Paul Wright (Archdeacon of Bromley & Bexley)

Paul Wright was born the son of Cecil Edwin John Wright and Bessie Wright, and read theology at King's College London (gaining the Bachelor of Divinity {BD} and Associate of King's College {AKC} in 1978).[2] That same year, he started training for ministry at Ripon College Cuddesdon; he later graduated Master of Theology (MTh) from Heythrop College, London in 1990, and Doctor of Ministry (DMin) from the University of Wales, Lampeter in 2009.[3] He married Jill Rayner in 1981 and they have three children; Wright became a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts (FRSA) in 2016.[2]

He was made a deacon at Petertide 1979 (24 June)[4] and ordained a priest the Petertide next (22 June 1980) by David Say, Bishop of Rochester, at Rochester Cathedral.[5] He served curacies at St George's Church, Beckenham (1979–1983) and in Richmond (St Mary Magdalene, St Matthias and St John the Divine; 1983–1985), where he was chaplain of Christ's School.[3]

Wright became Vicar of Gillingham, Kent (St Augustine) in 1985, until his move to Crayford in 1990, where he served as Rector until 1999: while there, he was additionally Rural Dean of Erith (1993–1997) and an honorary canon of Rochester Cathedral since 1998.[3] He next served as Vicar of Sidcup[2] until his collation in December 2003[6] as Archdeacon of Bromley & Bexley. In that role, he has also additionally been Bishop's Adviser for Inter-Faith Concerns (2011–2015), priest-in-charge of Bromley Common (2012–2015)[3] and of St Augustine, Slade Green (since 2016).[2]