Born in 1945 in the East End of London, Bishop Laurie Green first job was in a jellied-eel factory. At eighteen he moved to live in a commune, working in a mental hospital with an educational psychology research group.  Gaining his first degrees in London, he continued his doctoral studies in New York, where he also sang in the city night clubs and engaged with Puerto Rican street gangs. He returned to the UK to live in Birmingham with his wife Vicki and after ordination in the Church of England he served first as parish priest at Spaghetti Junction, setting up a united parish with local Methodists and then as Principal of a national theology course. He worked with Hell’s Angels and Skinheads and had his own BBC Radio programme.   Laurie initiated work in Urban Theology, and served as Industrial Chaplain to the British Steel Corporation. He then returned to London to become Team Rector of Poplar in the East End – the parish which spawned ‘Call the Midwife’ – having Canary Wharf at one end of the parish and abject poverty at the other.

In 1993 Laurie moved to Essex to become the Bishop of Bradwell. Laurie was founding chair of the National Housing Estate Churches Network, chaired the CofE

Urban Strategy Committee, and was a founder member of the International Network on Global Urbanisation. For eleven years he was Bishop Visitor to the nuns of Malling Abbey in Kent – a Benedictine order. His book, Let’s Do Theology introduced the pastoral cycle to Britain and remains a core text in contextual theology. Many other publications followed.

Laurie has travelled widely especially in India and in 2008 he helped found a charity to support work amongst marginalised and abused women in the poor villages of  Tamil Nadu State (see www.bbf-intl.org.uk) 

In retirement, Laurie has recorded CDs of folk song and jazz guitar. He lives in the south of England with his wife Vicki and is still very active teaching, giving concerts and offering spiritual direction.

The full story is in JESUS & JELLIED EELS  the autobiography.

Colleges:

1968. Kings College London, BD(Hons), AKC.

1969. New York Theological Seminary, STM.

1970. St Augustine’s College Canterbury

1982. New York State University, D.Min.(Theol)
1998. Episcopal Divinity School & Harvard  (Sabbatical studies)

Ordained:

1970 Deacon

1971 Priest

1993 Bishop