Martyn Percy

During Percy's time at Cuddesdon, the college moved from a distinctively liberal catholic outlook to the broader centre ground of Anglicanism, welcoming ordinands from across the spectrum, thereby reclaiming the "non-party" ethos that Bishop Samuel Wilberforce had founded the college with in 1854.

Martyn William Percy (born 31 July 1962) is a British academic, educator, social scientist and theologian.

Ordained as a priest in the Church of England, in 2022 he announced that he was leaving the Church of England, though remains Episcopalian-Anglican.

Percy was born on 31 July 1962.

After a short career in publishing (1984–1988), he trained for ordination at Cranmer Hall, Durham, from 1988 to 1990.

Percy was ordained in the Church of England as a deacon in 1990 and as a priest in 1991.

He served as a curate at St Andrew's, Bedford (1990–1994), and was then appointed chaplain and director of studies at Christ's College, Cambridge.

He was educated at Merchant Taylors' School, Northwood, the University of Bristol (BA), the University of Durham (Cert. Counselling), King's College London (PhD, 1993) and the University of Sheffield (MEd).

In 1997 he was appointed as the founding director of the Lincoln Theological Institute – a research and consultancy body specialising in faith and society (initially based at Sheffield University but now at Manchester University).

He left in 2004 to become principal at Cuddesdon.

Ripon College Cuddesdon developed significantly from 2004, during Percy's tenure as principal: it incorporated the Oxford Ministry Course (OMC) in 2006, and the West of England Ministerial Training Course (WEMTC) in 2011, making it the largest provider of Anglican ordination training in the UK.

The college became internationally more active during Percy's period as principal: it works closely with the Anglican Church in Hong Kong and continues to have links with Anglican colleges in the United States, Canada, South Africa, Australia and New Zealand.

In 2013, The Times Literary Supplement praised Percy for his work towards unity within the Anglican Communion and the Church of England, describing him as displaying a "peaceable, polite and restrained" approach whilst "making peace between competing communities of conviction".

During Percy's tenure, the multi-award-winning Bishop Edward King Chapel (shortlisted for the Stirling Prize in 2013) and a new education centre (Harriet Monsell House) were built.

The college also became the first to incorporate a community of Anglican religious sisters, and to work alongside staff and students offering support in prayer and spirituality, whilst continuing to develop their own ministries of spiritual direction.

He had been Dean of Christ Church, Oxford, from 2014 to 2022 and principal of Ripon College Cuddesdon, Oxford, from 2004 to 2014.

Percy taught in the Faculty of Theology and Religion, University of Oxford, as well as in Sociology, and was a fellow of the Said Business School at the university.

He has also been Professor of Theological Education at King's College London and a professorial research fellow at Heythrop College, University of London.

He has also served as a visiting professor of the Institute for the Study of Values at the University of Winchester, a founding fellow of the Center for Theologically Engaged Anthropology at the University of Georgia, and an adjunct professor at Hartford Seminary, Connecticut.

He is an emeritus canon of Salisbury Cathedral, having previously served as an honorary canon.

He has also been an honorary canon, serving later as canon theologian, at Sheffield Cathedral.

Percy was the (45th) Dean of Christ Church in Oxford from 2014 to April 2022.

He was the first dean to be democratically elected by the governing body, and instituted to the deanery on 4 October 2014.

Christ Church is the only academic institution in the world which is also a cathedral – being the seat of the Bishop of Oxford.

In common with other cathedral deans, Percy, as Dean of Christ Church, was senior priest of the Diocese of Oxford.

In 2018 he became a fellow of King's College London, and a fellow of Harris Manchester College, Oxford.

Percy's theological outlook is rooted in his long-standing commitment to middle-way Anglicanism.

His writings fall into three distinct-but-related groups: ecclesiology; contemporary Christianity, religious movements and sociological trends; and anthropological interpretations of denominations and congregations; and spiritual devotional writings.

He has also written extensively about theological education, as well as contextual, pastoral and practical theology.

Percy's closing years in office as Dean (roughly from 2018 onwards) were marked by protracted disputes on reformation in the governance of the College.

On February 4, 2022 Christ Church announced that a process of mediation had concluded and a resolution had been reached.

Percy reportedly received a £1.2m settlement to drop his employment claim against Christ Church.

The 2022 Annual Report of the Christ Church Governing Body stated that 'under the terms of the settlement, Dr Percy received monies to cover legal fees and compensation for early termination of his appointment.

Including his salary to the date of his termination, Dr Percy received remuneration and taxable benefits during the year ended 31 July 2022 amounting to £2,149,374 including grossing up for income tax and employer pension contributions.'

From 2018 Percy had faced over 40 different allegations from members of the Governing Body.

All of the charges or allegations Percy had faced had either failed, been tried and dismissed or were successfully defended.

In May 2022 he announced that he was leaving the Church of England because of his concerns over the management and 'weaponization' of safeguarding, as well as bullying and harassment within the church.

In November 2018, Percy was suspended from office and an independently chaired internal tribunal was established.

This followed a formal complaint which had been made against him relating to his attempts to reform and modernise the governance of the college.

There were later claims that Percy was the victim of a "bullying campaign" by some members of the college governing body who opposed his reformist agenda.