Alan Smith | |
|---|---|
| Bishop of St Albans | |
 Official portrait, 2021 | |
| Diocese | Diocese of St Albans |
| In office | 2009–2025 |
| Predecessor | Christopher Herbert |
| Other posts | areaBishop of Shrewsbury(2001–2009) Archdeacon of Stoke(1997–2001) |
| Orders | |
| Ordination | 1981 (deacon) 1982 (priest) by Geoffrey Paul |
| Consecration | December 2001 by George Carey |
| Personal details | |
| Born | (1957-02-14)14 February 1957 (age 69) |
| Nationality | British |
| Denomination | Anglican |
| Residence | Abbey Gate House, St Albans |
| Alma mater | University of Birmingham |
| Convenor of the Lords Spiritual | |
| In office 23 September 2022 – 31 May 2025 | |
| Preceded by | David Urquhart |
| Succeeded by | David Walker |
| Member of theHouse of Lords | |
| In office 4 November 2013 – 31 May 2025 | |
Alan Gregory Clayton Smith (born 14 February 1957) is a British retiredAnglican bishop. From 2009 until 2025, he was theBishop of St Albans;[1] from 2001 to 2009, he served as theareaBishop of Shrewsbury.[2]
Smith was born on 14 February 1957,[3] to Frank Eric Smith and Rosemary Clayton Smith.[4] His family is originally fromTrowbridge andWestbury, Wiltshire. He was educated atTrowbridge High School.[4]
Smith studiedtheology at theUniversity of Birmingham, and graduated with aBachelor of Arts (BA) degree in 1981 and aMaster of Arts (MA) degree in 1982.[5][6] His master'sthesis was titled "The Poetic Art of the Hebrew Prophets".[citation needed] From 1979 to 1981, he trained for ordination atWycliffe Hall, Oxford, anevangelical Anglican theological college.[5][6] He undertookpostgraduate research at theUniversity of Wales, Bangor, and graduated with aDoctor of Philosophy (PhD) degree in 2002.[3][5] His doctoral thesis was titled "The nature and significance of religion among adolescents in the Metropolitan Borough of Walsall".[7]
Afterordination as a deacon atPetertide 1981 (on 28 June inBradford Cathedral)[8] and as apriest the Petertide following (27 June 1982 at Christ Church,Skipton) — both times byGeoffrey Paul,Bishop of Bradford,[9] he began his career as assistantcurate at St Lawrence and St PaulPudsey.[10] In 1982 he was ordained a priest at Christ Church, Skipton. In 1984 he took up the post aschaplain of theLee Abbey Community near Lynton in North Devon where he had particular responsibility for mission and the creative arts. In 1989 he was appointed as the Diocesan Missioner and Executive Secretary of the Board for Mission and Unity for theDiocese of Lichfield[11] and finally in 1997 (before his ordination as a bishop)[12]Archdeacon of Stoke.[4] While archdeacon he chaired the North Staffordshire Faiths in Friendship. He was a member of the General Synod of the Church of England from 1999.
He was consecrated a bishop byGeorge Carey,Archbishop of Canterbury atWestminster Abbey[13] on 6 December 2001,[14] becoming the Bishop of Shrewsbury (one of the suffragan sees in the Diocese of Lichfield). He was chair of the Shropshire Strategic Partnership from 2006 to 2009. and was a member of the Rural Bishops' Panel from 2006 to 2009. In 2002 he completed hisPhD as an external student of the University of Wales (Bangor).[4] ForLent 2006 Smith committed himself to living on theminimum wage.[15]
His election asBishop of St Albans by the College ofCanons of the Cathedral took place on 13 February 2009, and theconfirmation of his election followed on 31 March.[16] Smith's inauguration took place on 19 September 2009.[17] In January 2025, it was announced that he would retire as diocesan bishop on 31 May 2025.[18]
From 2009 to 2011 he was joint chairman of the Anglican Methodist Working Party on the Ecclesiology of Emerging Expressions of Church which produced the reportFresh Expression in the Mission of the Church (2012). For the centenary of the newly reconfigured Diocese of St Albans in 2014 he wroteSaints and Pilgrims in the Diocese of St Albans (2013).
On 4 November 2013 he took his seat in theHouse of Lords as one of theLords Spiritual. He has spoken on a wide range of subjects in Parliament with a particular focus on rural matters, agriculture, housing, welfare, and problem gambling. He is President of the Rural Coalition. On 23 September 2022, he was appointedConvenor of the Lords Spiritual.[19]
He is also the patron of theMission Direct charity inHertfordshire.[20]
Smith is concerned about fixed odds gambling machines which fuel problem gambling, leading to people losing their homes, their savings and sometimes taking their own lives. Smith blames the UK government for not limiting the amount people can gamble on those machines to £2, Smith stated the government delay was out of step with, "politicians and campaigners [who] are united in seeking the earliest possible introduction of the maximum £2 stake forFOBTs which will alleviate some of the devastating consequences of people addicted to gambling on them, some who can lose their homes and savings to them and then take their lives in desperation. Bookmakers taking huge profits and football clubs taking sponsorship from gambling and leaving the NHS to pick up the bill and families to face grief is privatising profit and nationalising consequences. It has to stop." Smith also stated, "I am not anti-business. I am pro-victims. I am angry about impunity."[21]
In 2010, Smith was awarded anhonoraryDoctor of Divinity (DD) degree by theUniversity of Birmingham.[5]
He has contributed chapters toChanging Rural Life (2004) andCelebrating Community: God's Gift for Today's World (2006). He has writtenGrowing up in Multi-faith Britain: Explorations in Youth, Ethnicity and Religion (2007),God-Shaped Mission: A Perspective from the Rural Church (2008), and co-authoredThe Reflective Leader (2011). He was joint editor ofFaith and the Future of the Countryside (2012).
| Church of England titles | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Bishop of Shrewsbury 2001–2009 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Bishop of St Albans 2009–2025 | TBA |
