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Nicholas Stanley Mercer (born 25 December 1949) is a British Anglican priest who was the Vicar general for the Diocese of London from 2007 to 2017;[1] he was additionally Archdeacon of London from 2014 until 2016.[2]
Nick Mercer | |
|---|---|
| Archdeacon of London | |
 Mercer in 2008 | |
| Church | Church of England |
| Diocese | Diocese of London |
| In office | 2014 until 2016 |
| Predecessor | David Meara |
| Successor | Luke Miller |
| Other post(s) | Vicar General (2007–2017) |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Nicholas Stanley Mercer 25 December 1949 |
| Nationality | British |
| Denomination | Anglicanism |
| Education | Worthing High School, West Sussex |
| Alma mater | |
Mercer was born on Christmas Day 1949 and raised at Shoreham-by-Sea, one of seven children in a family living in a small three-bedroom home, and was a member of the town's local Baptist church.[3] He was named Nicholas after Saint Nicholas of Myra, Santa Claus.[3] He was educated at primary school in his home town, Worthing High School,[3] and Selwyn College, Cambridge, graduating Bachelor of Arts in 1972 (and Master of Arts in 1976).[4] Remaining at Selwyn College, he studied for, and was awarded, the Postgraduate Certificate in Education as a qualified teacher in 1973.[4]
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Following a short spell of teaching at Lancing College,[3] an independent boarding school located close to his family home, he enrolled at Spurgeon's College, graduating with a second BA degree in 1978.[4] He entered the ministry of the Baptist denomination,[3] beginning as a student minister at a large Baptist church in Enfield, north London,[5] and subsequently as Assistant Minister at Upton Vale Baptist Church, Torquay; later studying at London Bible College (where he was the Laing Scholar), obtaining a Master of Philosophy degree in 1986.[4][3]
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Mercer's theological studies eventually led him from the Baptist Union into the Church of England, where he self-identified as an anglo-catholic, later stating that he had been a "closet anglo-catholic" since his university days at Selwyn College.[3] Following training at Cranmer Hall, Durham, he was ordained as a deacon in 1995, and as a priest shortly afterwards, in the same year.[4] In his autobiography, published in the anthology "The post-evangelical debate" (1997), Mercer speaks of a growing realisation that he was no longer a conservative evangelical, despite his continued deep Biblical faith.[3] After curacies in Northwood Hills and Pimlico he was Director of Ministry for the Diocese of London from 2003 to 2007. He was Diocesan Director of Ordinands (overseeing a team of Directors) from 2007 to 2017. He was a Prebendary of St Paul's Cathedral from 2008 (around the time of his appointment as Vicar general) to 2017. He was also honorary priest in charge of St Botolph-without-Bishopsgate in the City of London from 2015 to 2016.[6]
He retired in 2017, on reaching the customary Church of England retirement age of 68 years.[4] He was appointed an emeritus Prebendary of St Paul's cathedral, and an emeritus Archdeacon of London, on his retirement.[7]
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