Paul Gavin Williams (born 16 January 1968) is a Church of England bishop. Since May 2015, he has been the

Bishop of Southwell and Nottingham __NOTOC__ The Bishop of Southwell and Nottingham is the diocesan bishop of the Church of England Diocese of Southwell and Nottingham in the Province of York.''Crockford's Clerical Directory'', 100th edition, (2007), Church House Publishing. . The ...

; from 2009 to 2015, he was the

Bishop of Kensington The Bishop of Kensington is an episcopal title used by an area bishop of the Church of England Diocese of London, in the Province of Canterbury, England. The Bishop of Kensington is responsible for a part of Greater London, including Kensington ...

, an area bishop in the

Diocese of London The Diocese of London forms part of the Church of England's Province of Canterbury in England. It lies directly north of the Thames. For centuries the diocese covered a vast tract and bordered the dioceses of Norwich and Lincoln to the north ...

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 Richard Huish College is a further education and sixth-form college in Taunton, Somerset, England. Located on a single site in South Road, about a mile from the centre of Taunton, it offers A-level courses, apprenticeships and vocational courses ...

, a sixth-form college in Taunton. He studied theology at

Grey College, Durham Grey College is a Durham University#Colleges, college of Durham University in England. Although it was originally planned for the college to be named Oliver Cromwell College, this proved too controversial and it was instead named after Charles Gre ...

, graduating with a Bachelor of Arts (BA) degree in 1989. He trained for ordination at Wycliffe Hall, Oxford, an evangelical Anglican theological college. 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 St Paul's Cathedral is an Anglican cathedral in London and is the seat of the Bishop of London. The cathedral serves as the mother church of the Diocese of London. It is on Ludgate Hill at the highest point of the City of London and is a Grad ...

and ordained a priest in 1993. He was a

curate A curate () is a person who is invested with the ''care'' or ''cure'' (''cura'') ''of souls'' of a parish. In this sense, "curate" means a parish priest; but in English-speaking countries the term ''curate'' is commonly used to describe clergy w ...

at St James with St Matthew's Muswell Hill (1992–1995) and then Associate Vicar at

Christ Church, Clifton Christ Church () is a Church of England parish church in Clifton, Bristol, England. It has been designated as a Grade II* listed building. History The church was built in 1841 by Charles Dyer (architect), Charles Dyer. The steeple was built in 1 ...

in Bristol (1995–1999) before becoming the

rector Rector (Latin for the member of a vessel's crew who steers) may refer to: Style or title *Rector (ecclesiastical), a cleric who functions as an administrative leader in some Christian denominations *Rector (academia), a senior official in an edu ...

of St James's Gerrards Cross with Fulmer (1999–2009). 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 Christ Church ( la, Ædes Christi, the temple or house, '' ædēs'', of Christ, and thus sometimes known as "The House") is a constituent college of the University of Oxford in England. Founded in 1546 by King Henry VIII, the college is uniqu ...

from 2007-09.

Episcopal ministry

Paul Williams was ordained (consecrated) to the episcopate on 25 March 2009 by Rowan Williams,

Archbishop of Canterbury The archbishop of Canterbury is the senior bishop and a principal leader of the Church of England, the ceremonial head of the worldwide Anglican Communion and the diocesan bishop of the Diocese of Canterbury. The current archbishop is Justi ...

, at

, London.Consecration details
/ref> From 2009 to 2015, he was the

, an area bishop in the

.Official notification of appointment
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

was confirmed.Diocese of Southwell & Nottingham — "Election of new Bishop of Southwell & Nottingham confirmed"
Diocese of Southwell & Nottingham website, accessed 24 May 2015. He was installed as diocesan bishop during an inauguration service on 27 June 2015 at Southwell Minster. He became a member of the House of Lords upon his introduction (as a Lord Spiritual) on 13 June 2022.

Personal life

Paul married Sarah (nee Cossham) at

in February 1997; they have three sons. Diocesan Profile

Styles

*'' The Reverend'' Paul Williams (1993–2007) *''The Reverend'' Canon Paul Williams (2007–2009) *''The

Right Reverend The Right Reverend (abbreviated The Rt Revd, The Rt Rev'd, The Rt Rev.) is a style applied to certain religious figures. Overview *In the Anglican Communion and the Catholic Church in Great Britain, it applies to bishops, except that ''The M ...

'' Paul Williams (2009–present)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Williams, Paul 1968 births Alumni of Grey College, Durham 21st-century Church of England bishops Living people Bishops of Kensington Bishops of Southwell Lords Spiritual Alumni of Wycliffe Hall, Oxford