Dr. Paula Gooder

Denomination: Church of England (CofE)
Organization: St Paul's Cathedral

Dr. Paula Gooder serves as the Canon of St. Paul’s Cathedral in London, where she is Chancellor and Director of Learning. As a Reader in the Church of England, Dr. Gooder is a speaker and writer on the Bible, particularly on the New Testament and the writings of Paul. Her research expertise is in 2 Corinthians as well as in the role of women in the earliest Pauline communities.

She began her working life, teaching for twelve years in ministerial formation first at Ripon College Cuddesdon, Oxford, and then at the Queen’s Foundation for Ecumenical Theological Education in Birmingham.

Following this, she spent around eight years as a speaker and writer in biblical studies, traveling the United Kingdom and seeking to communicate the best of biblical scholarship in as accessible a way as possible. Dr. Gooder then spent six years working for the Bible Society as their Theologian in Residence and then for the Birmingham Diocese as their Director of Mission Learning and Development.

Her engagement in wider church life led her to be a member of the General Synod of the Church of England (2005-2015) and as a part of that to be a member of the Women in Episcopacy drafting group and steering committee (2006-2014). She is passionate about ecumenism and is a current member of the Anglican Roman Catholic International Commission (ARCIC III) (2011-present day).

She lives in London with her husband, the Reverend Dr. Peter Babington.

For more information, visit her official website: Paula Gooder.