| The Rt Revd Dr Alan Smith PhD MA[1] |
|
|---|---|
| Bishop of St Albans | |
Bishop Smith (August 2011) |
|
| Church | Church of England |
| Diocese | Diocese of St Albans |
| Enthroned | 2009 |
| Predecessor | The Rt Revd Christopher Herbert |
| Other posts | Bishop of Shrewsbury (2001–2009) |
| Orders | |
| Ordination | 1981 |
| Consecration | 2001 |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 14 February 1957 |
| Nationality | British |
| Denomination | Anglican |
| Residence | Abbey Gate House, St Albans |
| Alma mater | University of Birmingham |
Alan Gregory Clayton Smith (born 14 February 1957) is the current Bishop of St Albans,[1] and formerly area Bishop of Shrewsbury.[2] He is the son of Frank Eric Smith (deceased) and Rosemary Clayton Smith (nee Barker).
He was educated at Trowbridge Grammar School for Boys and the University of Birmingham where he obtained a degree in Theology. He was also awarded a MA for his thesis 'The Poetic Art of the Hebrew Prophets' in 1979 .[3] He trained for the priesthood at Wycliffe Hall, Oxford. After ordination in 1981 in Bradford Cathedral he began his career as assistant curate at St Lawrence and St Paul Pudsey.[4] In 1984 he took up the post as Chaplain of the Lee Abbey Community, near Lynton in North Devon, [5] where had particular responsibility for mission and the creative arts. In 1989 he was appointed as the Diocesan Missioner for Lichfield[6] and finally (before his elevation to the Episcopate)[7] Archdeacon of Stoke-on-Trent.[8]. While Archdeacon he was chaired the North Staffordshire Faiths in Friendship. In 2001 he was consecrated the Bishop of Shrewsbury (one of the suffragan sees in the Diocese of Lichfield). He was chair of the Shropshire Strategic Partnership from 2006-2009. and was a member of the Rural Bishops' Panel from 2006-2009. In 2002 he completed his PhD as an external student of the University of Wales (Bangor).[8] For Lent 2006 Smith committed himself to living on the minimum wage.[9]
His election as Bishop of St Albans by the College of Canons of the Cathedral took place on 13 February, and the Confirmation of Election with the Archbishop of Canterbury followed on 31 March. Smith's inauguration took place on 19 September 2009.[10]
From 2009 - 2011 he was joint chairman of the Anglican Methodist Wroking Party on the Ecclesiology of the Emerging Expression of Church.
He has contributed chapters to “Changing Rural Life” (2004) and “Celebrating Community: God’s Gift for Today‘s World” (2006). He has written “Growing up in Multi-faith Britain: Explorations in Youth, Ethnicity and Religion” (2007), “God-Shaped Mission: A Perspective from the Rural Church” (2008)and co-authored 'The Reflective Leader' (2011).
| Church of England titles | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by David Hallatt |
Bishop of Shrewsbury 2001–2009 |
Succeeded by Mark Rylands |
| Preceded by Christopher Herbert |
Bishop of St Albans 2009— |
Incumbent |
|
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