Martyn Snow

Martyn Snow
Name	Martyn Snow
Birth date	1968
Birth place	Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England
Nationality	British
Occupation	Bishop
Alma mater	Exeter College, Oxford; Trinity College, Bristol
Title	Bishop of Leicester

Martyn Snow is a Church of England bishop who has served as the Bishop of Leicester since 2016. He previously served as the Bishop of Suffolk and as Archdeacon of Suffolk, holding senior posts within the Diocese of St Edmundsbury and Ipswich and later the Diocese of Leicester. Snow is known for pastoral initiatives, engagement with interfaith bodies, and public commentary on social issues in England, often interacting with institutions such as Houses of Parliament and civic authorities in Leicester.

Early life and education

Snow was born in Sheffield in 1968 and grew up in South Yorkshire during a period shaped by industrial change and the legacy of British Steel Corporation and local civic institutions. He studied at Exeter College, Oxford, taking part in collegiate life influenced by traditions linked to University of Oxford and the Church of England's historical ties to the university. After undergraduate study he trained for ordained ministry at Trinity College, Bristol, a theological college associated with evangelical networks and connected to bodies like the Church Mission Society and the Evangelical Alliance. Snow later engaged with diocesan training schemes in the Diocese of Blackburn and maintained links with parish formation programmes across the Province of Canterbury.

Ordination and early ministry

Snow was ordained in the late 1990s within the Church of England and began his curacy in parochial ministry, serving in parishes shaped by local civic life and parish structures. Early posts included parish priest roles where he worked closely with local authorities and voluntary organisations similar to Citizens Advice and ecumenical partners such as the Anglican Communion and the Methodist Church in Britain. He moved into diocesan roles with increasing responsibility, taking on responsibilities that connected parish ministry with diocesan governance bodies like diocesan synods and bishop's councils. His ministry intersected with national Church initiatives, engaging with programmes promoted by Archbishops' Council and mission agencies including the Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge.

Episcopal ministry

In 2015, Snow was consecrated to the episcopate as the Bishop of Suffolk in the Diocese of St Edmundsbury and Ipswich, joining the House of Bishops and participating in national structures such as General Synod of the Church of England. In 2016 he was translated to become the Bishop of Leicester, succeeding predecessors who shaped the diocese's urban and multi-faith context around Leicester Cathedral and civic partnerships with Leicester City Council. As Bishop of Leicester he has chaired diocesan boards and engaged with Anglican Communion networks including links to dioceses in the Global South and companion links with European sees. Snow's episcopal ministry has involved contributing to liturgical life at cathedrals, presiding at confirmations, and representing the Church in civic services alongside figures from institutions such as Leicestershire Police and regional universities like De Montfort University and University of Leicester.

He has taken part in national ecclesiastical reviews and panels convened by the Archbishop of Canterbury and has been active in debates within General Synod regarding pastoral strategy, ministry deployment, and safeguarding policy. Snow has engaged with ecumenical dialogues with bodies such as the Roman Catholic Church in England and Wales and the Churches Together in England forum, and has represented the diocese at national remembrance events tied to commemorations like Remembrance Sunday.

Views and initiatives

Snow has publicly addressed social justice and community cohesion in contexts involving institutions such as City of Leicester civic leaders and charity networks including Christian Aid and The Trussell Trust. He has promoted initiatives linking parish ministry with civic regeneration programmes and educational partnerships involving schools in the Leicestershire County Council area, working with multi-academy trusts and diocesan boards of education that interact with the Department for Education framework. Snow has supported interfaith engagement in Leicester, collaborating with leaders from the Muslim Council of Britain, Hindu Forum of Britain, and local Jewish communities, and participating in multi-faith events alongside mayors and civic dignitaries.

On matters of contemporary Church policy, Snow has contributed to discussions around clergy welfare, deployment of ordained ministers, and safeguarding reforms proposed by bodies such as the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse insofar as they intersect with Church practice. He has engaged with theological education initiatives connected to institutions like Ripon College Cuddesdon and sought to encourage vocations through diocesan vocations teams, drawing on resources from national bodies including the Church Commissioners.

Personal life and honours

Snow is married and has family ties that feature in diocesan life and parish engagements; his household has participated in community and charitable activities coordinated with local voluntary groups and faith-based charities. He has been invited to civic honours events and to preach at major cathedrals and university chapels including occasions at Southwark Cathedral and other diocesan cathedrals. Recognitions and honours in his ministry have included appointments and invitations by ecclesiastical bodies and civic institutions, reflecting collaboration with regional authorities such as Leicester City Council and national Church bodies such as the Crown Nominations Commission.

Category:Living people Category:1968 births Category:Bishops of Leicester Category:Alumni of Exeter College, Oxford Category:Alumni of Trinity College, Bristol