The Rt Revd Dr Jo Bailey Wells

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The Rt Revd Dr Jo Bailey Wells

Trustee

Jo Bailey Wells is Bishop of Dorking in the diocese of Guildford.

She served on the staff of Ridley as Tutor for Old Testament and Biblical Studies from 2001 to 2005. Other roles have included Dean of Clare College in Cambridge, Director of the Anglican Episcopal House of Studies at Duke University in North Carolina, USA (a theological college within a larger divinity school) and Chaplain to the Archbishop of Canterbury. The latter role included bringing to birth the Community of St Anselm on behalf of Archbishop Justin as part of his first priority, the renewal of prayer and religious life.

Jo has degrees from Cambridge, Minnesota and Durham Universities, in Natural Sciences, Intercultural Communication and Theology respectively. Her PhD explores the significance of God’s holiness for the people of God, across the Old Testament and into the New.

At Ridley she delighted in re-shaping the Old Testament introduction course, not least to encourage students to think about what it means (in the present) as well as what it meant (in the past) – and how the two relate to each other for the sake of preaching. She has written two books – God’s Holy People (Sheffield, 2000) and a one-volume commentary on Isaiah (BRF: 2006 and 2010).

Jo is married to Sam, who is also ordained, and they have two children.