Stephen Venner
The Bishop of Dover (Bishop in Canterbury)

Stephen was born in Cambridgeshire in 1944 the son of a primary school headteacher (father) and deputy headteacher (mother).

Having nursed a vocation to ordination from an early age, he nevertheless decided to read English at Birmingham as his first degree. Subsequently, he read Theology and trained for the ministry at St Stephen's House in Oxford being ordained by Bishop Mervyn Stockwood in Southwark in 1968.

He held various parochial posts in Southwark and Salisbury dioceses over a period of 26 years as a parish priest. He was a member of General Synod, Chairman of Salisbury's House of Clergy, and Rural Dean of Weymouth. He became a Canon and Prebendary of Salisbury Cathedral in 1989.

Stephen was consecrated Bishop of Middleton at York Minster at Candlemass, February 2nd 1994. He became one of three Area Bishops in the Diocese of Manchester - responsible for a geographic area that includes the municipalities of Rochdale, Oldham and Tameside.

Since 1999 Bishop Stephen has been Bishop of Dover, which means that he is in practice the Diocesan Bishop for Canterbury, exercising that ministry on behalf of the Archbishop.

Education, however, is in the blood, and Stephen is a trained teacher. Having chaired the Board of Education in Salisbury and Manchester, he now chairs that of Canterbury. He is Vice-Chairman of the Church of England's Board of Education and serves on a range of national educational committees. He is a Chairman of General Synod. When Canterbury Christ Church became a university, Stephen became its first Pro-Chancellor (Chairman of Governors).

Bishop Stephen is a member of Kent's Strategic Partnership, and Vice-Chairman of Kent Children's Trust.

Bishop Stephen was a member of the group that produced All God's Children? in 1990, and On the Way. He is the author of a series of pamphlets on the Christian faith entitled We Believe.

Bishop Stephen is married to Judy a Lead Early Years Adviser for Kent. They have three grown up children, none of whom are teachers or clergy … yet!.

In 2006, Bishop Stephen was given additional responsibilities as Bishop for the Falkland Islands, adding some 2,500 people and many more penguins and sheep to his flock!