Tim Stevens | |
|---|---|
| Bishop of Leicester | |
_(cropped).jpg) Stevens in 2011 | |
| Church | Church of England |
| Diocese | Diocese of Leicester |
| In office | 1999 – 11 July 2015 (retired) |
| Predecessor | Tom Butler |
| Successor | Martyn Snow |
| Other post(s) | Bishop of Dunwich (1995–1999) Convenor of the Lords Spiritual (November 2009 – May 2015)[1] |
| Orders | |
| Ordination | 1976 |
| Consecration | 1995 |
| Personal details | |
| Born | (1946-12-31)31 December 1946 (age 78) Ilford, Essex,United Kingdom |
| Nationality | British |
| Denomination | Anglican |
| Residence | Bishop's Lodge, Leicester |
| Parents | Ralph Stevens & Ursula Plowman |
| Spouse | Wendi Price (m. 1973) |
| Children | 1 daughter, Rachel (deceased) & 1 son, Adam[2] |
| Alma mater | Selwyn College, Cambridge |
Timothy John Stevens,CBE, GCStJ (born 31 December 1946) is a retired BritishAnglican bishop. He wasBishop of Dunwich from 1995 to 1999 and wasBishop of Leicester from 1999 to 2015. From 2003 to 2015, he was a member of theHouse of Lords as aLord Spiritual and served as Convenor of the Lords Spiritual from 2009 to 2015.
Stevens was born inIlford, Essex, to Ralph Stevens and Ursula Plowman. He was educated atChigwell School. He studiedclassics and English atSelwyn College, Cambridge,[3] and graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1968; as per tradition, this was promoted to aMaster of Arts (MA (Cantab)) degree in 1972.
From 1968 to 1973, Stevens worked as a senior management trainee forBritish Overseas Airways Corporation (BOAC)[4] and in 1972 and 1973 as asecond secretary at theForeign and Commonwealth Office.[5]
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AfterCambridge, Stevens studied atRipon Hall, Oxford, where he gained a diploma in theology. He was ordained in 1976, becoming a curate inEast Ham in the same year. From 1979 to 1980, he was Team Vicar ofUpton Park and from 1980 to 1988 Team Rector ofCanvey Island. He was theBishop of Chelmsford's urban officer from 1988 to 1991 and theArchdeacon of West Ham from 1991 and 1995.
Stevens was consecrated a bishop byGeorge Carey,Archbishop of Canterbury, atSouthwark Cathedral on 17 November 1995;[6] he became theBishop suffragan of Dunwich in 1995 and occupied that See until 1999, when he was appointed as theBishop of Leicester. It was announced on 18 November 2014 that Stevens was to retire in July 2015.[7] On 11 July, he led his last service as Bishop of Leicester atLeicester Cathedral.[8][9]
He took a seat in theHouse of Lords as one of theLords Spiritual in 2003.[10] He was theConvenor of the Lords Spiritual from November 2009 until May 2015.[1] On 16 July 2015, he gave his last speech in the House of Lords. He was succeeded by the first female Lord Spiritual,Rachel Treweek, when parliament reconvened in the autumn.[11]
Stevens was appointedCommander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in the 2016 Birthday Honours for services to the Church of England and the community in Leicestershire.[12]
On 1 September 2016, he was appointed as the Prelate of theMost Venerable Order of the Hospital of Saint John of Jerusalem.[13] On 11 February 2017, Stevens was one of fourteen retired bishops to sign anopen letter to the then-serving bishops of the Church of England. In an unprecedented move, they expressed their opposition to the House of Bishops' report toGeneral Synod on sexuality, which recommended no change to the Church's canons or practises around sexuality.[14] By 13 February, a serving bishop (Alan Wilson,Bishop of Buckingham) and nine further retired bishops had added their signatures;[15] on 15 February, the report was rejected by synod.[16]
In January 2020, Stevens became interim Principal ofWestcott House, Cambridge, where he had previously served as Chair of the Governing Body while a bishop.[17] He was succeeded as Principal of Westcott House byHelen Dawes in 2021.[18]
Stevens is currently Chair of the organization,Common Purpose UK.
Stevens has been married to Wendi Kathleen Price since 1973. She died in May 2020. They had one daughter, now deceased, and have one son.
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