For Bishop-elect Nicholas Dill, the new job offers a chance to unite Bermuda’s Anglican Church, and prove its relevance to the Island’s youth.The months ahead before his official instalment as Anglican Bishop are also a last stint in his beloved seven-year post as head Minister of the Parish of Pembroke.“Obviously the election was very close-run,” Reverend Dill said of Saturday’s contest with Archdeacon Andrew Doughty, the other candidate for the post. “There are those who didn’t vote for me, so work needs to be done pulling us together. We need to spend time fostering unity.”Other priorities are building leadership, and connecting with young people, for a church often seen as stuffy and complicit in the Island’s legacy of segregation.“There are major issues we need to deal with. We’re here now, and we need to move forward together,” the Bishop-elect said.Finding church members with leadership potential and training them is another item on his list.“If we want to develop a Bermudian clergy, we have to start with the people who want to serve and work with them,” he said.Rev Dill must be patient before he formally becomes Bishop, as he will have to wait on the Archbishop of Canterbury. Justin Wellby was yesterday confirmed as the new head of the Church of England — but will not be enthroned until March 21.“I’m not sure how the timing will work,” Rev Dill admitted.Taking the new post, when it comes, will mean leaving his current parish. Rev Dill said he had spent Sunday “with tears in my eyes” as a result.“They’re a great group of people. It’s going to be hard for them and for us. I hope we can continue that sense of community moving forward.”There will also be a search for a replacement to his old job.Asked if the post might remain vacant, Rev Dill said: “Possibly. We’re getting a feel for what type of person they want to have.”The church’s administration will advertise locally and overseas for the job when Rev Dill steps to the Island’s top position in the church.His rival for the post, Archdeacon Doughty, expressed concern at the increasing number of residents who identify themselves as having no faith. For Rev Dill, who once scorned Christian doctrine, heated debates with atheists are both enjoyable and familiar.“I’ve brought my energy and conviction to the job,” he reflected. “I came from a position of complete scepticism about Christianity — I thought it was all a load of complete rubbish, so in that respect I’m a bit like a reformed smoker. Having looked and seen and examined faith as a lawyer, and seeing the tremendous vibrancy that Christianity can have in the lives of individuals and the community, I’ve always been a person who likes to reach out to others, and I love the company of people who are complete sceptics. As a lawyer, I noticed the spiritual hunger and spiritual confusion in people that I dealt with. So I feel with my faith I do have something to offer. It’s also about connecting with young people, for the faith to be real to them.”He added: “If you look at the spiritual landscape worldwide, there are many extremes, including a rise of aggressive atheism, or what I would call evangelical atheism. It’s important to engage with one another and to work out which God it is that they are rejecting.“I think also there are a lot of people who profess to be atheists but who don’t live as if they are atheists. When you talk about a purely materialistic philosophy, that’s now how a lot of people really live their lives. We have a lot to talk about. These are things that people get really fired up on. I remember a quote from Aldous Huxley who said it’s convenient not to believe, because then nobody can tell me what to do.”With atheists emboldened by popular critics of religion such as Richard Dawkins and Christopher Hitchens, Rev Dill looks forward to the Bermuda visit of Alister McGrath, known for his spirited opposition to New Atheism.The theologian has been invited to speak on the Island this May — an occasion sure to spark debate on matters of the soul.On a more sombre note, as Rev Dill nears the close of his tenure at St John’s Church, he looks back on a time of social tribulation in a community scarred by gun violence and gangs.“A lot of young people out there feel rootless. Many of them aren’t sure where they fit, they’re not sure who they are and they’re making associations with pseudo-gangs.”He added: “The gang stuff breaks my heart. I long to see a change there. I know the church in the past hasn’t been able to reach out to people. I was put off the church for so many reasons. It needs to a better job making its amazing message understandable.”