Full Biographies
David Walker
President
The Rt Revd Dr David Walker, Bishop of Manchester, is the current President of the Rural Theology Association. Although now working in a predominantly urban diocese David has considerable experience of the rural context from his time as suffragan bishop in the Diocese of Worcester. He is very committed to the concept of ‘reflective practice’, and assists with the Centre for Studies for Rural Ministry colloquia which take place three times a year. His research into ministry in a rural diocese led to him being awarded a PhD by Warwick University in 2014. That research in turn led to the publication of his first book ‘God’s Belongers’ in February 2017. In addition to his work in Manchester, David is Deputy Chair to the Church Commissioners and Vice-Chair of the Ethical Investment Advisory Group of the Church of England. Both he and his wife Sue are members of the Third Order of the Society of St. Francis.
Leslie Francis
Chair and Senior Journal Editor
The Revd Canon Professor Leslie J. Francis was President of the Rural Theology Association between 1998 and 2015. Currently he serves as Chair. He established the journal Rural Theology in 2003. As theologian and social scientist, he has been actively engaged in research into rural ministry and mission since the 1980s. His early books in the field include Rural Anglicanism (1985), Partnership in Rural Education (1986) and Church Watch (1996). Alongside his research, he has also been actively engaged in rural ministry from serving as House for Duty Priest in Charge of Little Wratting and Great Bradley in Suffolk (1977-1982) to serving as a self-supporting priest on Anglesey taking services in St Edwen’s Church, Llanedwen (2002-2017). Currently he serves as Professor Emeritus of Religions and Psychology at the University of Warwick; Co-Director, World Religions and Education Research Unit and Professor of Religions, Psychology and Education, Bishop Grosseteste University, Lincoln; and Canon Theologian at Liverpool Cathedral.
Tessa Metcalfe
Secretary
Tessa had a 40 year career with the Inland Revenue/HMRC, initially as a tax professional and then as an in-house management consultant, specialising in change management, leadership and management development. Tessa’s “retirement” in the last 10 years has experienced financial, HR, pastoral supervision and administrative volunteer work for The Diocese of Canterbury and, as a life long Roman Catholic, for her own church, St Thomas of Canterbury in Canterbury. Tessa is a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development. Through part time Reader training, while still full time working, she achieved a theology Diploma with the Lincoln School of Ministry in 2011. In 2023 she achieved the Certificate of Catholic Religious Studies. Having lived in a small village in Lincoln (main crop potatoes) for 19 years she has a little understanding of the joys and challenges of rural ministry.
Neville Emslie
Journal Editor
Canon Dr Neville Emslie is the Editor of Rural Theology. He is the Director of Mission and Ministry in the diocese of Canterbury, responsible for the discernment, training and ongoing ministry formation of lay and ordained ministers, as well as overseeing the resourcing of diocesan vocation, discipleship, spirituality and mission initiatives. He is also a Lay Canon of Canterbury Cathedral and an Honorary Fellow in Theology and Ministry within the World Religions and Education Research Unit, Bishop Grosseteste University, Lincoln. Neville has worked for Canterbury diocese for 17 years, and previously trained priests and Readers in the diocese of Lincoln. In 2006, Neville moved to the UK from his home country of Aotearoa, New Zealand, where he had been a Baptist minister, Principal of the Presbyterian theological college, a part-time lecturer of New Testament in the University of Otago, and an industrial chemist. Neville’s research interests build on his PhD thesis titled Clergy Emotional Intelligence: Defining the Construct in Relation to Role and Context, as well as ministry formation, pastoral supervision, clergy wellbeing, and preaching.
Christopher Rutledge
Membership Secretary & Treasurer
Ordained in 1970 the Revd Canon Dr Christopher Rutledge served his title in the City of Birmingham. Serving a second curacy in a market town in Wiltshire he was later installed as an incumbent of a rural parish, working within a group of rural parishes. Subsequently, for 29 years, he served as Vicar of a large suburban parish covering part of Bournemouth and Poole. Having a first degree in Sociology he gained an MPhil exploring the personality of Anglican clergy and, later, achieved a PhD in examining the relationship of clergy burnout with personality traits. He has subsequently been involved with empirical articles on Anglican clergy engaged in rural ministry.
Tania Ap Siôn
Committee Member
The Revd Dr Tania ap Siôn holds the position of Reader in Religions, Humanities and Education at Bishop Grosseteste University, Lincoln. Prior to this, she was Associate Professor in Education and the Social Significance of Religion at the University of Warwick. In addition, Tania is Co-Director of the St Giles’ Centre, Wrexham (a centre specialising in religious education / religion, values and ethics within schools and colleges), Honorary Executive Director of the St Mary’s Centre, Wales (a Christian research institute concerned with developing research-based reflective practice in church and school contexts), and self-supporting Associate Priest in Bro Tysilio, a rural Church in Wales Ministry Area on Anglesey. A significant part of Tania’s academic research is concerned with exploring prayer and sacred place in rural churches, cathedrals and shrines in England and Wales, and she is also engaged with research and the creation of resources for both school and ministry in rural areas.
Robert Barlow
Committee Member
Before ordination, I worked in retail, insurance and as a house husband. I was called to ordained ministry while in rural Leicestershire. I trained at St Johns Nottingham and served a curacy in three villages in Staffordshire. My next role was as Rector of three Northamptonshire villages and Rural Officer for Peterborough Diocese. This was followed by being Agricultural & Rural Chaplain to Worcester Diocese and then Vicar of seven very small Worcestershire villages. Before retirement, I was Interim Rector of Dudley. When that role completed, I “retired” and currently volunteer as part of the ministry team for a group of Worcestershire villages. Alongside that I worked part-time for the Office for National Statistics before taking on my current part-time role as IME2 Officer for Worcester Diocese overseeing the training of curates.
Jeremy Martineau
Committee Member
Former national rural officer for the CofE based at the Arthur Rank Centre. Secretary of the Archbishop’s Commission on Rural Areas, publishing Faith in the Countryside (ACORA) and a dozen other books on aspects of rural Christianity. Co-founder of the Centre for Studies in Rural Ministry. Previous experience as industrial chaplain on Tyneside and then Agricultural Chaplain in the Diocese of Carlisle. Chair of Action with Communities in Rural England and of Rural Voice, predecessor of Countryside Alliance. He moved on retirement to his home in Goodwick, Pembrokeshire where he is secretary of North Pembrokeshire Trade and Tourism Ltd. Involved in several EU funded programmes before BREXIT closed that door. He finds the Church in Wales concept of mission to be narrow and introspective. He is an advocate for self-sustainability in this remote corner of the UK.
Heather Fenton
Committee Member
The Revd Heather Fenton’s interest in rural life began with childhood farm holidays in the 1950’s. After reading theology at Trinity College, Bristol, she moved to Wales in 1985 and ran the retreat house Coleg y Gross in Crown. Ordained Deacon in 1987, she became one of the first women to be ordained Priest in the Church in Wales in 1997. Heather served as St Asaph Diocesan Rural Officer for 20 years and helped launch Country Way, the Arthur Rank Centre Magazine. She also edited The Reader (C of E) and BRF Quiet Spaces. Heather has been Vicar and Area Dean for a large rural area. Now in her mid-70’s, she continues her interest in rurality and is researching a book on life in the 1950’s. Heather has an MA in Celtic Christianity and serves as a Director and Communications Officer of a rural museum in Corwen.