THE Bishop of St Albans since 2009, Dr Alan Smith, is to retire on 31 May, when he can be 68, he announced on Tuesday.
In a letter to his diocese, he said that serving as Bishop had been “the privilege of my life”, but that “the time has come for me to put down my responsibilities and at hand the baton of leadership on to whomever the Lord calls to succeed me.”
Dr Smith trained for ministry at Wycliffe Hall, Oxford. He was ordained priest in 1982, and served his title at St Lawrence’s, Pudsey, within the then Bradford diocese, before becoming Chaplain of Lee Abbey.
From 1990 to 1997, he served as Team Vicar of Walsall, before being appointed Archdeacon of Stoke-upon-Trent. In 2001, he was consecrated bishop to function Area Bishop of Shrewsbury, from where he was translated to St Albans. In 2002, he was awarded a doctorate by Bangor University, for his thesis, “The nature and significance of faith amongst adolescents within the Metropolitan Borough of Walsall”.
Dr Smith wrote: “The past 16 years have been filled with challenges, opportunities, and surprises. With God’s help, I actually have encouraged us to ‘Live God’s Love’ among the many people of Herts, Beds, and Luton, and parts of Barnet, and to accomplish that with generosity and joy, with imagination and courage.
“In that endeavour, I actually have been grateful for my colleagues on the senior staff and for the support of so many clergy and lay people across the Diocese. I never stop to present due to God for the heat of your friendship. You have enriched my life and ministry in countless ways.”
Dr Smith is the convener of the Lords Spiritual, and has spoken on a spread of issues over time, including gambling, rural affairs, the media, and, more recently, hate crime, data protection, and ladies bishops within the House of Lords.
He has contributed chapters to several books, and is the writer of Growing up in Multi-faith Britain: Explorations in youth ethnicity and religion (2007) and God-Shaped Mission: A perspective from the agricultural Church (2008). For the centenary of the incorporation of Bedfordshire into his diocese, he wrote Saints and Pilgrims within the Diocese of St Albans (2013).
Dr Smith, whose hobbies include gardening, walking, and skiing, plans to retire to Wiltshire, where he was born and brought up, and where most of his clan live. “There can be loads of opportunities to say our farewells within the spring. In the mean time, I actually have many things I still need to do in my remaining months in office as I seek to serve God and prepare for the following phase of my life and ministry.”
