and Jean continued their ministry of hospitality there, and eventually retired to Andover in 1994. Sadly, Jean died a year later.
He found happiness again in 1998, when he married a lifelong friend, Beryl Wensley, who lovingly nursed him after his accident in 1999. John, in turn, happily nursed her when she developed Parkinson’s and died a few years later.
John Yates died peacefully after a few months of deteriorating health on 26 February. A thanksgiving service for his life will be held in Gloucester Cathedral on Saturday 26 April at 4.30 pm.
