On the 4th November 2024 it was announced by Downing Street that the new Bishop of Coventry will be the Right Reverend Sophie Jelley, after her nomination was approved by the King.
Bishop Sophie is currently the Suffragan Bishop of Doncaster in the Diocese of Sheffield. She succeeds the Rt Revd Dr Christopher Cocksworth, who left the diocese in November 2023 to become the Dean of Windsor.
Bishop Sophie will become the tenth Bishop of Coventry since the modern Diocese of Coventry was established in 1918. She will make history as the first woman to be Bishop of Coventry.
Bishop Sophie will begin her new role in late Spring 2025 following an installation service at Coventry Cathedral.
About Bishop Sophie
Bishop Sophie grew up in Brighton before moving north to study Theology and Religious studies at the University of Leeds. Following discerning a call to ordination, Sophie trained at Wycliffe Hall theological college where she gained an MPhil in theology (Christian Doctrine) from Oxford University and was ordained in 1997 in Bradford Cathedral.
In 2000, Sophie took up the role of Mission Partner with the Church Mission Society in Uganda before returning to the UK in 2003 to take up the role of Resident Minister of St John the Evangelist in Churt in the Diocese of Guildford. In 2010 she was appointed Vicar of St Andrew’s Burgess Hill in the Diocese of Chichester and in 2015 she was appointed as Canon Missioner and Diocesan Director of Mission, Discipleship and Ministry in the Diocese of Durham.
In December 2019, it was announced that she would be the next Bishop of Doncaster and she was consecrated a bishop on the 21st of September 2020 at York Minster, following a delay due to the Covid 19 lockdowns. As Bishop of Doncaster, Sophie is the Sponsoring Bishop for all vocations and chairs the Board of Education. Also, she is the national episcopal lead for Lay Ministries across the Church of England.
Sophie is married to Chris, and they have three grown up children. Sophie plays the violin and viola, is a soprano singer and has been a keen runner for many years.
Acting Bishop of Coventry
Bishop Tim Thornton is the Acting Bishop of Coventry for the interim period.