Joanne Grenfell

Joanne Woolway Grenfell (born 27 May 1972) is a bishop of the Church of England serving as Bishop of Stepney, an area bishop of the Diocese of London, since 2019.

Grenfell was born on 27 May 1972. She was educated at Egglescliffe School, Stockton-on-Tees, Oriel College, Oxford, and the University of British Columbia, Vancouver. She completed a DPhil on the writing of Edmund Spenser, continuing there as Lecturer in English Literature until 1998. She trained for ministry in the Church of England at Westcott House, Cambridge from 1998 until 2000.

She was ordained deacon (alongside her husband James Grenfell) in Liverpool Cathedral, at Petertide (2 July) 2000, by John Packer, Bishop of Ripon and Leeds (who had been Bishop of Warrington until shortly beforehand). They were both ordained priest the following Trinity Sunday (10 June 2001) by James Jones, Bishop of Liverpool, at Liverpool Cathedral.

Following a curacy in Kirkby in the Diocese of Liverpool, she was appointed Priest in charge in the Sheffield Manor ecumenical team ministry. Following this she was a Residentiary Canon at Sheffield Cathedral, Diocesan Director of Ordinands and Dean of Women's Ministry in the Diocese of Sheffield until her archidiaconal appointment in the Diocese of Portsmouth, being installed at a service at Portsmouth Cathedral on 14 April 2013, serving as Archdeacon of Portsdown until 2019.

Episcopal ministry

Her consecration as bishop, and start of her tenure as Bishop of Stepney, was on 3 July 2019 at St Paul's Cathedral; the principal consecrator was Justin Welby, Archbishop of Canterbury.