Paul Williams (bishop)

The Right Reverend Paul Williams
Bishop of Southwell and Nottingham
Official portrait, 2024
Church	Church of England
Diocese	Diocese of Southwell and Nottingham
In office	2015–present
Predecessor	Paul Butler
Other post(s)	Bishop of Kensington (2009–2015)
Orders
Ordination	1992 (deacon); 1993 (priest) by  David Hope (deacon)
Consecration	25 March 2009 by  Rowan Williams
Personal details
Born	(1968-01-16) 16 January 1968 (age 56) Weston-super-Mare, Somerset, United Kingdom
Nationality	British
Denomination	Anglican
Residence	Bishop's Manor, Southwell [1]
Spouse	​ ​ (m. 1997)​
Children	3
Alma mater	Grey College, Durham
Member of the House of Lords ( Lord Spiritual )
Incumbent
Assumed office 13 June 2022

Paul Gavin Williams (born 16 January 1968) is a Church of England bishop. ^{[1] [2]} Since May 2015, he has been the Bishop of Southwell and Nottingham; from 2009 to 2015, he was the Bishop of Kensington, an area bishop in the Diocese of London. ^[3]

Early life

Paul Williams was born to Bryan and Heather Williams on 16 January 1968 in Weston-super-Mare, Somerset, England. He was educated in Somerset at Court Fields School, a comprehensive school in Wellington, and at Richard Huish College, a sixth-form college in Taunton. He studied theology at Grey College, Durham, graduating with a Bachelor of Arts (BA) degree in 1989. He trained for ordination at Wycliffe Hall, Oxford, an evangelical Anglican theological college. ^[2] Paul Williams’s mother, Heather, was one of the first women to be ordained priest at Wells Cathedral in 1994. His father was an electrical engineer.

Ordained ministry

Paul Williams was ordained a deacon at Petertide on 28 June 1992 by David Hope, Bishop of London, at St Paul's Cathedral ^[4] and ordained a priest in 1993. He was a curate at St James with St Matthew's Muswell Hill (1992–1995) and then Associate Vicar at Christ Church, Clifton in Bristol (1995–1999) before becoming the rector of St James's Gerrards Cross with Fulmer (1999–2009). ^[2] During this time the church saw considerable growth, with six Sunday services spanning contemporary to traditional choral; also a pioneering children’s ministry with creative arts. Paul Williams was an honorary canon of Christ Church, Oxford from 2007-09.

Episcopal ministry

Paul Williams was ordained (consecrated) to the episcopate on 25 March 2009 by Rowan Williams, Archbishop of Canterbury, at St Paul's Cathedral, London. ^{[5] [6]} From 2009 to 2015, he was the Bishop of Kensington, an area bishop in the Diocese of London. ^[7] Alongside his oversight of 130 churches in West London he also had diocesan responsibility for ministry training and leadership development. On 11 May 2015, Paul Williams' canonical election as Bishop of Southwell and Nottingham was confirmed. ^[8] He was installed as diocesan bishop during an inauguration service on 27 June 2015 at Southwell Minster. ^[9] He became a member of the House of Lords upon his introduction (as a Lord Spiritual) on 13 June 2022. ^[10]

Views

In 2023, following the news that the House of Bishop's of the Church of England was to introduce proposals for blessing same-sex relationships, he signed an open letter which stated: ^[11]

many Christians in the Church of England and the Anglican Communion, together with Christians from across the churches of world Christianity, continue to believe that marriage is given by God for the union of a man and woman and that it cannot be extended to those who are of the same sex. [...] Without seeking to diminish the value of many committed same-sex relationships, for which there is much to give thanks, we find ourselves constrained by what we sincerely believe the Scriptures teach which cannot be set aside. ^[11]

During the Church of England's February 2023 General Synod meeting, Williams was one of four bishops in the house to vote against the successful proposal to introduce blessings and prayers for same-sex relationships. ^[12] He also voted against introducing "standalone services for same-sex couples" on a trial basis during a meeting of the General Synod in November 2023; the motion passed. ^{[13] [14]}

Personal life

Paul married Sarah (nee Cossham) at Christ Church, Clifton in February 1997; they have three sons. ^[15]

Styles

• The Reverend Paul Williams (1993–2007)
• The Reverend Canon Paul Williams (2007–2009)
• The Right Reverend Paul Williams (2009–present)

References

• Christianity portal

1. "Paul Gavin Williams" . Crockford's Clerical Directory (online ed.). Church House Publishing . Retrieved 30 June 2017.
2. "Williams, Paul Gavin" . Who's Who . Vol. 2017 (November 2016 online ed.). A & C Black. Retrieved 30 June 2017.(Subscription or UK public library membership required.)
3. "Paul Gavin Williams" . Crockford's Clerical Directory (online ed.). Church House Publishing . Retrieved 14 February 2018.
4. "Ordinations at Petertide" . Church Times . No. 6751. 3 July 1992. p. 4. ISSN   0009-658X . Retrieved 3 July 2017– via UK Press Online archives.
5. Consecration details
6. "Appointments in the clergy", Daily Telegraph , 20 December 2008, p. 26.
7. Official notification of appointment Archived 2009-12-07 at the Wayback Machine
8. Diocese of Southwell & Nottingham — "Election of new Bishop of Southwell & Nottingham confirmed", Diocese of Southwell & Nottingham website, accessed 24 May 2015.
9. Page, Jemma (27 June 2015). "New Bishop of Southwell and Nottingham officially inaugurated". Nottingham Post. Archived from the original on 28 June 2015. Retrieved 12 December 2015.
10. "Bishop of Southwell and Nottingham becomes a Member of the House of Lords". Diocese of Southwell & Nottingham. 13 June 2022. Archived from the original on 4 October 2022. Retrieved 4 October 2022.
11. "LLF: a paper on the Doctrine of Marriage". Thinking Anglicans. 31 January 2023. Retrieved 31 January 2023.
12. "General Synod 9 TH February 2023 – Item 11" (PDF). Church of England. Retrieved 10 May 2023.
13. "GENERAL SYNOD NOVEMBER 2023 GROUP OF SESSIONS BUSINESS DONE AT 5 P.M." (PDF). churchofengland.org. The Church of England. 13 November 2023. Retrieved 23 November 2023. 7. The motion (as amended) 'That this Synod, conscious that the Church is not of one mind on the issues raised by Living in Love and Faith, that we are in a period of uncertainty, and that many in the Church on all sides are being deeply hurt at this time, recognise the progress made by the House of Bishops towards implementing the motion on Living in Love and Faith passed by this Synod in February 2023, as reported in GS 2328, encourage the House to continue its work of implementation, and ask the House to consider whether some standalone services for same-sex couples could be made available for use, possibly on a trial basis, on the timescale envisaged by the motion passed by the Synod in February 2023.' was carried following a counted vote by Houses.
14. "General Synod 15th November 2023 – Item 007" (PDF). churchofengland.org. The Church of England. 15 November 2023. Retrieved 23 November 2023.
15. Diocesan Profile Archived 2012-02-05 at the Wayback Machine

Church of England titles
Preceded by Michael Colclough	Bishop of Kensington 2009–2015	Succeeded by Graham Tomlin
Preceded by Paul Butler	Bishop of Southwell & Nottingham 2015–present	Incumbent