General Synod Election Candidates 2026

The Rev Dr Jack Dunn
Standing for the House of Clergy, General Synod 2026 · Diocese of Chichester
In a nutshell
I am Chaplain at Brighton College, with Permission to Officiate
across the Diocese, where I help to lead services. I worship in
Ovingdean parish.

I am a lifelong Anglican and love the breadth of the Church of
England, having worshipped in middle-of-the-road, Evangelical, and
Anglo-Catholic parishes. What matters most to me is integrity in
worship.

I fell in love with Jesus Christ when I was seven and felt called to be a
priest at 11. I spent the next 20 years thinking that there must be
better people to ordain than me. Most days, I still do.

Ordained ministry
I trained at Ripon College, Cuddesdon, and have been ordained for
15 years. I have served in parishes across four dioceses, worshipped
in churches in three more, and been attached to chaplaincies
connected to two others, so I am blessed to know something of the
breadth of the Church of England.

Why Synod?
As a former Parish Development Officer for the Diocese, I feel well
equipped to represent all of our diocesan clergy on Synod. I believe
in working together, across difference, to achieve meaningful
change.

I know the importance of careful and attentive listening, particularly
to what is not being said; of dispassionate advocacy; and of
consistently standing up for those on the margins. I will
communicate clearly to our Diocese what the issues are, and consult
members across the Diocese for their wisdom and guidance.

PROPOSER
The Revd Canon Lisa Barnett

SECONDER
Mother Arwen Folkes

QUESTIONS?
Please feel free to contact me:
[email protected]

BEFORE ORDINATION
• A D.Phil. in Irish history, then
teaching history
• Volunteering in a London prison
and with the Samaritans
• Magistrate in the adult criminal
and family courts

SPIRITUAL HOME
I identify most with the Benedictine
tradition, and for the last two
decades I have been nurtured and
resourced by Douai Abbey in
Berkshire.
Wider roles
My training incumbent taught me the importance of being involved in the wider life of the Church, and of
serving wider society. Key roles include:
• Trustee of Clergy Support Trust, and of St Luke’s
for Clergy Wellbeing
• Volunteer for MAPPA Essex (Multi-Agency Public
Protection Arrangements)
• Vocations Adviser for three dioceses
• Helping the Church of England’s working group on
Safeguarding Independence
• Establishing a winter night shelter for people
experiencing homelessness, and leading a
Community Sponsorship Scheme for a refugee
family

• Working with the Diocese of Chichester Academy
Trust: 27 schools across three dioceses
• Designing and leading a diocesan growth course
• Serving on Diocesan Synod, and on Diocesan
Environmental and Racial Justice committees
• Enabling lay vocations, and working with children
and young people across the theological breadth
of the Church to develop faith, participation,
agency, and involvement
“Jack works with wisdom and sensitivity across the theological breadth of the Church of England. His experience of
ministry in parishes, at the Cathedral, in chaplaincy and at diocesan and national level, working across the full
diversity of theological traditions, has given him a thoughtful voice to contribute to General Synod. He combines
significant theological rigour with pastoral sensitivity, as well as an astute awareness of the strategic issues facing
the Church of England. I am delighted to be supporting his candidacy”.
The Revd Canon Lisa Barnett, Rector, Horsham Team Parish

What I care about

If you are looking for someone who knows how they will vote on every issue, then you should not vote for me. If
I knew that, there would be little point in taking part in debate.

I do have some fixed points, and I want to be transparent about them. Above all: maintaining breadth and
integrity across God’s Church, with the parish at its very heart, and all of the people of God treated with
respect, integrity, and kindness at all times. Four issues coming to Synod are close to my heart.

Safeguarding
I believe that church safeguarding has a much wider
impact in our communities than we often realise.
When I was growing up, my local church truly was a
safe space. I went alone but never felt alone. Church
became my family, and it saved my life.
The next Synod must make significant decisions
about safeguarding. My focus will be on what this
means on the ground, particularly for parishes, where
finding and keeping willing and able volunteers can
be an uphill struggle. Fortunately, I have good
relationships with those who hold the Church to
account, including INEQE. This helps triangulate
information and maintain accountability.

Care of the clergy, trust, and accountability
In my lifetime I have seen a growing gap in care for
the clergy: our hierarchy has had to become
managers, with little bottom-up accountability for
clergy care. As a trustee of two of the largest and
oldest clergy care charities for the last 12 years, I see
the national picture of clergy wellbeing at first hand. I
know the places that do this well, and how.
More and more ministers and their families are ill or in
trouble, with little sense that anyone has their backs.
This is distressing. Synod members must raise this
issue, and keep raising it, until something changes. To
do that effectively, we need independent national
data to drive accountability and change.
Sex and sexuality
I pray for an age where LGBTQIA+ people are not
seen as an ‘issue’ to be solved: an age where we talk
about ‘us’, not ‘us and them’. I long for a kinder, more
charitable Church and Synod, where we see what
unites us first and genuinely celebrate it, showing the
world how the Christian way is to love one another,
and to have and to hold difference, as we seek first
the kingdom of God and God’s righteousness.
On same-sex marriage, I believe that priests should
have the ability to decide who they marry, according
to their own consciences and in consultation with the
communities of faith that they lead. I am committed
to equality for everyone, at all levels and roles within
the church, regardless of disability, economic power,
ethnicity, sex, gender identity, learning disability,
mental health, neurodiversity, or sexuality.
Money and the marginalised
Too much money is held at the centre, and
conversations about how it is allocated and spent
happen in rooms that are not representative of the
Church. Nationally, we need to get much better,
fairer, and faster at releasing funding for mission
and ministry across the entire breadth of the
Church of England. I have a good sense of how the
different calls for funding add up, and where the
neglected areas remain, including rural ministry.
Meaningful change will need Synod members to
work together. If elected, that is what I will do.

“I have seen first-hand how Jack’s devotion to Christ and the Church is clearly reflected in his deep care for the
wellbeing of all clergy; I have no doubt that he will work tirelessly at Synod to this end and warmly commend Jack for
your support for General Synod”. Laura Steven, Head of Wellbeing for Clergy and Families, Diocese of Chichester
Working together
A strength of the Church of England is its diversity. We need to get much better at celebrating our differences
and working together.

‘Finally, brothers and sisters, rejoice! Strive for full restoration, encourage one another, be of one mind, live in
peace. And the God of love and peace will be with you’. ~ 2 Corinthians 13.11

I would be honoured if you would consider giving me your first preference, or a high preference, vote.
I will work with integrity for the welfare of the whole Church, whose breadth I care about passionately.
Please do get in contact ([email protected]) as I am always happy to chat.

“I strongly commend Jack for General Synod. He would bring to it a deep love for Jesus Christ and the Church
(national and local), an ability to work effectively across all traditions, a prayerful understanding of our deepest
issues and a Gospel inspired vision”.
The Revd Canon Dr Earl Collins, Canon Chancellor, Chichester Cathedral, and former Officer for Continuing Ministerial
Development and Vicar of St John the Baptist, Hove

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