The Very Reverend Michael Harper
Summary of career
2005 Raised to be Archpriest
2002-2010 A Director of the Institute for Orthodox Christian Studies, Cambridge
2000-2010 Priest of St Botolph’s Antiochian Orthodox Church, City of London
1997-2009 Dean of Antiochian Orthodox Deanery of UK and Ireland
1995-2010 Priest of the Orthodox Church (Patriarchate of Antioch)
1993-1995 President of Pilgrimage to Orthodoxy
1989 2000 Chairman of ICC (International Charismatic Consultation)
1979-1995 Executive Director SOMA (Sharing of Ministries Abroad)
1984-1995 Canon of Chichester Cathedral
1975-1980 Attached to staff of Holy Trinity, Hounslow
1964-1975 Director of the Fountain Trust
1958-1964 Assistant Curate, All Souls, Langham Place
Chaplain to the Oxford Street Stores
1955-1958 Assistant Curate, St Barnabas, Clapham Common
1956 Married to Jeanne
1956-1995 Priest of the Church of England
1955-1956 Deacon of the Church of England
1954 Master of Arts degree
1953-1955 Ridley Hall, Cambridge
1950-1953 Emmanuel College, Cambridge
1945-1949 Gresham's School, Holt, Norfolk
1940-1945 St Faith's School, Cambridge
1937-1940 Gate House School, Kingston Hill, Surrey
1931 Baptised in St Mark, North Audley Street, London
1931 Born March 12th
Education
Studying at St Faith's School, Cambridge, he won a scholarship to Gresham's School, Holt, Norfolk.
Concentrating on politics, economics and history he won an open scholarship to Emmanuel College,
Cambridge, where he studied Law and Theology, graduating with an M.A. degree with 2nd Class
honours.
Spiritual pilgrimage
Both Michael and his wife Jeanne were baptised as infants. Jeanne came under the influence of
Christians while studying at the Royal Academy of Music, and came to faith in Christ while attending
Westminster Chapel, through the ministry of Dr. Martyn Lloyd Jones.
In 1951, in Michael's first year at Cambridge, he came under the influence of the Christian Union, and
turned to Christ during a Communion service in King's College Chapel. In 1952 he offered for the
Anglican ministry, and had two years of training at Ridley Hall, Cambridge, after finishing his degree
course. He was ordained in 1955 and served for three years in an inner city parish, St Barnabas,
Clapham Common, London, and in 1958 joined the staff of All Souls, Langham Place, at the invitation
of the Rev John Stott, serving as Chaplain to the Oxford Street stores.
In 1962 Jeanne and Michael had a deep new experience of the Holy Spirit, which was to prove a
second important turning point in their lives.
The third major turning point was in 1995 when they were received into the Orthodox Church.
Marriage
Michael and Jeanne met during a university mission in Norwich in September 1951. Jeanne was
studying music at the Royal Academy of Music. She studied the piano and oboe, for a time under
Harold Craxton, and graduated, getting her LRAM and GRSM. They were married in St. Barnabas
Church, Clapham Common, London on 1st September 1956.
Jeanne's musical gifts have been an ideal partnership with Michael's throughout their married life.
Her talents have received prominent exposure in the songbooks Sound of Living Waters and Fresh
Sounds, which she edited with Betty-Jane Pulkingham. They have had worldwide sales of over half a
million. Besides ministering with Michael, Jeanne was the UK leader of the Lydia Prayer Fellowship
1976 83, and founded what has become known as the CPC, a body committed to the sharing of gifts
between the medical profession and the Church in the area of divine healing. Jeanne has edited
another songbook Songifts, published in April 1986. In the Orthodox Church her musical gifts have
been much used. She was until recently the choir leader of St Botolph’s Antiochian Orthodox Church
in the City of London.
Fountain Trust
Michael was the founder and first Director of the Fountain Trust from 1964 75. During that time the
Trust built up a world wide reputation, organised the first major international Charismatic conference
(Guildford 1971), published Renewal magazine and several best selling books, and helped to share
the blessing of renewal throughout Britain and other parts of the world. Michael was the founder
and for many years served as chairman of the Charismatic Leaders’ Conference (still functioning.)
Writing
Michael has written some eighteen books, which have been translated into most of the major
languages of the world, including German, Chinese, Japanese, Finnish, Swedish, Korean, Croat,
Spanish, French, Polish, Romanian, etc. His first book, Power for the Body of Christ, came out in
1964, and since then he has written 17 others with combined sales of over 500,000 in English
editions. His best known books are Walk in the Spirit and Spiritual Warfare. Other best sellers
include, As at the Beginning and Let my people grow. In 1986 Jesus the Healer was published in a
series edited by Michael Green, and the same book was published by Inter Varsity in the United
States. His book A new way of living became a best seller in its French and German editions, and was
widely influential in France and Switzerland. His book, Equal and Different, published by Hodder and
Stoughton in May 1994, has become a best seller.
It deals with current gender issues in the church and family. It has been translated and published in
Sweden. His latest book The True Light was published in June 1997. The American edition is called A
Faith Fulfilled, and has been published by the Conciliar Press. It has been translated into Romanian
and published in Romania and is being translated into Greek for publication in Greece.
Michael has made major contributions to magazines, newspapers and encyclopedias, including
Heritage of Freedom (Lion), and Anglican Worship Today (Collins). He has contributed chapters in
Open to the Spirit, a preparatory book for the 1988 Lambeth Conference, and By my Spirit, edited by
the late Archbishop Bill Burnett. For a full list of his writings see end of this summary.
Renewal magazine
Michael was the founder and first editor of Renewal, which was the longest established Charismatic
magazine in the world. Its first issue was published in February 1966, its 289th in June 2000. He
was the editor until 1975, and came back to the editorial desk for three years, 1980 83, when his
friend and literary agent Edward England bought the magazine from the Fountain Trust.
Speaker
Michael has spoken at many international conferences throughout the world, including USA, Canada,
Australia, New Zealand, Singapore, India, Kenya, Tanzania, Japan, Sweden, France, Korea etc. His
largest Sunday audience was 22,000 in Seoul, Korea,. His largest conference audiences were South
Bend, Indiana, USA, 40,000 and Rimini, Italy, 45,000.
With Roman Catholics
Michael's ministry has been recognised in the Roman Catholic Renewal, and three of his books have
been published by them in the United States. He spoke at the Notre Dame Conference in 1976
(attended by some 30,000 people), and the first all Ireland Conference in Dublin in 1972. He was a
guest at their International Conference in Rome in 1975, and at the first Roman Catholic Leaders'
Conference in 1972. He also attended other Leaders’ meetings in 1975 in Rome and 1993 in Assisi.
He was a member of the core group which planned the Dialogue between the Roman Catholic Church
and the Pentecostal and Charismatic Movements. He has met both Pope Paul VI, John Paul II, as well
as the Patriarch of Venice, who later became Pope John Paul I. He was a speaker at two annual
conferences held in Rimini, Italy, and attended by about 40,000 people.
With WCC
Michael has been involved since 1979 with the WCC in its meetings with the Charismatic Renewal. He
was present at Rostrevor (1979) and Bossey (1980), and in planning the Consultation in Zaire in
1981 and a meeting in England in 1985. He also took part, after becoming an Orthodox priest, in
a Consultation on Proselytisation at Bossey in 1996. He was invited to be a delegate of the
Patriarchate of Antioch at the Assembly in Harare in 1998, but was unable to attend because of illness.
Radio and Television
He has spoken on BBC radio and appeared a number of times on both BBC and the Independent TV
companies' programmes. He has also co hosted the 100 Huntley Street Canadian TV programme
twice, and appeared on it a number of other times. He was also a religious advisor to the old
company Television South (TVS).
Continental Europe
He has had an extensive ministry both sides of the former Iron Curtain, and ministered in East and
West Germany; all the Scandinavian countries including Iceland, as well as the former Yugoslavia,
France, Netherlands, and Switzerland. He was a key note speaker at both the Strasbourg Conference
in 1982 and the ACTS 86 Conference in Birmingham in 1986 (See photograph). He was chairman of
the British committee for ACTS 86. He was an advisor for the European Charismatic Consultation, and
was a speaker at the Berne Leaders' Conference in 1990. In 1996 he spoke at the Catholic Renewal
Conference in Rimini, Italy, attended by over 40,000 people. In 1997 and 2000 he was chairman of
the Consultations held in Prague, and in the 1997 one, he was a key-note speaker. These were
ecumenical conferences sponsored by ICCOWE and ECC.
SOMA
From 1979 to 1994 Michael's primary work was founding SOMA (Sharing of Ministries Abroad) and
acting as its International Executive Director. SOMA is an organisation committed to sharing
ministries with all Christians, particularly between Western and Third World nations. He has been
responsible for planning and organising major leadership conferences held in conjunction with the
Lambeth Conference in Canterbury (1978 and 1988), as well as conferences in Singapore (1981),
Nairobi (1983), Fiji (1984) and Tanzania (1984 and 1985). He has also visited and shared in Ghana,
Nigeria, Uganda, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Burundi, Israel and Palestine, Nepal, Pakistan, India, Sri Lanka,
Korea, Japan, Hong Kong, the Philippines, Malaysia, Sabah, Kuching and Singapore. He was
responsible for the setting up of national bodies in USA, Canada, Ireland, Australia and New Zealand.
He retired from SOMA at the end of 1994.
ICCOWE
In 1984 he initiated a meeting in Rome between Catholics, Lutherans, and Anglicans. He was a
member of the executive of the Singapore Consultation, named after international consultations in
Singapore for Charismatic and Pentecostal leaders in 1987 and 1988. In 1989 when its name was
changed to ICCOWE (International Charismatic Consultation on World Evangelization) he was
appointed Chairman. Michael not only spoke at the Brighton 91 conference (see below) but also at
the Prague 97 consultation. He retired as Chairman in September 2000, but continued as a trustee
until 2010.
Brighton 91
Both Michael and Jeanne played a full part in this unique conference, which gathered over 3100
Leaders of leaders from all over the world in July 1991. The conference used twelve languages.
Michael was chairman of the executive, and a member of the conference planning committee, as well
as speaking on the opening evening together with the Archbishop of Canterbury (George Carey).
Jeanne was involved in the prayer preparation before and during the conference, and also in the
compiling of the conference songbook, which was published in four languages.
As an Anglican
Michael was appointed a Canon of Chichester Cathedral in 1984. He has spoken widely in the
Anglican Communion and has preached in over 50 cathedrals. He represented SOMA at the Mission
Agencies Conference in Brisbane, Australia in December 1986.
The influence of SOMA on the Anglican Communion was and is considerable, especially through the
pre-Lambeth Conferences. Our brother bishops from the developing countries had great confidence
when, for example, homosexuality was discussed. Their words were reported prominently in the
Times newspaper. Another development was the inclusion of the ministry of healing on the bishops’
agenda for all dioceses.
Pilgrimage to Orthodoxy
The decision of the Church of England to ordain women to the priesthood, was for Michael and
Jeanne the “last straw” in their growing concerns about the Anglican Church. Michael was invited to
become involved with the Pilgrimage to Orthodoxy and to be its President from 1993 to its closure in
1995 when with others he was received into the Orthodox Church. This was a body of former
Anglican Priests with their parishes, who were wanting to be received as groups into the Orthodox
Church.
The Orthodox Church
After two years of negotiations with the Patriarchate of Antioch, Michael was ordained Priest in St
Stephen’s Greek Orthodox Cathedral in Paris on April 1st 1995. He was followed by other former
Anglican priests. A Deanery was set up in the UK, and Michael was appointed the first Dean. In 2002
Michael was elected a Director of the Institute for Orthodox Christian Studies in Cambridge. In the
same year he represented the Patriarchate at the Anglican/Orthodox Consultation in Wales and two
years later at Canterbury. He also represented the Patriarch at the enthronement of Dr Rowan
Williams as Archbishop of Canterbury. He was made an Archpriest in 2005.
He was:
Dean of the Antiochian Orthodox Deanery of the UK and Ireland
Arch-Priest of St. Botolph’s, Antiochian Orthodox parish in the City of London
Chairman then a trustee of ICC (International Charismatic Consultation)
Member and a Director of the Institute for Orthodox Christian Studies in Cambridge
Summary of career
2005 Raised to be Archpriest
2002-2010 A Director of the Institute for Orthodox Christian Studies, Cambridge
2000-2010 Priest of St Botolph’s Antiochian Orthodox Church, City of London
1997-2009 Dean of Antiochian Orthodox Deanery of UK and Ireland
1995-2010 Priest of the Orthodox Church (Patriarchate of Antioch)
1993-1995 President of Pilgrimage to Orthodoxy
1989 2000 Chairman of ICC (International Charismatic Consultation)
1979-1995 Executive Director SOMA (Sharing of Ministries Abroad)
1984-1995 Canon of Chichester Cathedral
1975-1980 Attached to staff of Holy Trinity, Hounslow
1964-1975 Director of the Fountain Trust
1958-1964 Assistant Curate, All Souls, Langham Place
Chaplain to the Oxford Street Stores
1955-1958 Assistant Curate, St Barnabas, Clapham Common
1956 Married to Jeanne
1956-1995 Priest of the Church of England
1955-1956 Deacon of the Church of England
1954 Master of Arts degree
1953-1955 Ridley Hall, Cambridge
1950-1953 Emmanuel College, Cambridge
1945-1949 Gresham's School, Holt, Norfolk
1940-1945 St Faith's School, Cambridge
1937-1940 Gate House School, Kingston Hill, Surrey
1931 Baptised in St Mark, North Audley Street, London
1931 Born March 12th
Education
Studying at St Faith's School, Cambridge, he won a scholarship to Gresham's School, Holt, Norfolk.
Concentrating on politics, economics and history he won an open scholarship to Emmanuel College,
Cambridge, where he studied Law and Theology, graduating with an M.A. degree with 2nd Class
honours.
Spiritual pilgrimage
Both Michael and his wife Jeanne were baptised as infants. Jeanne came under the influence of
Christians while studying at the Royal Academy of Music, and came to faith in Christ while attending
Westminster Chapel, through the ministry of Dr. Martyn Lloyd Jones.
In 1951, in Michael's first year at Cambridge, he came under the influence of the Christian Union, and
turned to Christ during a Communion service in King's College Chapel. In 1952 he offered for the
Anglican ministry, and had two years of training at Ridley Hall, Cambridge, after finishing his degree
course. He was ordained in 1955 and served for three years in an inner city parish, St Barnabas,
Clapham Common, London, and in 1958 joined the staff of All Souls, Langham Place, at the invitation
of the Rev John Stott, serving as Chaplain to the Oxford Street stores.
In 1962 Jeanne and Michael had a deep new experience of the Holy Spirit, which was to prove a
second important turning point in their lives.
The third major turning point was in 1995 when they were received into the Orthodox Church.
Marriage
Michael and Jeanne met during a university mission in Norwich in September 1951. Jeanne was
studying music at the Royal Academy of Music. She studied the piano and oboe, for a time under
Harold Craxton, and graduated, getting her LRAM and GRSM. They were married in St. Barnabas
Church, Clapham Common, London on 1st September 1956.
Jeanne's musical gifts have been an ideal partnership with Michael's throughout their married life.
Her talents have received prominent exposure in the songbooks Sound of Living Waters and Fresh
Sounds, which she edited with Betty-Jane Pulkingham. They have had worldwide sales of over half a
million. Besides ministering with Michael, Jeanne was the UK leader of the Lydia Prayer Fellowship
1976 83, and founded what has become known as the CPC, a body committed to the sharing of gifts
between the medical profession and the Church in the area of divine healing. Jeanne has edited
another songbook Songifts, published in April 1986. In the Orthodox Church her musical gifts have
been much used. She was until recently the choir leader of St Botolph’s Antiochian Orthodox Church
in the City of London.
Fountain Trust
Michael was the founder and first Director of the Fountain Trust from 1964 75. During that time the
Trust built up a world wide reputation, organised the first major international Charismatic conference
(Guildford 1971), published Renewal magazine and several best selling books, and helped to share
the blessing of renewal throughout Britain and other parts of the world. Michael was the founder
and for many years served as chairman of the Charismatic Leaders’ Conference (still functioning.)
Writing
Michael has written some eighteen books, which have been translated into most of the major
languages of the world, including German, Chinese, Japanese, Finnish, Swedish, Korean, Croat,
Spanish, French, Polish, Romanian, etc. His first book, Power for the Body of Christ, came out in
1964, and since then he has written 17 others with combined sales of over 500,000 in English
editions. His best known books are Walk in the Spirit and Spiritual Warfare. Other best sellers
include, As at the Beginning and Let my people grow. In 1986 Jesus the Healer was published in a
series edited by Michael Green, and the same book was published by Inter Varsity in the United
States. His book A new way of living became a best seller in its French and German editions, and was
widely influential in France and Switzerland. His book, Equal and Different, published by Hodder and
Stoughton in May 1994, has become a best seller.
It deals with current gender issues in the church and family. It has been translated and published in
Sweden. His latest book The True Light was published in June 1997. The American edition is called A
Faith Fulfilled, and has been published by the Conciliar Press. It has been translated into Romanian
and published in Romania and is being translated into Greek for publication in Greece.
Michael has made major contributions to magazines, newspapers and encyclopedias, including
Heritage of Freedom (Lion), and Anglican Worship Today (Collins). He has contributed chapters in
Open to the Spirit, a preparatory book for the 1988 Lambeth Conference, and By my Spirit, edited by
the late Archbishop Bill Burnett. For a full list of his writings see end of this summary.
Renewal magazine
Michael was the founder and first editor of Renewal, which was the longest established Charismatic
magazine in the world. Its first issue was published in February 1966, its 289th in June 2000. He
was the editor until 1975, and came back to the editorial desk for three years, 1980 83, when his
friend and literary agent Edward England bought the magazine from the Fountain Trust.
Speaker
Michael has spoken at many international conferences throughout the world, including USA, Canada,
Australia, New Zealand, Singapore, India, Kenya, Tanzania, Japan, Sweden, France, Korea etc. His
largest Sunday audience was 22,000 in Seoul, Korea,. His largest conference audiences were South
Bend, Indiana, USA, 40,000 and Rimini, Italy, 45,000.
With Roman Catholics
Michael's ministry has been recognised in the Roman Catholic Renewal, and three of his books have
been published by them in the United States. He spoke at the Notre Dame Conference in 1976
(attended by some 30,000 people), and the first all Ireland Conference in Dublin in 1972. He was a
guest at their International Conference in Rome in 1975, and at the first Roman Catholic Leaders'
Conference in 1972. He also attended other Leaders’ meetings in 1975 in Rome and 1993 in Assisi.
He was a member of the core group which planned the Dialogue between the Roman Catholic Church
and the Pentecostal and Charismatic Movements. He has met both Pope Paul VI, John Paul II, as well
as the Patriarch of Venice, who later became Pope John Paul I. He was a speaker at two annual
conferences held in Rimini, Italy, and attended by about 40,000 people.
With WCC
Michael has been involved since 1979 with the WCC in its meetings with the Charismatic Renewal. He
was present at Rostrevor (1979) and Bossey (1980), and in planning the Consultation in Zaire in
1981 and a meeting in England in 1985. He also took part, after becoming an Orthodox priest, in
a Consultation on Proselytisation at Bossey in 1996. He was invited to be a delegate of the
Patriarchate of Antioch at the Assembly in Harare in 1998, but was unable to attend because of illness.
Radio and Television
He has spoken on BBC radio and appeared a number of times on both BBC and the Independent TV
companies' programmes. He has also co hosted the 100 Huntley Street Canadian TV programme
twice, and appeared on it a number of other times. He was also a religious advisor to the old
company Television South (TVS).
Continental Europe
He has had an extensive ministry both sides of the former Iron Curtain, and ministered in East and
West Germany; all the Scandinavian countries including Iceland, as well as the former Yugoslavia,
France, Netherlands, and Switzerland. He was a key note speaker at both the Strasbourg Conference
in 1982 and the ACTS 86 Conference in Birmingham in 1986 (See photograph). He was chairman of
the British committee for ACTS 86. He was an advisor for the European Charismatic Consultation, and
was a speaker at the Berne Leaders' Conference in 1990. In 1996 he spoke at the Catholic Renewal
Conference in Rimini, Italy, attended by over 40,000 people. In 1997 and 2000 he was chairman of
the Consultations held in Prague, and in the 1997 one, he was a key-note speaker. These were
ecumenical conferences sponsored by ICCOWE and ECC.
SOMA
From 1979 to 1994 Michael's primary work was founding SOMA (Sharing of Ministries Abroad) and
acting as its International Executive Director. SOMA is an organisation committed to sharing
ministries with all Christians, particularly between Western and Third World nations. He has been
responsible for planning and organising major leadership conferences held in conjunction with the
Lambeth Conference in Canterbury (1978 and 1988), as well as conferences in Singapore (1981),
Nairobi (1983), Fiji (1984) and Tanzania (1984 and 1985). He has also visited and shared in Ghana,
Nigeria, Uganda, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Burundi, Israel and Palestine, Nepal, Pakistan, India, Sri Lanka,
Korea, Japan, Hong Kong, the Philippines, Malaysia, Sabah, Kuching and Singapore. He was
responsible for the setting up of national bodies in USA, Canada, Ireland, Australia and New Zealand.
He retired from SOMA at the end of 1994.
ICCOWE
In 1984 he initiated a meeting in Rome between Catholics, Lutherans, and Anglicans. He was a
member of the executive of the Singapore Consultation, named after international consultations in
Singapore for Charismatic and Pentecostal leaders in 1987 and 1988. In 1989 when its name was
changed to ICCOWE (International Charismatic Consultation on World Evangelization) he was
appointed Chairman. Michael not only spoke at the Brighton 91 conference (see below) but also at
the Prague 97 consultation. He retired as Chairman in September 2000, but continued as a trustee
until 2010.
Brighton 91
Both Michael and Jeanne played a full part in this unique conference, which gathered over 3100
Leaders of leaders from all over the world in July 1991. The conference used twelve languages.
Michael was chairman of the executive, and a member of the conference planning committee, as well
as speaking on the opening evening together with the Archbishop of Canterbury (George Carey).
Jeanne was involved in the prayer preparation before and during the conference, and also in the
compiling of the conference songbook, which was published in four languages.
As an Anglican
Michael was appointed a Canon of Chichester Cathedral in 1984. He has spoken widely in the
Anglican Communion and has preached in over 50 cathedrals. He represented SOMA at the Mission
Agencies Conference in Brisbane, Australia in December 1986.
The influence of SOMA on the Anglican Communion was and is considerable, especially through the
pre-Lambeth Conferences. Our brother bishops from the developing countries had great confidence
when, for example, homosexuality was discussed. Their words were reported prominently in the
Times newspaper. Another development was the inclusion of the ministry of healing on the bishops’
agenda for all dioceses.
Pilgrimage to Orthodoxy
The decision of the Church of England to ordain women to the priesthood, was for Michael and
Jeanne the “last straw” in their growing concerns about the Anglican Church. Michael was invited to
become involved with the Pilgrimage to Orthodoxy and to be its President from 1993 to its closure in
1995 when with others he was received into the Orthodox Church. This was a body of former
Anglican Priests with their parishes, who were wanting to be received as groups into the Orthodox
Church.
The Orthodox Church
After two years of negotiations with the Patriarchate of Antioch, Michael was ordained Priest in St
Stephen’s Greek Orthodox Cathedral in Paris on April 1st 1995. He was followed by other former
Anglican priests. A Deanery was set up in the UK, and Michael was appointed the first Dean. In 2002
Michael was elected a Director of the Institute for Orthodox Christian Studies in Cambridge. In the
same year he represented the Patriarchate at the Anglican/Orthodox Consultation in Wales and two
years later at Canterbury. He also represented the Patriarch at the enthronement of Dr Rowan
Williams as Archbishop of Canterbury. He was made an Archpriest in 2005.
He was:
Dean of the Antiochian Orthodox Deanery of the UK and Ireland
Arch-Priest of St. Botolph’s, Antiochian Orthodox parish in the City of London
Chairman then a trustee of ICC (International Charismatic Consultation)
Member and a Director of the Institute for Orthodox Christian Studies in Cambridge
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Father Michael Harper Foundation
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Fr Michael Harper Foundation
3 West View, Newnham Croft
Cambridge CB3 9JB, UK
Tel: +44 1223 362933
Email: contact@harperfoundation.com
3 West View, Newnham Croft
Cambridge CB3 9JB, UK
Tel: +44 1223 362933
Email: contact@harperfoundation.com