Haydon Spenceley
Church of England Minister and Musician, Emmanuel Group of Churches, Northampton
Following a creatively satisfying but financially disastrous attempt at a music ‘career’, Haydon was ordained in 2014 and became a Church of England minister. Definitely not the role he’d have thought he’d be in a decade ago!
Haydon leads one of the largest and farthest-reaching parishes in Northampton. A hugely challenging task, Haydon considers himself fortunate to have a great team of staff and volunteers to help serve 14 housing estates, 14 schools and more than 30,000 people. Haydon is particularly interested in making the world a more equitable and vibrant place, particularly outside areas of affluence and opportunity.
As well as leading Churches, Haydon is Club Chaplain to Northampton Town, a role which suits him well as a lifelong fan of the club!
Haydon also helps people explore their vocation. He has written on disability, Church and faith in a variety of magazines and newspapers, spoken at Greenbelt, New Wine, Lambeth Palace and Enabling Church conferences.
Haydon is passionate about giving people space to take part, to belong on their own terms and to achieve their potential. As a disabled person, he enjoys trying to dismantle barriers and raising awareness of the sinful injustice of inequality. However, he also readily admits to being pretty worn down and tired of the limitations his body and the environment around him cause at times!
In his spare time(!) Haydon watches too much football and writes music reviews for Clash and Under the Radar.
Useful links
“I’m growing as a leader in the Church and trying to use whatever influence I have for good and to improve opportunities for those who come after me. I remain baffled that anyone listens to me. The Church has been (very) slow to understand how disabling it is as an institution. I hope that I am part of a growing group of people who are helping to bring about positive change in that regard. On balance, I’d rather be a rock star…”