[6] He was educated at St John's School, Leatherhead, King's College London and Roehampton University.
[2] After a period of study at Chichester Theological College, he was ordained in the Church of England as a deacon in 1981 and as a priest in 1982.
[8] He began his career with a curacy at St Laurence's Church, Upminster, in the Diocese of Chelmsford from 1981 to 1986.
[9][10] He was then Vicar of St Luke's, Moulsham, Chelmsford, and finally (before his elevation as bishop) Vicar of Cookham and Area Dean of Maidenhead.
In an unprecedented move, they expressed their opposition to the House of Bishops' report to General Synod on sexuality, which recommended no change to the Church's canons or practises around sexuality.