[1] He studied zoology at the University of Durham, where he was a member of St John's College, and he graduated with a Bachelor of Science (BSc) degree in 1989.
[4] He then joined the staff of St Martin-in-the-Fields, City of Westminster in the Diocese of London, where he was an assistant curate from 1997 to 2000 and an associate vicar from 2000 to 2002.
[4][7][8] On 11 October 2022, it was announced that the late Queen Elizabeth II had approved Monteith's nomination for election as Dean of Canterbury, and he was appointed by her successor King Charles III on 7 November 2022;[9] his institution took place on 17 December 2022.
[10] His appointment was criticised by the Global South Fellowship of Anglican Churches (GSFA) and the Global Fellowship of Confessing Anglicans (GAFCON), on the grounds that Monteith is in a same-sex civil partnership; the Church of England defended his appointment, stating that Monteith lives chastely with his partner.
[4][12] In a short church biography, Monteith "shares his life in a Civil Partnership with David Hamilton.