On the May Saturday of his enthronement as Bishop of Bradford in 2011, the Right Reverend Nick Baines said: “Here in Bradford we might well take the opportunity to think through, briefly, what we are about and what you might expect from the new bishop.”

Nearly four years later, exactly the same could be said about Bishop Baines’s job as Bishop of the new Anglican diocese of West Yorkshire & the Dales, which he starts in the summer.

The current Bradford Diocese, which was created 95 years ago, stretches from Cumbria to Otley. The Diocese of West Yorkshire & the Dales, which will include the three existing dioceses of Bradford, Huddersfield and Wakefield, and Leeds and Ripon, is even bigger.

In fact, it will be the largest of all the Church of England’s dioceses; and, uniquely, the single diocese will have three cathedrals: Bradford, Ripon and Wakefield.

In its final report last year, the Church of England’s Diocesan Commission, set up in 2007 to review the Church of England’s 44 dioceses and to recommend changes where necessary, declared that the driving force behind the creation of West Yorkshire & the Dales was the Christian mission: “As churches become more engaged with the wider community and congregations begin to experience new life, morale will grow, vocations will blossom, diocesan finances will become more sustainable, and the voice of the church will be heard more effectively across the whole region.”

One of the changes that will come out of this is in effect the creation of a regional episopal parliament or Synod of more than 300 people. The new bishop’s council will consist of the three existing bishops councils coming together as a single body.

The Diocesan Commission’s report admitted that: “How this will work in practice has yet to be addressed”. These new bodies could either be cumbersome talking shops or influential bodies whose deliberations have a practical impact on decision-making elsewhere.

Councillor David Green, leader of Bradford Council, hinted as much in his response to news of Bishop Baines’ appointment. He said: “He’s got an insight into the challenges of the district and that can only help when we are making representations on behalf of the city at a national level.”

One of the key priorities for the Diocese of West Yorkshire & the Dales noted in the Diocesan Commission report is the need for congregations to become “more outward focused, looking for new opportunities to participate in and serve the life of their community.”

No-one knows how this will work out because, as Bishop Baines readily admitted, it has never been done before.

“We are pioneers. One hundred years ago, they were creating dioceses like Bradford and Wakefield because of demographic change. It’s right that when things change we look again at what we are and who we are. We need to learn from this process. This is not a blueprint.

“I am not worried about it. There are more risks in not changing, such as being locked into the past with things being as they are rather than as they can become.

“Over the next few years, we need to ask if churches and parishes are doing the business on the ground, growing in confidence and evangelism, living out the Christian faith in their communities and bringing more people to the faith.

“When you are going through a major reform, you can get people to refocus on what we are here for. I have been part of the process that has led to the new diocese, so I have ideas about how we might do things differently.”

From what the Bishop says and what is in the Diocesan Commission’s final report, it is possible to conclude that this significant reorganisation is not just about realigning boundaries and saving money – up to £800,000 by 2020. Nor is it about status and ceremony.

In his enthronement speech at Bradford Cathedral, the Bishop said: “Presence and Engagement is more than a slogan or the title of a church initiative – it captures our confidence in Bradford and its environs.

“Not blind wishful-thinking, but confidence that the resources for human flourishing and development of our society are already here in the people who are prepared to escape the confines of their own narrow interests and make it happen for the good of all.”