Our Team

Peter Rouch was appointed in 2021 and follows Des Scott and Mark Russell as Church Army’s CEO.

After an early career with Barclays Bank, Peter trained for ministry at Westcott House in Cambridge. Following a curacy in London and a period as a research fellow at St Stephen’s House in Oxford, Peter was then Priest-in-Charge of two parishes near the centre of Manchester, where people struggled with many of the challenges familiar to those in the communities Church Army works.

After nearly a decade as Archdeacon of Bournemouth, and a short period at Lambeth, Peter comes to Church Army with a wealth of experience. He is passionate about seeing change, hand-in-hand with the Gospel, bringing hope to people’s lives.

The former Archbishop of Canterbury, Rowan Williams, was appointed as President of Church Army in December 2014, the eighth president in Church Army’s history. Prior to this, Lord Williams was a Church Army Vice President for 9 years.

Lord Williams was elected as the 104th Archbishop of Canterbury in 2002 and was previously Bishop of Monmouth and Archbishop of Wales. He spent much of his earlier career as an academic at both Cambridge and Oxford universities. After stepping down as Archbishop in 2012, he took up the position of Master of Magdalene College at Cambridge University. In December 2012, he was elevated to the peerage as a Life Baron.

The former Archbishop of Canterbury has described Church Army as a “gift to the church.”