Rev. Dr. Sam Wells

Denomination: Church of England (CofE)
Organization: St Martin-in-the-Fields (Church of England, London)

Rev. Dr. Samuel Martin Bailey Wells (born 1965) is an Anglican priest, theologian, preacher, and author who has served since 2012 as the vicar of St Martin-in-the-Fields in Trafalgar Square, London. He is also a Visiting Professor of Christian Ethics at King’s College London.

Wells was educated at Merton College, Oxford and completed his theological training at Edinburgh Theological College and the University of Edinburgh, later earning his Ph.D. at Durham University. His doctoral work, supervised by Ann Loades, explored the theological ethics of Stanley Hauerwas, with whom he later co-edited The Blackwell Companion to Christian Ethics.

Ordained in the Church of England in 1991, Wells served parishes in Newcastle, Cambridge, and Norwich, often in contexts of significant social disadvantage. From 2005 to 2012 he was Dean of Duke University Chapel in North Carolina, where he also taught ethics at Duke Divinity School. During this time, he founded initiatives that bridged the university and the wider Durham community, while strengthening interfaith dialogue and Christian formation.

At St Martin-in-the-Fields, Wells has overseen a unique ministry that integrates worship, arts programs, social enterprise, and outreach with those experiencing homelessness. He co-founded the HeartEdge movement, an international network of churches committed to renewal through commerce, culture, compassion, and congregational life.

Wells is the author of over 40 books, including Improvisation: The Drama of Christian Ethics, A Nazareth Manifesto: Being With God, and How to Preach. His work emphasizes a theology of “being with,” highlighting presence, relationship, and community as central to Christian mission and discipleship.

He is married to Rt. Rev. Jo Bailey Wells, Deputy Secretary-General of the Anglican Communion, and they have two adult children.