Background
Turnbull was born in Wombwell, South Yorkshire.
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Michael Turnbull
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Education
Keble College; University of Durham.
Career
He was a student at Keble College, Oxford, graduating in 1958. He prepared for ordained ministry at Cranmer Hall and Street John"s College, University of Durham. He was ordained deacon in 1960 and priest in 1961 in Manchester Cathedral.
After ordination he initially served as curate of Middleton in the Diocese of Manchester before moving in 1961 to be curate of Luton with East Hyde in the Diocese of Saint Albans.
In 1965, he moved to York to be domestic chaplain to the Archbishop of York (Donald Coggan) and director of ordinands for the Diocese of New York In 1969, he was appointed chaplain to the University of York, a position he held, for part of the time, in conjunction with being rector of nearby Heslington.
In 1976, he was appointed chief secretary of the Church Army. In 1984, he was appointed Archdeacon of Rochester and was then to be consecrated as the Bishop of Rochester in 1988.
He holds honorary doctorates from Greenwich University (Doctor of Letters ) and Durham University (Doctor of Divinity).
He is a deputy lieutenant in the county of Kent. After the commission had finished its duties, he was appointed chairman of the Ministry Division of the Archbishops" Council. Despite speaking out against openly homosexual clergy in 1993, it was revealed in 1994 that Turnbull had been arrested and convicted of committing acts of gross indecency in a public lavatory in 1968.
This led Peter Tatchell and others to protest against what they saw as his hypocrisy when he was enthroned as bishop.
Following episcopal tradition, he signed his name +Michael Roffen while he was Bishop of Rochester and +Michael Dunelm while he was Bishop of Durham. In retirement, Turnbull is an honorary assistant bishop in the dioceses of Canterbury, Rochester and Europe.
His writing includes God"s Front Lincolnshire, Parish Evangelism, Learning to pray and The state of the Church and the Church of the State (2012).
Membership
His other posts have included member of the Commission on English Cathedrals (1992-1994), Vice Chairman of the Central Board of Finance (1990-19980, board member of the Church Commissioners (1989-1998), Archbishops" Council and chairman of the Ministry Division (1998-2000), chairman of the Foundation for Church Leadership (2003-2007), chairman of the North East Constitutional Convention (1999-2003) and Campaign for English Regions (2000-2003), chairman of the Bible Reading Fellowship (1985-1994) and of the College of Preachers (1990-1998) and the Council of Scargill House (1969-1976).
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Born
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Died
1998 (aged 62)