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Born in Reigate, England in 1927 and educated at Oxford, Nigel Renton (sometimes known as Nigel Auld Lindsey Renton) emerged as a prominent lay leader in The Episcopal Church after settling in California in 1957.
Renton began his church service in the 1960s and 1970s as vestry member and Senior Warden at All Souls and Saint Mark’s in Berkeley. He soon moved into national church politics, first elected as alternate lay deputy to the 1982 General Convention and seated as a full deputy in 1985. From 1987 to 2006 he was a prominent presence in the House of Deputies, co-chairing the California deputation and earning the nickname “the Terminator” for his skill in closing debate. Between conventions, he served as a deputy to the Synod of Province VIII and, as Treasurer from 1994–1997, sat on its Executive Committee and Provincial Council.
In the Diocese of California, Renton simultaneously served as a Diocesan Convention delegate and as President of the Diocesan Council (1981-1983). He was elected to the Standing Committee for a four year term in 1990 and served as President from 1993-1994. He was appointed chair of the Diocesan Resolutions Committee in 1990, and served in that capacity until his election as Secretary of the Diocesan Convention in 1994. He filled that office from 1994-2006.
Renton’s church work centered on his passion for liturgy and the expanded role of lay participation in worship. As Chair of St. Mark’s Worship Committee, he emphasized that “liturgy is the work of the people.” For nearly three decades he shaped Episcopal services through roles on the Diocesan Liturgical Renewal Commission, the General Convention’s Legislative Committee on Prayer Book, Liturgy and Music (1991), the Associated Parishes for Liturgy and Mission, and the Association of Diocesan Liturgy and Music Commissions, which named him “Person of the Year” in 1990. He also wrote widely on worship for The Living Church, Pacific Church News, and other publications.
Nigel Renton died on January 10, 2021 in Berkeley, California.