Martyn Percy

Martyn Percy (born 31 July 1962) is Principal of Ripon College Cuddesdon, the Oxford Ministry Course and the West of England Ministerial Training Course.^[1] He is also Honorary Professor of Theological Education at King's College London, and Professorial Research Fellow at Heythrop College, University of London. He has also served as Adjunct Professor at Hartford Seminary, Connecticut. He is currently an Honorary Canon of Salisbury Cathedral, having previously served as Honorary Canon, and later as Canon Theologian, at Sheffield Cathedral.

He was educated at Merchant Taylors' School, Northwood, the University of Bristol (BA), the University of Durham (Cert. Counselling), King's College London (PhD) and at the University of Sheffield (MEd). After a career in publishing (1984–88), he trained for ordination at Durham. He served as Curate at St. Andrew’s, Bedford (1990–94), and was then appointed Chaplain and Director of Studies, Christ’s College, Cambridge. In 1997 he was appointed as the Founding Director of the Lincoln Theological Institute - a research and consultancy body specialising in faith and society. He left in 2004 to become Principal at Cuddesdon.

Ripon College Cuddesdon has developed significantly since 2004. The College incorporated the Oxford Ministry Course (OMC) in 2006, and the West of England Ministerial Training Course (WEMTC) in 2011, making it the largest provider of Anglican ordination training in the UK. The College also partners the Diocese of Oxford in the delivery of Ordained Local Ministry training. In 2011 the College entered into a ground-breaking partnership with the Church Missionary Society to deliver training for Ordained Pioneer Ministers – the first partnership of this kind that pairs a theological college with a missionary society. In 2005, the Oxford Centre for Ecclesiology and Practical Theology (OxCEPT) was founded, which provides research and consultancy services to the wider church. Project work has helped develop training for ‘fresh expressions’ of church, education and formation for senior church leaders, mission-enabling for dioceses, deaneries and parishes, and support for chaplaincies in various spheres. Ripon College Cuddesdon has become internationally more active in recent years. It currently works closely with the Anglican Church in Hong Kong, and continues to enjoy links with Anglican colleges in the USA, Canada, South Africa, Australia and New Zealand. More recently, the College has developed a programme of Christian-Muslim dialogue and related work, including an annual Visiting Fellowship for Islamic Scholars established at Cuddesdon, in partnership with the Dubai-based Al Maktoum Institute.

In 2010 the College launched a £10 million Appeal to build a new education centre and chapel, and also raise funds for endowing bursaries, fellowships, studentships and research. The new chapel and education centre are scheduled to be completed by the summer of 2012, with the money needed for the buildings (£6.5 million) having been raised. The new education centre (the Harriet Monsell building) will include accommodation for a small community of Anglican Sisters from Begbroke Priory. The Sisters will work alongside staff and students supporting the College in prayer, spirituality and formation, as well as continuing to develop their own ministry of retreats and spiritual direction. The new Edward King Chapel will be at the heart of these developments.

Percy has also undertaken a number of roles engaging theology with public life, specialising in media and consumer ethics. He has served as a Director and Council member of the Advertising Standards Authority (1999–2006). He was previously an Advisor on the ‘Faith Zone’ for the New Millennium Experience Company and the Millennium Dome in London (1999). From 2006-2008 he was a member of the Theology and Religious Studies Panel for the HEFCE Research Assessment Exercise. He has also recently served as a member of the Independent Complaints Panel for the Portman Group, the self-regulating body for the alcoholic drinks industry. He is currently a Commissioner for the Direct Marketing Authority, and also serves as an Advisor to the British Board of Film Classification. He is also the elected Chair of Cuddesdon and Denton Parish Council.

His publications include Clergy: The Origin of Species (2006), and a trilogy focussing on ecclesiology with Ashgate Publishing: Engaging Contemporary Culture: Christianity and the Concrete Church (2005), Shaping the Church: The Promise of Implicit Theology (2010) and The Ecclesial Canopy: Faith, Hope, Charity (2012). His academic writing and research has mostly focussed on the study of Christianity in contemporary culture, with interests spanning Anglicanism, theological education and modern ecclesiology (including work on fundamentalism and revivalism). He has been a regular contributor to the Guardian and BBC Radio. Percy is the co-founder (with Tom Hughson of Marquette University) of the Society for the Study of Anglicanism, which meets annually at the American Academy of Religion. Rob Slocum is currently the co-chair of the Society

Percy has the curious distinction of being the only living theologian mentioned and quoted in Dan Brown’s Da Vinci Code (chapter 55). Percy's interests include cinema, reading and listening to jazz.

Other miscellaneous appointments

• Freedom of the City of London, 1989
• Panel member, St Francis Children’s Society (adoption), 1994-1997
• Patron, St Francis Children’s Society, 1997–present
• Faith and Order Advisory Group, 1998-2006
• Chair, Cliff College Council, 2002-2006
• Diocesan Synod, St. Albans, 1993-1994
• Editor, Modern Believing, 1999-2004
• Trustee, William Temple Foundation, 2002–present
• Diocesan Synod, Sheffield 1997-2004
• Founder and Co-Chair, Society for the Study of Anglicanism, 2002–present
• Hon. Fellow, OCCC, Regents Park College Oxford, 2006
• Hon Fellow, Sarum College, 2007

Publications

Authored Books:

• 1996 Words, Wonders and Power: Understanding Contemporary Christian Fundamentalism
• 1998 Power and the Church: Ecclesiology in an Age of Transition
• 1999 Richard Hooker: An Introduction
• 2002 Salt of the Earth: Religious Resilience in a Secular Age
• 2005 Engaging Contemporary Culture: Christianity, Theology and the Concrete Church
• 2006 Clergy: The Origin of Species
• 2010 Shaping the Church: The Promise of Implicit Theology
• 2012 The Ecclesial Canopy: Faith, Hope, Charity

Edited Books:

• 1997 Intimate Affairs: Spirituality and Sexuality in Perspective
• 2000 Previous Convictions: Studies in Religious Conversion
• 2000 Managing the Church? Order and Organisation in a Secular Age, (with G. R. Evans)
• 2000 Calling Time: Religion, Society and Change at the Turn of the Millennium
• 2001 Restoring the Image: Essays in Honour of David Martin (with A. Walker)
• 2001 Darkness Yielding, (with Rowan Williams et al.; 3rd edition 2009)
• 2002 Fundamentalism, Church and Society (with I. Jones).
• 2004 The Character of Wisdom: Essays in Honour of Wesley Carr (with S. Lowe)
• 2005 Why Liberal Churches are Growing (with I. Markham)
• 2007 Evaluating Fresh Expressions (ed. with L. Nelstrop)
• 2010 Christ and Culture (ed. with I. Markham, M. Chapman and B. Hawkins).
• 2012 The Oxford University Press Handbook of Anglican Studies (with M. Chapman, S. Clarke and I. Douglas).

Family

He is married to Rev Emma Percy and is the father of two sons.

References