Roger Morris (bishop)

Roger Anthony Brett Morris (born 18 July 1968) is the area Bishop of Colchester in the Church of England Diocese of Chelmsford. He was previously the Archdeacon of Worcester.^[1]

The Right Reverend Roger Morris
Bishop of Colchester
Morris in 2014
Church	Church of England
Diocese	Diocese of Chelmsford
In office	25 July 2014–present
Predecessor	Christopher Morgan
Other post(s)	Archdeacon of Worcester (2008–2014)
Orders
Ordination	1993 (deacon) 1994 (priest)
Consecration	25 July 2014
Personal details
Born	(1968-07-18) 18 July 1968 (age 57)
Nationality	British
Denomination	Anglican
Spouse	Sally
Children	2 daughters
Education	Imperial College, London Trinity College, Cambridge

Early life and education

Morris was born on 18 July 1968 in Hereford, Herefordshire, England.^[2] He was educated at Chipping Sodbury School and Filton Technical College.^[3] He studied at Imperial College, London,^[4] graduating with a Bachelor of Science (BSc) degree in 1989.^[2] From 1990 to 1993, he trained for ordination at Ridley Hall, Cambridge, an evangelical Anglican theological college.^[5] During this time, he also studied theology at Trinity College, Cambridge, graduating with a Bachelor of Arts (BA) degree in 1992: as per tradition, his BA was promoted to a Master of Arts (MA Cantab) degree in 2008.^[5]

Ordained ministry

Morris was ordained in the Church of England as a deacon in 1993 and as a priest in 1994.^[6] After a curacy in Northleach he was the incumbent at Sevenhampton from 1996 to 2003; and then Director of Parish Development and Evangelism for the Diocese of Coventry from then until his archdeacon's appointment.^[7] From 2008 to 2014, he was Archdeacon of Worcester in the Diocese of Worcester.^[5]

On 2 May 2014, Morris was announced as the next Bishop of Colchester, a suffragan bishop in the Diocese of Chelmsford.^[8] He was consecrated as a bishop on 25 July 2014 at St Paul's Cathedral by Justin Welby, Archbishop of Canterbury.^[9][10]

Views

In 2023, he was one of 44 Church of England bishops who signed an open letter supporting the use of the Prayers of Love and Faith (i.e. blessings for same-sex couples) and called for "Guidance being issued without delay that includes the removal of all restrictions on clergy entering same-sex civil marriages, and on bishops ordaining and licensing such clergy".^[11]

Personal life

Morris is married to Sally, a headteacher in a secondary school and a Minister in Secular Employment (MSE). They have two daughters. Morris stage-manages the Canopy Stage (previously The Performance Café) at the annual Greenbelt Christian Arts Festival. His interests include popular music, films, supporting Bristol Rovers and walking the family's three dogs.^[12]