General Synod Election Candidates 2026

Revd Josh Tomalin
Curate – St.Marks, Bredbury
Contact: [email protected]
Proposer: Revd David Brewster
Seconder: Revd Andy Bull

Dear Chester clergy colleagues,
I am offering myself to serve on General Synod for the
first time. I’m passionate about the work of the church
in bringing the Gospel of Jesus to all people, of all ages
and in all places. I hope for governance that seeks to
build a church that grows not just for the next few years, but decades and beyond. I want to
be able to represent all clergy, to work across differences of tradition to serve our church
together.

About Me:
I am 27, married to Francesca, and was ordained in Chester Diocese in 2025.
I grew up in East Sussex, and came to faith throughout my childhood, moved to this diocese
when I was 17 with my family and started to serve the church in various roles, mainly in
children and youth work. Through this time, I felt a strong call to church leadership, and I
started training for ordination when I was 23.

If elected I would look to:

Strengthen Vocations:
I was fortunate to be encouraged by my church and the diocese as I explored my calling,
the changes to the discernment process have been hugely positive – but many people who
may be called to ministry feel discouraged from engaging with it and exploring what God
might be calling them to do. I want all who feel that call, whether it comes earlier in life or
later to feel confident in exploring it, and for the church to resource ways of investing in
developing and training leaders, right through the ages that we have in our church.

26 of 29

Support Parishes
For our church to flourish in decades and centuries to come, we need our parishes to be
supported and invested in. The model of having a minister for a church, who knows and is
known by their people has been the bedrock of the Church of England since its foundation.
The church has very real and significant financial restraints at parish and diocese level which
I know I do not have to tell you all! But we also have great resources as a national church
and I would seek to release as much for mission as possible, whilst stewarding what we
have wisely for future generations!

Improve Accessibility
As a disabled (profoundly deaf) person, I am passionate about people hearing the gospel –
literally! On a basic practical level, I want to make sure that people can access church, that
they feel empowered to use the gifts God has given them, and can belong as a full part of
their community. Whether its hearing, sight, language difficulties, or neurodiversity – I want
all churches to be equipped to love and serve everyone.

Grow Mission to Children and Young people
As a church, we know that we need to reach more younger people. Having worked in youth
work before training for ordination, I know there is no silver bullet for sudden growth. We
need a range of approaches, from resourcing parishes in their children and youth work, to
improving the offering of the wider church’s digital communication. My hope is that one day
the Church of England would be known nationally for being truly multi-generational, where
people of all ages share their faith and lives together.

Foster Co-operation across Traditions
We are a diverse church, with a breadth of traditions and theologies. I would describe myself
as a conservative evangelical, and I know that conservatives have not always done a very
good job working across theological differences, and I’d quite like to change that image! If
elected I would want to represent all clergy, to build spaces where we can work alongside
one another without seeking to hide significant disagreements or pretending they don’t exist.

Thanks for taking the time to read this! If you have any questions at all – please do
get in touch.
I hope you feel able to support me with the highest preference vote you feel able to
give.
27 of 29

conservative,conservative evangelical,discernment,evangelical,gospel,mission,neurodiversity,ordination,tradition,vocations,young people,youth,youth work