Today there are more than 29,000 wards and branches dotted throughout the world, in which members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints gather each Sunday to worship. A bishop or branch president leads each of those individual wards or branches, respectively, and looks over the spiritual wellbeing of each of its members.
| Temple Square is always beautiful in the springtime. Gardeners work to prepare the ground for General Conference. © 2012 Intellectual Reserve, Inc. All rights reserved. | 1 / 2 |
The office of bishop is one that demands long hours of service, yet receives no financial compensation. It is a completely voluntary calling agreed upon by the selected individual. Recently, Richard Shuttleworth was called upon to take up the role of bishop for the Stockport congregation, which he accepted and will be succeeding Nigel Walker. As a new bishop, Shuttleworth has already endeavored to find ways of increasing the spiritual wellbeing of members of the ward. “Within a few months of being called bishop, the ward council and I agreed on, ‘Come unto Christ’,” Shuttleworth said. “We felt that if we and members simply draw closer to the Saviour and apply the blessings of the atonement, we will all fulfill the mission of the Church better.” Shuttleworth said the vision to ‘Come unto Christ’ fits perfectly with the congregation's mission in celebrating Stockport’s 50th anniversary of the chapel. While the Church has been in Stockport for 175 years, the chapel has only been around for fifty.
The Stockport Ward, (congregation) within the Manchester area, currently encompasses approximately 118 members. Bishop Shuttleworth said he learned the attributes of how to be an exemplary leader through his father, who led the Stockport Ward (congregation) from 1984 to 1989. Sadly, his father succumbed to a lifelong battle with illness and passed away in 2000, while Shuttleworth was serving as a full-time missionary in the London South Mission, but said the memories and teachings his father instilled in him continue to bless his life.
Four years after his father’s passing, Shuttleworth met for the first time his wife, Angela Brown, from Barrow-in-Furness, Cumbria. They have now been married for nine years and have three children, Phoebe, William and Jacob.
Professionally, Shuttleworth is the co-owner of a training and business consultancy, where he aims to resolve training needs for clients. He partnered with another member of the Manchester area a little over five years ago to establish the consultancy. Together, they aim to maintain the principles of the Church, such as honesty, integrity and hard work, through their dealings with others.