Hi, I’m Benjamin Welby.
There’s a prayer I can’t shake that sums me up: “that the people who govern the world would fall in love with the values of the King and His Kingdom”.
I’m working that out through something we’ve called The Kingdom Democracy Project, an attempt to work through what it means to believe wholeheartedly in the value of democratic government done well, while also believing wholeheartedly in the Kingdom of Heaven, and God’s redeeming love for the world. That is taking shape through a book, and through a few practical projects that aim to support a different way of praying for those in authority, for the places we love, and for the common life we share.
I live in Croydon with my wife and two children. I church at Croydon Vineyard. We’ve had season tickets for Bradford City since 2007. I’ve got degrees in History, Post-War Recovery and Public Administration and have spent the last 15+ years working on public sector digital transformation at local (in Hull City Council), national (launching GOV.UK as part of GDS at the UK Cabinet Office), and international levels (working on public governance at the OECD).
I’m interested in too many things: being a good husband and father, following Jesus, the theology of governing well, a warm welcome for refugees and asylum seekers, that ‘digital’ leads to fair, inclusive and equitable transformation, exploring the world, lower league football, Pantomime, the England cricket team…
You can find me on BlueSky or by emailing bm [at] wel.by.