Ordained in 1977 he began his career with a
curacy in
Manchester at St John's Church, Old Trafford and was then successively
Vicar at
Pendleton; Vicar of St Leonard, Norwood, Sheffield;
Rural Dean of
Ecclesfield, also
Canon of
Sheffield Cathedral, and finally (before his ordination to the
episcopate)
Archdeacon of Stow and Lindsey in the
Diocese of Lincoln. A keen
Sheffield Wednesday fan and occasional blogger, he is also believed to be the first bishop to sport an earring. Ellis was the celebrant at the first
U2charist in England and organised a national vigil before the first
Gulf War. He is Chair of Sheffield Faiths Together and Chair of the
community-led housing organisation, East Midlands Community Led Housing Trust. He continues to serve on the Fabric Advisory Council of Sheffield Cathedral and is a member of the Advisory Panel on the Archaeology of Christian Burials in England's Standing Committee, having been vice-chair of the Council for the Care of Churches. By 13 February, a serving bishop (
Alan Wilson,
Bishop of Buckingham) and nine further retired bishops had added their signatures; on 15 February, the report was rejected by synod. In December 2024, Ellis was appointed chair of the Diocesan Advisory Committee for the Diocese of Sheffield. ==Styles==