General Synod Election Candidates 2026

Rev'd Canon
Douglas T.
Machiridza
House of Clergy 2026
Proposed by
Who am I?
What motivates me?
Rev’d Canon Catherine Grylls
Mission Support Developer, CofE
Birmingham.
“Douglas' experience of how
General Synod works, allied with
his rootedness in Birmingham,
and breadth of relationships here
and more widely mean he is well
equipped to serve the church in
this role fruitfully in this next
season.”
[email protected]
12 Nursery Drive, Handsworth, B20 2SW
I am Rev’d Douglas Machiridza, a middle-aged man of a Global Majority Heritage
(GMH) background. I happen to be married to Alice, a primary school teacher. We have
three children, two of whom are now adults and the other just finished his GCSEs. I
currently serve as a Full-Time Area Dean for Handsworth and Central, a role I have
been in for the past 6 years 6 months.
Before that, I was Vicar of St Andrew’s church and Priest -in-Charge of St James, both
in Handsworth, for close to 6 years. One of the few Ethnic Minority clergy whose calling
and ministry was discerned in the diocese and still serves in the diocese 16 years after
ordination. I happen again to be the only Ethnic Minority clergy on the Area Dean
cohort and have been since the beginning of the initial cohort of 6 full-time area
deans appointed initially in 2019.
I am a very proud ‘Brummie’ who relocated to the United Kingdom in 2002 from
Zimbabwe in Africa , working initially as a Senior Social Worker before answering like
Mary, ‘ the mother of our Lord ', God’s call to serve the Lord as a full-time ordained
priest. Ministry has been both exciting and challenging but I have mostly appreciated
the privilege offered to serve others or God as a priest and also serving the church in
various capacities such as in Synods, both deanery and General and on Bishop Senior
Staff team and for many years on Bishop‘s Council among others.
Fairness, Justice, Equality and Inclusivity are the four things that motivate me and
keep me awake at night. I am committed to equality for everyone, at all levels and
roles within the church, regardless of disability, economic power, ethnicity, sex, gender
identity, learning, mental health, neurodiversity and/or sexuality.
This is simply because when I look at the church I serve both at a local, diocesan and
national level, my heart sinks. It sinks because the church seems and appears to be
so divided and very exclusive, going against what Jesus and God intended the
church to be a community of faith open to and for all. As Archbishop William
Temple said at one point, the church is the only organisation that is created for those
who are not its members.
How ironic and hence part of my passion in ministry and beyond has been to advocate
for a church that is more outward-leaning and focused as opposed to a church that is
inward-looking and good at ‘navel gazing’.
Thank you for taking the time to read this. For an open,
experienced and caring General Synod member, please
consider voting for me. Voting by single transferable vote, so if
you are intending to vote for me, please put me as your first or
highest preference. I would be happy to hear from you if you have
any questions time before the voting.

Rev'd Canon Douglas T. Machiridza
Seconded by:
Committees
What have I advocated for so far?
Rev’d Mark Bennett
Area Dean and Priest Missioner.
Kings Norton, Moseley, and
Shirley Deanery.
“Douglas' contribution to church
life here in Birmingham and wider
afield, makes him an excellent
first choice for General Synod in
this election. Douglas brings
experience not only of Synod
itself, but also from having
recently led the West Midlands
racial Justice board and as Area
Dean of Handsworth and Central.
His wisdom, enthusiasm and
integrity will be invaluable to
Synod over this next season. I
strongly recommend Douglas for
your first choice’”
I currently serve on the Racial Justice Unit ( RJU) National Racial Justice
Board and am also a member of the Grants / Funding Subcommittee of
the Racial Justice Board. Recently stepped down as the Co-Director of
the West Midlands Racial Justice Initiative ( WMRJI) serving as Co-
director co-ordinating racial justice activities and initiatives across 6
dioceses in the West Midlands region namely , Coventry, Hereford ,
Lichfield, Worcester , Gloucester and Birmingham.
There are several, but the following have been key :
Being an advocate for the Parish System (More funding and support).
Championing Racial Justice, Equality and Inclusiveness in General’s
Synod and the Church as a whole. As an inclusive candidate in
General Synod, I have always stood and continue to champion
inclusivity in its totality in all church and especially Synod business.
As a former senior social worker before ordination, safeguarding is
another passion of mine which I engage with and in wholeheartedly.
Environmental issues are also a huge passion of mine after serving on
the Inaugural Diocesan Environmental board as a representative of the
Area deans.
Clergy well–being as an Area dean, one of my main roles is advocating
for the well-being of clergy and their families in my deanery, and this is
something I intend to continue doing as it is a gospel imperative.
I have been on General Synod for the past 5 years and would
love to serve again for the next 5 years, as there were still a
lot of issues that were outstanding and still needed my
contribution towards them. With the experience accrued in the
last 5 years, my involvement and input will, I feel, now be much
more robust and effective due to experiences ‘gained and honed’
in the past 5 years. The networks established will be invaluable in
championing causes and missional issues relevant and prevalent
to the Church of England Birmingham, and finally representation
still matters; Racial Diversity in General Synod membership among
both clergy and Lay membership is still an ongoing issue.
Representing again the ethnically super diverse diocese of
Birmingham on General Synod would be such an honour and
privilege which I will not take for granted.
Why do I want to serve again?

archbishop,dioceses,disability,environmental,equality,gender identity,global majority,global majority heritage,gospel,inclusive,justice,mental health,mission,missional,neurodiversity,ordination,racial justice,safeguarding,sexuality