General Synod Election Candidates 2026

Pete Skett

Standing for the House of Laity of General Synod

About me

My family
My wife Jenny and | have just celebrated our fortieth wedding anniversary. We have two adult sons and
four grandchildren - two boys and two girls - and love spending time with them whenever we can. We
moved to Clevedon in North Somerset in 2015, where we joined St Andrew’s Church.

Church Background

| came to faith and was baptised in my teens in the traditional Baptist church in east. | also had friends in
the House Church movement, and was introduced to the charismatic movement and the work of the
Spirit in a deeper way in my life.

Career

After obtaining a degree and PhD in chemistry, | pursued a career in the pharmaceutical industry for
over 30 years. Having worked as a professional scientist in the pharmaceutical industry for many years, |
have experience of working to the utmost standards of safety in multidisciplinary teams to achieve
corporate goals. | worked for an equal opportunities employer, which recruited staff from all over the
world based entirely on skills and experience, so | had the privilege of working in a respectful
environment with women and men from many diverse backgrounds. These skills of working with
complex technical and legal frameworks to achieve safe, positive outcomes would be relevant to General
Synod if | were elected.

Theology and Reader Training

After retiring, | felt called to study theology and then moved on to training as a Reader. In 2021 | was
licenced as a Reader for the Benefice of St Andrew's and St Peter's Clevedon, and have been on the
ministry team for these two churches since then. It is a privilege to be in licenced lay ministry,
supporting the church in its worship and mission.

Mission
| feel committed to working with fellow Christians of different churches, denominations and
backgrounds to live out the kingdom of God in my community, including:

e Member the council of Churches Together in Clevedon (CTiC)

e Chair of the Clevedon Churches Refugee Support Group (CCRSG) since its inception in 2019

e Involvement with Warm Welcome at St Andrew’s Church during winter months

e = Chair of St Andrew’s Eco Church group. We achieved a Bronze Eco Church Award in 2025, and
are working towards the next step of silver.

e Part of a church planting team in a previous church situation.

e Member of PCC, Deanery and Diocesan Synod, helping guide the church through its
governance.

Pete Skett General Synod 2026

Inclusion

Over the years my perspectives have broadened. This has
led me to become passionate about inclusion in the church.
Together with the Inclusive Synod campaign | concur that

“| have known Pete for some years and
respect his commitment to looking deeply
into questions of faith and translating that
“lam committed to equality for everyone, at all levels and into practical action. He brings a level of
roles within the church, regardless of disability, economic commitment which would serve Bath &
power, ethnicity, sex, gender identity, learning disability, Wells well on General Synod. As | step
mental health, neurodiversity, or sexuality." down from representing you on Synod |
have no hesitation in recommending Pete
for your 1° preference vote.
Nic Tall, General Synod member 2021-26.”

e In 2021 | spearheaded our Benefice's engagement with
the Church of England's Living in Love and Faith (LLF)
course, and relayed feedback from our members to the
central LLF team of the Church.

e lam currently working to make our screens for St Andrew’s Sunday services more accessible for those
with visual impairment or reading difficulties such as dyslexia.

e |amamember of Inclusive Evangelicals

e lam also a member of Together for the Church of England, seeking to promote unity across diverse
perspectives in the Christian denomination which has become my spiritual home and the focus of my life
and ministry

| believe that we as the Church of England are still on a journey towards the inclusion that marks out true
Christlikeness, but are far from having finally arrived. | want to help to promote that inclusion, whilst also
being committed to unity across different perspectives on these and other issues. Jesus prayed, “That they
may be one, as we are one.” That is my prayer also for our denomination as we move forward into the next
five years of General Synod.

Climate Change and Net Zero

As the Eco Church Champion, | chair the St Andrew’s Church Eco Church Team. In 2025 we achieved a Bronze
Eco Church Award. We are currently aiming to go the next steps to earning a Silver Award. | fully support the
ambitious targets that the Church of England has set for achieving net zero emissions, and will continue to
press for the changes needed to accomplish our targets.

Welcoming Refugees

| have been passionate about the plight of refugees over a number of years, volunteering as a welcomer to
help integration of several Syrian and Afghan refugee families in the local area. | have been trained in cross-
cultural awareness, particularly for working with people from Muslim Majority Countries. This requires
sensitivity to different ways of looking at the world, to make people feel truly welcomed. | believe this has
engendered a humility to accept difference with gentleness and respect, which transfers well into working
with others with diverging perspectives.

Church Unity

My varied ecclesiastical background — Baptist, Ecumenical Church project, charismatic (Anglican and non-
conformist), non-aligned and exclusively Church of England since the 1990s — has taught me to value unity
across diverse church backgrounds. Hence my involvement in Churches Together in Clevedon. But | also
value unity within the Church of England, and will work tirelessly to maintain the unity of the Spirit, in the
bond of peace. If elected | would hope to promote good ecumenical connections with other Christian
denominations. Please consider me for your first preference vote.

Pete Skett: 7 Garstons, Clevedon, BS21 7SS. Email: [email protected]

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