The Reverend Dr. Matthew Porter, alumnus of Asbury Theological Seminary, will be consecrated the Bishop of Bolton, a town in Greater Manchester in North West England. His consecration will take place in June, succeeding the Right Reverend Mark Ashcroft. Reverend Porter, an author and a father of five, was ordained in the Diocese of Sheffield in 1996 and currently serves as Vicar of St Michael le Belfrey in York, a resource church involved in church planting and revitalization. In 2022, Reverend Porter was appointed Honorary Chaplain to the Queen and then the King.

The Diocese of Manchester reports that Reverend Porter “is passionate about evangelism, discipleship and developing leaders, and particularly serving people in poverty and young people in the North of England… He believes that nothing of lasting significance happens without prayer.” Reverend Porter was awarded his Doctor of Ministry in Church Planting from Asbury Seminary. Prayer is the topic of his 2022 dissertation, which proposes that renewal leaders and movements have considered prayer to be foundational, connectional, and transformational. His research findings urge church planting leaders, particularly in the North of England, to prioritize prayer and develop a prayer strategy.