In 2003 Pope John Paul II appointed Canon Michael Evans as the third Bishop of East Anglia. Previously, he worked for many years as a lecturer in Christian Doctrine and then as Vice-Rector at St John's Seminary in Wonersh. Ecumenical dialogue has always been an important part of his ministry. Since becoming a bishop, he has been appointed chairman of the Bishops' Conference Committee for Christian Unity, and elected as a member of the Standing Committee of the Bishops' Conference. He is a member of both the British Methodist/Catholic Committee and the International Joint Commission for Dialogue between the World Methodist Council and the Roman Catholic Church.