General Synod Election Candidates 2026

Bob Chambers
Candidate for the House of Laity of the General Synod
It has been a tremendous honour and privilege to serve on General
Synod, and I’d welcome the opportunity to continue as one of
Chichester Diocese’s representatives in the new quinquennium.
If you’d prefer to watch rather than to read,
please click here for a short introductory video,
scan the QR code, or visit bit.ly/4gPNzDo
About me
I have been married to my wife, Rachel, for 25 years, and we have two sons, aged 21 and 18 (one has just
finished university, and the other is about to start). As a family, we have been attending St Margaret’s Church in
Angmering since we arrived in the area 13 years ago. My current involvement includes catering for our youth
group, serving on the PCC, and leading a home group; I have previously been a Foundation Governor at the local
Church of England primary school, where my wife works part-time. I enjoy walking or running in the South
Downs (Rachel and I tackled the Yorkshire Wolds Way this summer, too), sailing (sadly, very rarely now),
listening to classical music (especially live performances), and sharing meals with my family and friends.
I grew up in a church-going family, and we attended our local parish church. Alongside that, I sang for some
years as a treble in a chapel choir in central London, providing a taste of a very different liturgical tradition. I was
part of an active Crusader youth group in my teens (now ‘Urban Saints’), and it was through the ministry of
Crusaders – by God’s grace – that my faith in Jesus Christ as Lord and Saviour became real and personal.
After school, my working gap year included a short-term mission trip to Bolivia, before heading to Sheffield for a
Business Studies degree. As a student, I led the Christian Union on campus and attended Christ Church,
Fulwood; I also attended St Jude’s in Melbourne whilst on a study exchange. My placement year included a
season on residential staff at CYE Christian activity centre in Chichester Harbour, as well as working for Marks
and Spencer in retail management at their Bradford and Leeds high street stores. My Dad died of cancer during
my final year at university. My student years were certainly a rich learning experience, in many respects.
On graduating, I took up a place on the NHS Management Training Scheme, which led to a series of managerial
roles in hospitals in Lincoln, Leicester, London, and Cardiff, and a secondment to the Civil Service. When I left
the NHS after seven years, I joined a management and leadership development consultancy, and also led a
small charity sponsoring Christian university students across Romania. Six years later, I moved to the relief and
development agency World Vision UK in an organisational and leadership development role. I was keen to get
more cross-cultural experience, so I was pleased to be appointed to a role in World Vision’s Southern Africa
Regional Office, based in Johannesburg. My family and I lived there for three years, during which time I travelled
fairly frequently, working with colleagues across the continent and further afield.
Returning to the UK, I served as Chief Executive of the Christian mission agency Feba for ten years (Far East
Broadcasting Association), responsible for leading the UK ministry, as well as holding an elected position on the
Executive Committee of the global association. The CEO role involved leadership of the staff team and oversight
of all day-to-day operations, including Feba’s portfolio of international partnerships and projects across Africa,
Asia, Eastern Europe and the Middle East, plus all domestic fundraising and communications activities with
their UK supporters – comprising individuals, churches, and trusts. Since early 2025, I have worked on a
consultancy basis with the executive search firm Carnelian, focused on supporting a range of Christian
organisations seeking to fill executive leadership and governance roles, both here and overseas.
Please click here if you’d like to see further career details on LinkedIn.
In the course of various relocations and travel with study and work over the years, I’ve experienced a variety of
church traditions and cultures, for which I am extremely thankful. In Cardiff, for example, my wife and I met
at Highfields, a thriving FIEC church. Whilst living in Warwickshire for seven years, we were part of our small
local village church, in a community of just over 500 people. We invested heavily in all that was going on there,
including several years of leading a children’s group, and my serving on the PCC and as Church Warden. In
Johannesburg we worshipped at Northcliff Union Church, which has its roots in the Baptist tradition. An
underlying commitment to faithful, orthodox, Bible-based teaching and Christ-centred worship has been a
constant prerequisite for us, with the Church of England being our preference and natural ‘home’ throughout.

Aside from our local church membership and involvement, we have attended the Keswick Convention since our
sons were very young, and I’ve enjoyed serving as a volunteer steward there for the past couple of years.
Being part of the Vacancy in See process recently (following the announcement of Bishop Martin’s retirement)
has been fascinating. I’m now looking forward to playing my part in the next phase, as one of the three elected
diocesan lay representatives on the Crown Nominations Commission. I would certainly welcome your
prayers for that work, please - that God’s will would be done in relation to finding the next Bishop of Chichester.
Why I’m standing for General Synod
Standing for re-election is not something I have entered into lightly or in my own strength, knowing that it is not
for the faint-hearted! Rather, having engaged with recent General Synod debates on a diverse range of topics (to
see some excerpts, please click here), I’d like now to build on that experience, and am strongly motivated by a
desire to contribute further - if it is the Lord’s will. My decision comes after careful and prayerful consideration.
This is clearly a significant and challenging time for the Church of England (CofE), but it is exciting too.
There are a number of familiar and very sensitive ‘hot potato’ topics (not least around marriage and sexuality)
and news stories that grab the headlines from time to time (including safeguarding, climate change, and slave
trade reparations), and yet I remain convinced that the CofE still has a precious and unique place in our society.
It is vitally important that we engage with contentious topics with courage and grace, rooted always in God’s
word and with our eyes fixed on Jesus. Whilst called to ‘proclaim the gospel afresh in each generation’, it is
imperative that we hold faithfully to the timeless truths of Scripture – trusting our constant, all-powerful, all-
knowing, and all-loving Heavenly Father. We must not be swayed or cowed by cultural shifts and pressures.
We have heard reports and seen encouraging signs of an openness to the gospel in places (the ‘quiet revival’),
but elsewhere things undoubtedly feel messy and tough. I believe the Church of England has some enduring and
remarkable missional opportunities, not least our nationwide coverage. The significance of our extensive
network of church schools is often overlooked or underestimated, too. Our parish system is a particularly
precious thing, but it’s under considerable stress. With full-time clergy numbers in decline, a ‘retirement
bulge’ (an ageing profile), and fewer candidates training for ordained ministry, there’s an urgent need to focus
efforts on creative and effective ways of resourcing gospel-centred ministry and ensuring clergy wellbeing.
On a national level, the Church of England has sizeable resources that require prayerful and wise oversight; the
prioritisation of expenditure and the scrutiny of plans and execution are therefore important and complex.
Balancing competing national initiatives and local needs can be challenging, and Synod has a key role to play in
helping to navigate and steer the Church of today, and shape and prepare it for tomorrow, focusing on its
core mission. I’m thankful that my leadership and governance experience have equipped me well for this work.
The Greatest Commandment and the Great Commission are, of course, non-negotiable. Things start close to
home for each of us – with our families, those we live next door to, or work alongside – seeking to live and share
the uniquely good news of the gospel of Jesus with them, supported by our own local church community. Clergy
and laity alike have a part to play, so the mobilising and equipping of all believers must be a shared concern,
requiring a joined-up effort: we need to address issues of lost trust; to ensure that everyone and all communities
feel valued and represented; and that all volunteers are engaged, deployed, and overseen appropriately.
As I reflect on what I learned and experienced of local church from my parents – and from my grandparents too
(all of whom were actively involved in their parish churches), and consider the CofE as we know it today, I do
wonder what it will be like for my own sons in their later adulthood: how will the Church be making and growing
disciples? My prayer is that it would be a vibrant and faithful witness to the living God, honouring Him in
submission and obedience to His word, relevant and accessible to all, that we might be worthy of the title ‘Bride
of Christ’. I can assure you that I would most certainly continue to give of my best to that end if re-elected.
Thank you for your consideration of my application. I’d be extremely grateful for your high preference vote,
and it would be an honour to be re-elected to continue to serve on General Synod. I hope you have found the
information I’ve provided helpful (including the videos that are available by clicking here), but if you do have any
related comments or questions, then please don’t hesitate to contact me. Thank you.
Bob Chambers, 92 Sea Lane, Rustington, West Sussex, BN16 2RT.
Email: [email protected]
Tel: 07523 412041
Proposer:
James Nicholl - former Churchwarden at St Margaret’s, Angmering (Arundel and Bognor)
Seconder:
Catherine Butcher - General Synod member, 2021-26; Reader at St John’s, Meads (Eastbourne)

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