Rev’d Dr Paul Smith Profile

Although Paul was born in Newcastle on Tyne (1959) and baptised in a Methodist church, he grew up in South India, where his parents served as Methodist Missionaries in the Church of South India. He was confirmed ecumenically (Anglican, Methodist, URC) and then returned to UK to complete his schooling. He studied English and Philosophy at Birmingham University and then trained for the Anglican ordained ministry at Wycliffe Hall, Oxford. He was ordained in Birmingham cathedral in 1985 and has served in parishes in Birmingham, London, Bletchley and Farnham, Surrey. Paul is currently Team Rector of Stantonbury and Willen parish and also helps look after Bradwell Church.

Paul married first in 1986 to Fiona and they had a son, Rob, in 1993. Fiona died unexpectedly after a short illness in 1994. Her memorial window can be seen in the cloisters at Christ the Cornerstone, MK City Centre. Subsequently Paul met Jeanette locally in Milton Keynes and they married in 1996. Jeanette had been widowed herself at an early age and had three of her own sons. David, James and Andrew are all in their 40’s now and married with their own families. Paul and Jeanette have 11 grandchildren. They came to Stantonbury team in 2002 and live at the vicarage in Willen. Jeanette is retired and Paul plans to retire in Autumn 2024

In 2006 Paul had sabbatical leave during which he went on pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostela, N. Spain. Since then, he has been on pilgrimage more times on different parts of the Camino. As a result of sabbatical studies he took an MA in Christianity and Interreligious Relations at Heythrop College, London in 2009 and a Doctorate in Theology and Ministry at King’s College London in 2019. His thesis and then a book published based on it were both entitled: Intimate Diversity: an Anglican practical theology of interreligious marriage. The book was published by Brill, Leiden, in 2021

Paul is interested in interfaith issues generally and the place of Christianity in a pluralist society. He is an area interfaith advisor for the northern part of Buckingham Anglican archdeaconry. He is co-chair of Oxford Diocesan Committee for Interfaith Relations and a member of Milton Keynes SACRE (Standing Advisory Committee for Religious Education). 

He enjoys family life, gardening, walking, classical music, jazz and some forms of rock music, eating curries and travelling abroad for holidays as well as going to the theatre. Apart from reading theology, he enjoys international fiction including authors such as Alexander McCall Smith, Joanna Trollope, Khaled Hosseini,and Turkish writers in translation including Elif Shafak, Orhan Pamuk, and Ahmet Altan.

Contact Paul through our Enquiry Form or by direct mail here