Jeffrey Philip Hywel John (born 10 February 1953) is a Church of England priest, who served as the Dean of St Albans from 2004 until 2021.

He made headlines in 2003 when he was the first person to have openly been in a same-sex relationship to be nominated as a Church of England bishop.

He studied at Tonyrefail Grammar and at Hertford College, Oxford,[2] where he gained a first in classics and modern languages in 1975.

He subsequently studied theology at St Stephen's House, Oxford, and obtained second-class honours.

John received criticism on his nomination both for his stance on gay issues and because he had not publicly repented his past sexual activities in such a way as to indicate that they were wrong.

A number of conservative Anglican leaders in various countries stated their intention to split from the communion if the consecration went ahead.

Concerns over the potential for division led Rowan Williams, Archbishop of Canterbury, to pressure John to step down.

[11] At the end of August 2008, speculation began that John was one of the nominees for the post of Bishop of Bangor in Wales.

[13] July 2010 saw widespread media reports that John was the Crown Nomination Commission's preferred candidate for appointment as Bishop of Southwark[14] in succession to Tom Butler.

[27][28] Clergy in the Church of England are permitted to enter into same-sex civil partnerships, provided they remain celibate.