Laurie Green

Laurence Alexander Green (known as Laurie; born 26 December 1945) was Bishop of Bradwell.^[3]

Early career

Laurie Green was born and bred in Newham in the East End of London, and was educated at East Ham Grammar School and King's College London (BD, AKC) and then at New York Theological Seminary (STM, D.Min).^[4] After a period of study at St Augustine's College, Canterbury he was ordained in 1970^[5] and began his career with a curacy at St Mark, Kingstanding, Birmingham after which he was: Vicar of Erdington, where he set up an ecumenical parish at Spaghetti Junction with local Methodists.

During his time in Birmingham he initiated work in Urban Theology, worked with Hells Angels and skinheads and had his own BBC Radio programme. He also worked as Assistant Youth Officer for the Diocese and as Industrial Chaplain to the British Steel Corporation. At the same time he became an honorary Lecturer at the Urban Theology Unit, Sheffield University;^[6] For seven years, Bishop Laurie was Principal of the Aston Training Scheme for Anglican ordinands, before returning to his native London to become, before his elevation to the Episcopate, Team Rector of All Saints, Poplar.^[7] Poplar is situated in London’s East End, where his parish had the new financial quarter of Canary Wharf at one end, and the tower-blocks of abject poverty at the other.

Episcopal career

In 1993, Laurie moved to Essex to become the Bishop of Bradwell, where he served for eighteen years before retiring to Bexhill in Sussex.

Within the Diocese of Chelmsford, his Episcopal Area of Bradwell covered such towns as Basildon, Tilbury Docks, Southend, Maldon, Brentwood, Chelmsford, as well as the deep rural areas of the Dengie peninsula where a stone chapel was built by St Cedd in 654 AD at Bradwell. Bishop Laurie then lived quite near to the River Thames, by the Dartford Tunnel & Bridge.

Theology

Bishop Laurie Green has written extensively on the nature of theology, international debt, and urban mission – titles can be found on his website, www.lauriegreen.org. His ‘Let’s Do Theology’ (extensively revised in 2009) was highly acclaimed by Leonardo Boff as an authentic liberation theology for the English-speaking world, and by Elaine Graham as ‘a classic text’. Another two of his books were named by the Church Times among the ‘Books of the Year’, whilst others have been translated into many languages.

Family and retirement

A jazz devotee, blues and classical guitar player and lover of folk music,^[8] Bishop Laurie is married with two children.

He remains founding-chair of the National Estate Churches Network for Housing Estate Ministry and also serves on the Urban Bishops’ Panel of the Church of England and as Chair of the Church’s Urban Strategy Consultative Group. He was instrumental in the setting up of an International Anglican Commission and Network on Global Urbanisation. In retirement, Green has begun to work alongside the Church Urban Fund as Chair and Development Officer for the National Estate Churches Network which supports the Church’s work on the poorer housing estates and projects of the UK. He also continues to work as a Trustee of the charity Friends of the Poor in South India.

Styles

• Laurie Green Esq (26 December 1945–24 May 1970)
• The Revd Laurie Green (24 May 1970 – 1982)
• The Revd Dr Laurie Green (1982–23 February 1993)
• The Rt Revd Dr Laurie Green (23 February 1993—)

Notes

1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 Curriculum Vitae
2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 Profile
3. ↑ Anglican Communion
4. ↑ Who's Who 2008: London, A & C Black ISBN 978-0-7136-8555-8
5. ↑ Crockford's Clerical Directory 2008/2009 Lambeth, Church House Publishing ISBN 978-0-7151-1030-0
6. ↑ UTU, Sheffield
7. ↑ Church web site
8. ↑ Debrett's People of Today London, 2008 Debrett's, ISBN 978-1-870520-95-9