biblical,catholic,discipleship,gospel,mission,modern slavery,pcc,persecuted church,prayer,project spire,roman catholic,vacancy,word of god,young adults,young people

Diocese of Coventry
General Synod Election
August 2026
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Phil Sewards
Church: St John the Evangelist, Kenilworth
Deanery: Kenilworth
Address: 1 ILAM PARK, KENILWORTH,

  WARWICKSHIRE, CV8 2NU

Email: [email protected]
Phone: 07859 193230

Proposer: Nicola Perryman, Kenilworth
Deanery
Seconder: Ann Weitzel, Coventry North
Deanery
Thank you for taking time to read my
election address in advance of the General
Synod Election this year. This is an
important time for the Church of England
and I am standing for election after much
thought, prayer and discussion with
others. Whether you believe in the reality
(and/or extent) of the ‘Quiet Revival’, we
do seem to be in a time in which many
people in our nation are unconvinced by
the prevailing culture and are searching
for answers to some of the important
questions of life. I believe that the Gospel
of Jesus Christ uniquely provides those
answers.
Church background:

Julie and I have worshipped at St John's since

I have served several stints on the PCC,

totalling about 25 years. I was also
churchwarden from 2008-13 and again from
2022-26.

I was licensed as a Reader in 1996 and have
regularly preached and led services at St John's
and at our daughter church (1992-2021), where
I was on the leadership team.

We have led several Alpha courses together
and have been blessed to see several people
come to Christ over the years. We are shortly
to serve in an oversight capacity for our newly
appointed “Young Adults Community &
Discipleship Intern”, a position created to
minister to a steady influx of young adults who
have recently joined the church.

For the last couple of years, I have been closely
involved in our ministry to distribute Fareshare
food to the needy.

I have been on the Deanery Synod since 2016
and on Diocesan Synod since 2021. I was Chair
of the Vacancy in See Committee that led to the
appointment of +Sophie.

Since 2021, I have been Chair of the House of
Laity on Diocesan Synod and a member of
Bishop’s Council, serving on various Diocesan
committees and working groups.

Profile:

I'm 67 and originally from Coventry. I gained my
degree in Classics at St. John's College, Oxford and
still manage to read Greek and Latin, albeit with a
bit of a struggle sometimes. I also have a
qualification in Theology from the Open Theological
College.

I have been married to Julie for 42 years. We have 3
children and 5 grandchildren.

My career has involved me implementing complex
projects and managing various high-profile contracts
for Public Sector clients around the country. I have
been a Fellow of the Institute of Directors since

I retired in 2022.

Outside work, I have served as Trustee on several
local charities, including:
•
the Warwickshire Women's Refuge;
•
Cancer Vaccines Charitable Trust (providing
“research and development into cancer
treatments, focusing specifically on cancer
immunotherapy”);
•
Crossteach (“teaching pupils about the Christian
faith”);
•
Flourish (“Nurturing self-esteem and mental
wellbeing” in teenage girls); and, currently,
•
The Omega Course, which aims to promote
“Talking freely about death and dying in a
friendly and safe atmosphere.”

Diocese of Coventry
General Synod Election
August 2026
Page 2 of 2

The Church of England:

We have been blessed with a rich Christian
heritage that has provided us, as a nation,
with a solid, Biblical framework. This has been
the foundation of our life and culture; the
Church of England has played a key part in
giving a spiritual and moral lead. As a society,
we turn our back on that heritage to our peril.

Our nation needs to turn again to Jesus and
acknowledge Him as our Lord and Saviour. We
must, as a church, take the lead once again in
that mission. This is a priority that requires a
concentrated focus across the Church of
England nationally. To borrow a quote from G.
K. Chesterton (who, of course,
denominationally was a Roman Catholic)
“These are the days when the Christian is
expected to praise every creed except his
own.” If we do worship the one true God, let’s
tell people about Him.

An important part of the foundation of the
Church of England is the parish structure. I am
keen to see new life breathed into that
structure. To achieve this, financial help from
the national church needs to be made
available to local parishes, as a priority, to
support a range of appropriate mission
activities.

Part of this priority should be the raising of
Biblical literacy among children and young
adults. We need both to get Christ back into
the classroom and also to take the initiative
outside school by funding more initiatives
appropriate to teaching our young people the
word of God.

I would also like the Church of England to
focus on the scourge of Modern Slavery.
Sadly, over 40 million people worldwide today
fall into this category, but we can make a
difference. We should pay attention to
addressing this, rather than engaging in
Project Spire.

We must, must, must continue to support the
Persecuted Church worldwide. Little appears
to have progressed since the shocking report
produce by Philip Mountstephen (at that time
Bishop of Truro) in 2019. Indeed, Open Doors
calculates that close to 400 million Christians
worldwide are persecuted. I would like to see
this given a higher profile, especially at
General Synod.

If elected...

If elected to the General Synod, I would:

•
seek to represent the Diocese of Coventry
and its members honestly and humbly, to
the best of my ability;

• pray diligently about the matters
being discussed, seeking the guidance
of the Holy Spirit;

• listen carefully and read widely to be
as informed as possible about the
matters for discussion;
•
be available, at least by email, to you, so
that I can receive your questions,
comments or opinions and can provide
information and feedback on Synod
matters.

I would be grateful if you felt able, after
reading this short address, to give me a
high preference vote in the forthcoming
election.

Thank you again for your time. May God bless
you in your walk with Him.

Yours in Christ,
Phil Sewards