Bishop Emma was ordained in 2000 and served her curacy in Christ Church, Dore in the Diocese of Sheffield, before moving to Devon where she was a Chaplain to the Lee Abbey, an ecumenical Christian community. She was appointed as Tutor of Practical and Pastoral Theology at Trinity College, Bristol in 2006, and Director of Pastoral Studies in 2010. She was appointed Principal in 2014. During this time she also served as Associate Minister of St Matthew’s, Kingsdown, and of St Mary Magdalene, Stoke Bishop, in the Diocese of Bristol.
In 2019, Emma was appointed Bishop of Penrith in the Diocese of Carlisle, and in 2021 she took up the role as Bishop to the Archbishops of Canterbury and York.
She was announced as Bishop of Kensington in December 2022, and was officially welcomed to the Diocese of London in February 2023.