Philip Krinks writes:
RICHARD TURNBULL was an Evangelical Anglican pastor, scholar, and teacher, who served with distinction in parishes, on the General Synod, and in theological education. To all these he brought an unusual combination of gifts, including a profound faith, clarity of thought, a heart for service, and a commitment to God’s people and especially to our growth in faith.
Born in Manchester, Richard studied at Reading University. One vacation, he had a summer job in the Midwest of the United States and lodged with a Christian family. This was his first serious contact with the faith, and it made an immediate impression. On his return, he agreed to attend church with Christian friends in Reading. At a Sunday evening service in 1982, he had a memorable experience of conversion to Christ.
When he moved to London to begin chartered-accountancy training, he joined Brandon Baptist Church, in Camberwell. This move was to shape of the rest of his life in two ways. First, he met his future wife, Caroline, when she joined the church staff as a Careforce worker. Second, a link between his gifts in leadership and business and the needs of the church was spotted right from the start: he was quickly appointed treasurer.
After Richard and Caroline married, they moved to Southampton, and began worshipping in the Anglican parish of Holy Trinity, Weston. There, Richard was encouraged to begin ministry training, first as a Reader and then for ordination at Cranmer Hall. In Durham, he gained a first-class degree in theology and then a Ph.D. His research on the evangelical social reformers would lead to an influential biography, Shaftesbury: The great reformer.
Richard served his title at Highfield Church, in Southampton, and was elected to the General Synod. For seven years, he served as Vicar of a thriving Christ Church, Chineham. His high capacity enabled him at the same time to chair the House of Clergy in Winchester diocesan synod, the General Synod Business Committee, and working parties on clergy pay and the funding of theological education. He was also a member of the Archbishops’ Council.
In 2005, he succeeded Alister McGrath as Principal of Wycliffe Hall. He taught on Anglicanism and the Reformation. He wrote a history of the 18th-century English Church, Reviving the Heart, and two reflections on Evangelical spirituality, A Passionate Faith and Anglican and Evangelical? Seeing his level of energy, the students nicknamed him “Turbo”.
He led Wycliffe Hall with courage and vision at a time of change, which was challenging for the college, for theological education in general, and, at times, for Richard himself. He inspired a generation of students to combine practical training with academic study. The contributions they continue to make are one of his abiding legacies.
In 2012, he left Wycliffe, to found, with Lord Griffiths of Fforestfach, the Centre for Enterprise, Markets and Ethics. As director, Richard brought Christian ethical thought to bear on the contribution of a market economy to the common good, helping businesspeople, politicians, and church leaders to understand one another’s challenges. He built ecumenical links, including those with the Roman Catholic Church through the UNIAPAC business leaders’ network and by serving as a Visiting Professor at St Mary’s University, Twickenham. He also served as a trustee and then chair of the Christian Institute.
Richard took retirement last April, and was never likely to be inactive. He was made Director Emeritus of the Centre and continued to preach in his parish church. He also started work on a book on Quaker capitalism, which promised to be a definitive scholarly treatment. Too soon, however, he was diagnosed with a terminal illness.
To the last, Richard was full of faith and hope. He was comforted by the prayers of hundreds of friends and colleagues around the world, and by the presence of Caroline, his four children and their families, and his father. In his last days, although he could no longer speak, he took up a pen, so that he could let his family know that he was prepared. “Time to go to glory,” he wrote.
The Revd Dr Richard Turnbull died on 26 November 2025, aged 65.
