Stephen Taylor (priest)

Stephen Ronald Taylor, MBE (born 2 May 1955) is a senior priest in the Church of England and the current Archdeacon of Maidstone in the Diocese of Canterbury.


Stephen Taylor

Archdeacon of Maidstone
ChurchChurch of England
DioceseDiocese of Canterbury
In office18 September 2011 – present
PredecessorPhilip Down
Other postsCanon Provost, Sunderland Minster (2000–2011)
Joint Acting Archdeacon of Canterbury (2015–2017)
Orders
Ordination1983 (deacon); 1984 (priest)
Personal details
Born (1955-05-02) 2 May 1955
Bradford, West Yorkshire
NationalityBritish
DenominationAnglican
ResidencePenenden Heath, Maidstone
ParentsRonald & Joyce Taylor
Spouse
Julie Anderson
(m. 1981)
Children3 daughters; 1 son (d.)
Alma materCranmer Hall, Durham

Family and education

Taylor was born to Ronald and Joyce Taylor in Bradford, West Yorkshire, and was a Community Recreation Officer there in 1978. He attended Sunday School at and was confirmed at the Open Evangelical St Peter's Shipley. He then attended theological college at Cranmer Hall, Durham, during which time he married, Julie Anderson, a Senior Educational Psychologist (in 1981 at St Peter's Shipley). They have three adult daughters, two grandsons and one late son. Taylor was ordained a deacon in 1983 then a priest in 1984, while serving his title post as assistant curate at St Mary and St Cuthbert, Chester-le-Street.

Priestly career

His first incumbency was as vicar of St Matthew's, Newbottle (from 1988) and honorary Chaplain at Frankland Prison (from 1989) until his 1993 move to All Saints Stranton, Hartlepool, where he was a training incumbent. While there, Taylor was awarded his MA by Durham University in 1999; in the same year he became an Honorary Canon of the diocese of Rift Valley, Tanzania. In 2000, he became Canon Provost at Sunderland Minster, where he led a team of ministers in various sector ministries at the newly established "Urban Minster". During his time in that post, he also became an honorary canon at Durham Cathedral. He remained in Sunderland until his archidiaconal appointment in 2011.

Taylor was installed and collated as Archdeacon of Maidstone by Dr Rowan Williams, Archbishop of Canterbury, in Canterbury Cathedral on 18 September 2011,[1] and welcomed in a civic ceremony at All Saints Church, Maidstone on 25 September. As Archdeacon, he has responsibility for his archdeaconry and for "help[ing] churches better support their local communities" across the diocese,[1] as part of the diocesan Communities and Partnership framework. From 6 December 2015 until 22 January 2017, Taylor was also Joint Acting Archdeacon of Canterbury, alongside Philip Down, Archdeacon of Ashford.[2]

Charities and committees

Outside of his clerical posts, Taylor also: founded the Kilimatinde Trust, Tanzania in 1997; sat on the Church of England's General Synod (2000–2005); Chaired the 'Church and Society' working group for Durham and Newcastle dioceses (2005–2006); was Chairman of the Sunderland Local Partnership (2006–2011); and became an Honorary Fellow of the University of Sunderland in 2009.

References

Sources

This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.