David was born in Birmingham in 1943 and married Sue in 1969. They have two children, Jonathan and Rachel, and eight grandchildren.
David was educated at Skinners’ School, Tunbridge Wells and Maidstone Grammar School before reading chemistry at King’s College, London, followed by doctoral research in organic chemistry.
After teaching chemistry and religious studies for a year at Maidstone Technical High School, David trained for the Church of England ministry at Tyndale Hall and Trinity College, Bristol. He also studied for an M. Litt. degree on ‘The Theological Method of T.F.Torrance’.
He was ordained deacon in Manchester Cathedral in 1972, and priest in 1973. After curacies at St Peter, Halliwell, Bolton and St John’s Harborne, Birmingham, he was Librarian at Latimer House, Oxford for three years before becoming Chaplain (1977) and Fellow of Corpus Christi College, Oxford (1983-93).
He taught psychology of religion and Christian ethics for the Faculty of Theology, and held part-time roles at London Bible College and Wycliffe Hall, Oxford.
He has served as
- Theological Consultant to Care and Counsel (1980-87),
- Visting Chaplain at Fuller Seminary, Pasadena (1983),
- Northrup Visiting Professor, Hope College Holland, Michigan (1986 & 1991),
- Lecturer for Association of Christian Military Fellowships seminars on ‘Christian Values in Military Leadership’ in Prague, Budapest, and Slovakia,
- Visting Professor South Asia Institute of Advanced Christian Studies, Bangalore (1999, 2001 & 2004), and
- Visiting Lecturer at St John’s College, Hong Kong (2000).
In 1993 he was appointed Canon Chancellor and Diocesan Missioner for the Diocese of Southwark before becoming Archdeacon of Lewisham (in 1996). Then, in 2001 he was consecrated to be Suffragan Bishop of Thetford in the Diocese of Norwich, from where he retired in 2009.
He is now Honorary Assistant Bishop in the Diocese of Southwark. He has been a non-exceutive Director of Mildmay Mission Hospital, and Board Member of Operation Noah. He served on the Osborne C/E Working Party on homosexuality in 1987. He was a founder member of The Society of Ordained Scientists. He has also served as C/E Examiner and Moderator for St John’s College, Nottingham, Trinity College, Bristol and Ridley Hall, Cambridge.