General Synod Election Candidates 2026

The Rev’d Dr Alexander Shannon
Candidate for Election to the General Synod of the Church of England
Nominated by:
The Rev’d Canon Janet Nicholls,
Diocesan Rural Advisor and Agricultural Chaplain
The Very Rev’d Canon Rod Reid,
Area Dean of Braintree Deanery
Contact Details:
The Vicarage, Bardfield Road, Finchingfield, CM7 4JR
Telephone: 01371 810309 / 07483 878659
Email: [email protected]
About me
• I am Vicar of the Benefice of the Pant Valley Churches in Braintree Deanery. The Benefice was
formed in August 2022, and I was previously Priest-in-Charge of its constituent parts from July 2020
and October 2021 respectively.
• I was ordained Deacon in 2016 and Priest in 2017, and served my curacy at the Parish of All Saints,
St Ives in the Diocese of Ely.
• Since June 2024 I have been Assistant Area Dean.
• Since January 2023 I have been an Area Vocations Advisor.
• Since May 2022 I have been a Surrogate for Marriage Licenses.
• I have been, and continue to be, formed by the Catholic tradition within the Church of England,
although my current benefice embraces a variety of church traditions.
Why I am standing for General Synod
For some while, I have followed the debates which take place at General Synod, and have noticed that,
while much of the Church of England is comprised of multi-parish benefices, they are under-represented in
Synod. Their interests are therefore often not given due consideration in debates, and they are not well
served by decisions which are made. Furthermore, the Church of England faces several significant questions
to be considered in this Quinquennium, and I hope that, having familiarised myself with the workings of
Synod as an observer, and having gained experience in my ministry, I may be able to offer my prayerful
consideration of these issues.
What are my views?
Electors for Synod representatives will rightly be concerned about candidates’ views on the most high-
profile issues, and so here is a summary of my positions on these:
• Funding parish ministry
This is a topic which began to receive attention during the last Quinquennium, but which has yet to
be properly settled. It is my view that a change is needed to the policy of using substantial portions
of the Church Commissioners’ income to support flagship projects which benefit only a handful of
parishes. The National Church Institutions (NCIs) should commit to a long-term role in the general
funding of parish ministry in a reform of the ‘Parish Share’ system. This system currently generates
enormous resentment, as generous givers locally see the huge resources being spent in other places
and feel keenly the unequal nature of the partnership. The SMMIB system currently in place for
distributing significant amounts of the Church Commissioners’ income is divisive and wasteful,

pitting parts of the Church against one another and costing significant amounts of time, energy and
money which would be better used in front line ministry. It also impacts negatively on clergy
morale, as those working hard in often challenging circumstances feel that their ministry is under-
valued by the NCIs. As a member of General Synod, I would campaign for a new settlement in
which the cost of ministry is shared between local and central sources.
• Living in Love and Faith
Although the Living in Love and Faith programme was brought to a conclusion by the last General
Synod, a number of key matters remain to be addressed, including whether to allow standalone
services for same sex couples, and whether to allow clergy to contract same sex civil marriages. It
is my view that the theological studies undertaken by the Faith and Order Commission towards the
end of the last Synod, and on which the decisions to halt various aspects of the LLF programme
were based, represent a wholly inadequate view of the theological questions involved. Swathes of
Christian anthropology which take into account advances in our scientific understanding of the
human person were entirely neglected. I would, as a member of General Synod, commit myself to
supporting moves to allow same sex couples, and particularly those in civil marriages, to have their
relationships recognised by, and blessed within, the Church. Furthermore, I believe that such a
move should be based on an established and rigorous theological foundation, and should include
provision for those of a differing theological conviction.
• The administrative burden on more rural parts of the Church
The legislative provisions of Synod, though well-meaning, often have a disproportionate effect on
multi-parish benefices. For example, reporting and compliance requirements are multiplied by
numbers of parishes or buildings, which often have fewer combined volunteers at their disposal
than larger single parishes. Rarely is this addressed in debate, and even more rarely is it reflected in
the drafting of legislative texts. It is essential that every new measure is considered in the light of
the experience of those parts of the Church where resources are most stretched.
I am not affiliated with any particular campaign group, but it will be apparent from the points above that
some of my key views are aligned with those of Inclusive Church and Save the Parish in their respective
spheres of interest.
How am I qualified?
My experience as a rural Incumbent these past six years has given me considerable insight into the real
challenges faced by the Church of England at this moment, and I have other skills from my background
which can also be of use:
• Theological background
As part of my training for ministry, I took the Cambridge BA course in Theology and MPhil in
Christian Theology, with Class I and Distinction respectively. My MPhil dissertation was in the area
of Science and Theology (my previous doctorate having been in Mathematics), which I believe will
equip me well for supporting a rigorous theological approach to the questions arising from the LLF
programme.
• Experience of church legal matters
Much of General Synod’s work is concerned with legislation; as a Surrogate for Marriage Licenses, I
have had experience working with legislative texts in detail, and I also have experience of using
provisions in Church Law to create Joint Councils for groups of our benefice’s PCCs. This has given
me first-hand experience of considering in detail how Church Law currently creates more obstacles
than necessary for multi-parish benefices and their PCCs and Incumbents.
Alexander Shannon, September 2026

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