12/02/2021
Revd Dr Will Adam, who has served as the Archbishop of Canterbury’s Ecumenical Adviser since February 2017, will be moving to work full-time at the Anglican Communion Office from the beginning of March 2021. Since September 2019 Will has combined his role at Lambeth Palace with that of Director of Unity, Faith and Order in the Anglican Communion, a role he will now combine with that of Deputy Secretary General of the Anglican Communion.
During his time as the Archbishop’s Ecumenical Advisor, Will has supported the Archbishop’s ministry and relationships with other Christian churches, particularly within Europe as the UK’s relationship with the EU has changed and in the Middle East where the ecumenical, interfaith and the political intersect. He also supported the Archbishop’s historic visit to India in 2019, as well as the Archbishop’s peacebuilding work with Pope Francis.
Will said: ‘It has been an immense privilege to serve at Lambeth Palace over the last four years. I have found in the corporate life of prayer at Lambeth Palace a spiritual home, not least through encountering the prayerful and ecumenical presence of the Chemin Neuf Community, and I look forward to continuing to support the Archbishop of Canterbury in his relationships with Christian World leaders in his role as the senior primate of the Anglican Communion.’
Archbishop Justin Welby said: ‘The call for Christian unity is central to our mission as God’s church, echoing Jesus’ final prayer in John 17, “that they may become perfectly one, so that the world may know that you sent me and loved them even as you loved me”. At a time when the Covid-19 pandemic has revealed our global interconnectedness and interdependence, there is no one better than Will to help lead the Anglican Communion’s global work of building relationships, seeking peace and calling for justice. We will miss him at Lambeth Palace, but we are delighted the entire Anglican Communion will be able to benefit from his wisdom, experience and passion for Christian unity around the world. My prayers are with him as he begins this vital role.’
Archbishop Josiah Idowu-Fearon, Secretary General of the Anglican Communion said: ‘Dr Adam has a heart for ecumenism and I am delighted that his position at the ACO is to become full time. Since his arrival at the ACO in 2019, he has become a valued colleague and adviser, not only in the area of Unity, Faith and Order, but also on a much wider agenda. I look forward to continuing to take his counsel in the years ahead.’