General Synod Election Candidates 2026

ELECTION TO THE GENERAL SYNOD

Candidate: The Revd Tim Stilwell,
Vicar at St Mark’s Holbrook, Diocese of Chichester

Proposer: The Revd Martin King, Rural Dean for Horsham

Seconder: The Revd Canon Julie Sear (retired)

Seeking to serve you on General Synod with a passionate heart for parish renewal.
I long to see our national church regain its confidence as we seek to engage even more
effectively with those who don’t yet know God’s love for them personally. The ‘quiet revival’
may have been overhyped but there are definite signs that many in our nation, especially
younger generations, are not merely exploring faith in general but specifically the Christian
faith. I want to encourage a degree of cautious optimism as the pervasive secularist ideology
wears thin. Navigating this cultural moment requires leaders who can speak with theological
grounding, compassionate generosity, and a willingness to sit with complex questions.

About Me
I am married to Jo who is Head of Partnership Support at Kidsmatter (seeking to impact the
lives of children facing disadvantages). We have three grown-up children and three
grandchildren. I have served on the frontline as Vicar of St Mark’s Holbrook, Horsham, for two
years, following 22 years of parish ministry in the London Diocese (associate vicar at St Paul’s
Hammersmith and incumbent at St Dionis, Parsons Green). My experience includes serving as
Area Dean and assistant DDO in Kensington.
I value the rich combination of ministry in Word and Spirit, planting fresh expressions and
revitalising parish life where needed through the local church. This includes growing a
worshipping community in Mowbray - a new housing estate in the north of our parish.
I know first-hand the profound joys and the heavy, quiet burdens of local ministry today. If
elected, I will bring this compassionate, frontline perspective directly to the floor of Synod,
ensuring that our discussions and debates are grounded in the reality of parish life.

My Core Principles & Commitments
Mission and Evangelism
We should celebrate and renew our confidence in the local parish system. It is not an obsolete
relic from the past but the heartbeat of our mission and the place where communities can
encounter God’s love at any and every stage of their lives. I will vote to channel Church
Commissioners' funds towards local parish ministry, frontline resources, and initiatives that

support church revitalisation. In an age where there appears to be a renewed hunger for the
good news of Jesus Christ, I am extremely committed to supporting ministry and mission at
the local level. Inspired by my wife’s work at Kidsmatter, I am equally committed to seeing
churches partner with other locally focussed organisations to bring the gospel into the lives
of those who would otherwise be unreached by God’s love.

Clergy Wellbeing
Throughout my ministry, I have walked alongside too many fellow clergy who have
experienced stress, isolation, and burnout. Sadly, some of them are no longer in ordained
ministry. I want to champion clergy welfare and advocate for high-quality training on mental
health support across the dioceses. Clergy morale appears to be low in general and while the
work at Synod with regard to housing, pay and pensions is ongoing, we must ensure that
those who spend their lives caring for others are sustainably supported in long-term ministry
themselves.

Marriage and sexual ethics
Although the LLF process has officially been brought to a close, the recent King Private
Members Motion brought to General Synod indicates that the debates around a biblical
understanding of human sexuality will continue into the next Synod. While my own ministry
in this area is shaped by the traditional understanding of marriage revealed in Scripture and
expressed in Canon B30, I recognize that many faithful Christians are in a space of deep re-
examination. I do not hold easy answers, nor do I wish to shut down the profound theological
and pastoral questions so many are wrestling with. I am deeply committed to listening to
those navigating these tensions. My priority is to advocate for a church that combines true
faithfulness to the Bible’s time-honoured teaching with deep pastoral sensitivity, ensuring
care and support for all those who love, or are attracted to, members of their own sex.

Safeguarding Reform
I lament the revelations of terrible abuse in the Church of England over recent decades and
support the ongoing work towards new national, independent safeguarding structures. I will
press for as much independent professional oversight as is legally possible to ensure that
there are transparent systems in place. Trust must be built from the ground up; we must move
decisively to ensure our churches are genuinely safe spaces for those who are vulnerable or
at risk, and that victims and survivors of abuse are genuinely cared for.

Summary
General Synod requires representatives who can engage across differences with gentleness,
humility, and respect without losing their theological grounding. Those who know me will tell
you that I am accessible, insightful and a good listener who seeks to bridge divides rather than
widen them. As such, I ask for your first preference vote.
Contact: [email protected] Mob: 07772 623543
Please don’t hesitate to contact me if you would like to discuss my candidacy or share your
own hopes and concerns for the future of our church.

abuse,biblical,burnout,church commissioners,church revitalisation,clergy morale,clergy welfare,clergy wellbeing,dioceses,evangelism,fresh expressions,generosity,good news,gospel,housing,human sexuality,independent safeguarding,isolation,llf,marriage,mental health,mission,revitalisation,safe spaces,safeguarding,scripture,sexual ethics,sexuality,stress,survivors,survivors of abuse,traditional,victims