The Ven. Dr Malcolm Grundy writes:
THE Ven. Christopher Laurence had a great gift for affirming the ministries of others. A son of the vicarage, he was born in the Canadian Prairies and never lost his love for the outdoors.
The family moved back to Thimbleby, near Horncastle, and his childhood was spent in the countryside among farmers and horse-lovers. At the age of ten, he became a boarder at Christ’s Hospital, near Horsham, in West Sussex.
In 1948, Christopher took up his National Service commission with the Royal Lincolnshire Regiment, serving in Egypt and Transjordan. The experience persuaded him to offer himself for ordination. This, he said, was in spite of, rather than because of, his three preceding generations of Lincolnshire clergymen.
In 1951, he was offered a place at Trinity Hall, Cambridge, and, in his second year, married Margaret, then a junior night sister at Addenbrooke’s Hospital. He continued his training at Westcott House, and their children, Peter and Ruth, were born.
A curacy at St Nicholas’s, Lincoln, led to a 15-year incumbency at St George’s, Crosby,in Scunthorpe. He is still remembered for his pastoral care, innovation, and developing a church community characterised by kindness and support.
In 1974, he was appointed St Hugh’s Missioner in the diocese and a Canon of Lincoln Cathedral, alongside his his father. In reference to their shared love of shooting, they called themselves the “double bore”. His experience as a missioner convinced him that, to enable the laity, much work was needed with the clergy whose confidence was falling as their traditional place in society was being lost.
In 1980, he moved to London diocese, as the Bishops’ Director of Clergy Training. Collaborating with colleagues, he introduced a system of reflection to help clergy to evaluate their work and develop their ministries.
Five years later, Christopher returned to Lincoln, as Archdeacon of Lindsey and a Residentiary Canon. At the same time, the Edward King Institute for Ministry Development was founded with Norman Todd, and others. Based on the work of the Alban Institute in Washington, it aimed to extend the principles of a ministerial-review process across the country. It flourished, with 17 years of valued reflective activity.
Christopher’s time as a residentiary canon included an unhappy episode at the cathedral. Consequently, the Bishop had called upon the Dean and Residentiary Canons to resign. All refused.
Christopher later wrote an account of it in a small book, A Painful Chapter. He claimed that the work of an archdeacon was not congenial to his temperament. Many would disagree, as he made full use of his consultancy and pastoral gifts. He did, however, make frequent complaint about the more than 20 committees whose meetings he was expected to attend.
He remained an active, much-loved, and highly respected member of the cathedral community after retirement in 1994. He trained, qualified, and practised as a masseur for many years, declaring that, after so long as an archdeacon, “It was a pleasure to be able to do some good.”
Margaret died in 2014, ending a marriage of 62 years. Their daughter, Ruth, died in 2001. He leaves a son, four grandchildren, and five great-grandchildren. In 2020, he married Dilys Jones, an internationally renowned church embroideress. It was a happy union which endured to the end of his life.
With contributions from Peter Laurence.
The Ven. John Harvard Christopher Laurence died on 21 February, aged 95.
